Strategy Assessment, Formulation & Implementation   |   Blue Ocean Strategy   |  Decision Analysis & Support   |   Strategic Risk Management   |   Business Innovation & Renewal

Strategy Assessment
Most organizations already have strategies and tactics in place. But is your current strategy “future-proof”? Have strategic decisions in the past sacrificed long-term prosperity for short-term gain?
Many organizations pursue fragile strategies that will not easily survive the inevitable “external shock” that occurs. Using qualitative and quantitative models to surface and analyze gaps between your strategy and potential future scenarios, USI consultants help you identify which areas of your strategy might require adjustment and monitoring as the future unfolds. Many organizations have optimized their strategy for the present, not the future! In working with you, USI assesses how vulnerable your strategy is to external change, competitive forces and shifts in consumer demand. Often the remedy entails more than simple contingency planning. It usually requires better peripheral vision, increased flexibility in your strategy, greater organizational agility and more vigilant monitoring of business changes in real time.

Strategy Formulation

They say “the wind is always on the side of the ablest navigators.” But how do you catch the wind or the wave? How do you plan in an ever-changing environment? How do you create superior value and profit from uncertainty on a sustainable basis? One response is not to plan at all, because change is constant and planning seems futile. Another response is to focus only on those elements that you can control. Yet another response is to make bold claims about the future and the direction of the organization and hope you are right. None of these approaches are adequate. USI has developed a proven process to effectively and efficiently answer these questions. By learning to embrace uncertainty and understand how different possible futures can affect your organization, you will be in a position to understand what competencies are needed to succeed under various conditions and events.
USI consultants help you develop a coherent strategic vision, direction and priorities that are robust across diverse futures – balancing commitment and flexibility. The inherent value of this approach is its capacity to build consensus around an organization’s future direction while increasing the organization’s strategic IQ.

Strategy Implementation
How to implement the strategic projects, who can lead and what to measure and monitor are questions many organizations have soon after the consultants have left the building.
Execution in uncertain environments often requires new capabilities in managing innovation and emerging technologies, dynamic monitoring, resource allocation and budgeting. To ensure the success of your chosen strategy, USI consultants develop action learning programs that build organization-wide capacity to think and act more strategically.