bus 222 quiz five
What two reasons does Grove give for his belief in Mark Twain's quote abouteggs in a basket?
"Put all your eggs in one basket and watch that basket" -It is hard to lead an org out of the valley of death without a clear and simple strategic direction -You can only get out of the valley of death by outrunning those who are after you-You can only outrun them if you commit yourself to one particular attraction -Go for it when identify needed change fully -Need to know what you are trying to get to -Then put all resources in
What is strategic dissonance and how does it relate to experimentation?
- It is the divergence between actions and statements (page 128) - It is an automatic reaction to a strategic inflection point -Resolution of it comes from experimentation - Become more tolerant of the new and the different - Stepping out of the old ruts will bring new insights - let chaos reign - Not that chaos is good in general - it's awfully inefficient - But old order won't give way to the new without a phase of experimentation and chaos in between
According to Grove, what is required of a leader who traverses the "shadow of death" in regard to their management team?
- Shadow of death = if we don't adjust what we are doing, we are doomed -Has to show company what the other side looks like -Have to make best educated guess that they can lead - Need to form a clear mental image of what the company should look like when you get to the other side - define what a company will and won't be - Need to be able to make decisions where you won't know the outcome until later down the road
What are the emotional reactions Grove describes as typical of organizational change (i.e., when chaos reigns)?
-Denial - Escape/diversion - personal actions of the senior manager (go into unrelated mergers or acquisitions)- Get involved with charitable fundraising, a lot of outside board activities or pet projects - Accept/permanent action
How do diversions (especially to the CEO calendar) relate to the need for focus from leaders in the midst of responding to a strategic inflection point?
-Diversions mean that there is a need to focus from leaders -Diversions serve as a way to avoid, real, harder to handle problems -Know change is coming - need to make moves -But focus on other things and addressing other things -CEOs are humans - easier to focus on other things
What kinds of personal and organizational resource deployment changes does he suggest organizational change requires?
-Like Drucker - focus on tomorrow's breadwinner -Put best people on change
What phases must an effective manager of change focus on in regard to thedynamic dialectic and what attributes does this organization have?
1)Phases: Debate (chaos reigns) and determined march (chaos reined in) 2)Attributes i. Tolerates and even encourage debate ii. Debates are vigorous, devoted to exploring issues, indifferent to rank and include individuals of varied backgrounds iii. Capable of making and accepting clear decisions, with the entire organization then supporting the decision
What is the resource shift dilemma, what is a senior manager's tendency in thatregard, and how does it relate to the taillight approach?
1)Trying to figure out when it is best to shift resources 2) Tend to be too late -Afraid to take the leap of faith - people are scared -Want to wait to make sure you are right 3)when you drive in a fog, it is a lot easier to drive fast if you're chasing the taillights of the car ahead of you - Once you catch up and pass though, there aren't taillights to follow - Don't have confidence and competence in setting your own course in a new direction - Some companies do this by waiting for others to wait for others to test the limits of tech possibilities and then commit to following, catching up and passing them -Most companies do this - they are followers -Not the best to be first all the time - no idea where you are going
What is the dynamic dialectic and how does it relate to each firm mentioned in the graphic?
Have equal amount of top-down communication as well as bottom-up. Being able to alternatively let chaos reign and then rein in chaos Don't want to be guy who doesn't learn from bottom-up Need top-down as well or else useless
How does Grove distinguish strategic plans from strategic actions?
i. Sound like political speech ii. Abstract and usually couched in language that has no concrete meaning except to the company's management - Strategic actions are steps we have already taken or are taking which suggest our longer-term intent i. Concrete steps ii. Matter because they immediately affect people's lives
