Strategy Magazine published

By now, all members should have received their copies of the March issue of Strategy Magazine. In this latest magazine, we examine strategies for an era where creativity and innovation is paramount. Articles explore everything from building a model of creative strategy to measuring the intangibles of the knowledge economy.

Shortlist announced for Strategic Value in Corporate Reporting Awards 2010

The Strategic Planning Society will be presenting its prestigious annual awards to FTSE100 and FTSE250 companies that demonstrate the highest standards of strategy disclosure and commentary in their annual corporate reporting.

The following companies have been shortlisted for awards:

Award & nominees	Sponsor
Best Overall Strategic Value Added by a FTSE100 Company Cadbury Capita Group Land Securities Group Rolls-Royce Group
Best Overall Strategic Value Added by a FTSE250 Company Brit Insurance Holdings Halma Northumbrian Water Group PartyGaming
Best Strategy & Objectives Aggreko Brit Insurance Holdings British Airways National Grid
Best Sustainability in Annual Reporting Land Securities Group Lonmin Northumbrian Water Group Rio Tinto
Best Strengths and Resources Amlin Legal & General Group Premier Farnell Serco Group
Most Compelling Narrative Aggreko Capita Group PartyGaming Vodafone Group
Most Improved Narrative ARM Holdings Diageo Greene King Lonmin
Best Online Annual Reporting by a FTSE100 Company Barclays Legal & General Group Marks and Spencer Group TUI Travel
Best Online Annual Reporting by a FTSE250 Company Greene King Ladbrokes Logica Premier Farnell

The ceremony will take place at the Royal Over-Seas League in London on Wednesday 28 April. The event is free to SPS members, please email us to register. Visit the SPS website for more information.

What rules distinguish the difference between tactics and strategy?

The descriptions of tactics and strategy differ, but the members of the SPS LinkedIn Group have been discussing the rules that distinguish each. One member suggested thinking of strategy as the 'why' and tactics as the 'what'; another said strategy is the longer-term plan to achieve an organisation's goals and tactics are the short-term initiatives that it uses. Meanwhile, another argued that the distinctions between strategy and tactics most often become clear in hindsight.

Other subjects under discussion include whether plans are more important than planning, the difference between the TOWS matrix and SWOT analysis and overcoming objections to your ideas.

Join the debate with over 1,100 strategists in the SPS Group on LinkedIn »

Thinking by design

Leaf through an annual report, or listen in on an analyst call, and eventually the word innovation is bound to pop up. But if so many companies publicly set innovation as one of their most important goals, why are they typically so bad at it? In the latest issue of Strategy Magazine, Roger L. Martin explains that our approach is at fault. Looking back can only help us replicate what has gone before. In order to innovate we must learn to look forward, to gaze into the mysteries of the future, and to do so, we need a new way of thinking.

Read the full article »

Organizing customers: learning from Big Brother

The Big Brother reality TV series captured the interest of a huge audience worldwide. To increase interest and engagement in the TV shows, the programme producers initiated or nurtured numerous other channels online and offline – websites, chat rooms, SMS news bulletins, newspapers and so on. In the process, the producers actively supported the creation of a community. In this paper, author Tobias Fredberg uses a recent Swedish series of Big Brother as a case study to argue that by effectively directing customers' attention, businesses can use a variety of channels to organise customer communities.

Read the full executive summary »

Cultural lag of nanotech

While the negatives of nanotech have been studied and discussed by scientific academia for several years, government and society have been lagging behind and allowing industry to pump out nanotech products faster than scientists can study their degrees of toxicity.

More information about Shaping Tomorrow »

The Business Performance Summit 2010

The summit is taking place 14-15 June 2010 at the Radisson BLU Scandinavia Hotel, Dusseldorf, Germany. It showcases the latest strategies and operating tools through a two-day programme, offering performance improvement case studies, including: business performance in converging businesses at Sony Ericsson; the continuing 'Beyond Budgeting' journey at Statoil; and capitalising on 'operational excellence DNA' at GE.

For details of the programme, visit visit the website, email Laurence Allen or call +44 (0)20 7202 7690.

Ashridge Open Programmes

SPS members are entitled to a 10% discount on any of Ashridge's open strategy programmes.

Ashridge has a wide variety of short, residential programmes to help individuals and organisations to achieve their development needs. These programmes focus on blending the practical experience of their faculty with leading-edge business thinking, to inspire and challenge you.

In addition, learning in small classes – typically between 12 and 30 participants – promotes collaboration on your own issues and ensures individual support, enabling all participants to return, better able to transfer learning, to the workplace.

For more details, visit Ashridge. Please quote your SPS membership number when booking.