Structure and Strategy - Sustainable Growth Through Balanced Execution

Evaluating and refining a market strategy and organizational structure because of changes is never easy but is always necessary.

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As a contractor grows there are inflection points where their market strategy and organizational structure must be evaluated and refined.  These changes are just part of the cycles every business goes through. 

Leadership Tools: Structure vs Strategy. Quote: Structure Follows Strategy. Alfred D Chandler, Jr. OR. Quote: Strategy Follows Structure. David Hall and Maurice Saias.

It is easy to talk about any one element of a contractor’s business foundation by itself.  The reality though is that it’s how effective the whole Business Operating System is that matters.  

As Larry Bossidy describes in the book Execution most strategies fail due to execution.  We don’t make academic arguments with contractors - if a strategy can’t be reasonably executed it isn’t a good strategy.  

The approach we take to strategic planning looks at both existing organizational capabilities (what is true) as well as what the ideal strategy would be if there were no constraints.  As Roger Martin describes - “What would have to be true for this strategy to work?” 

By exploring what it would take operationally to execute the strategy then feeding that information back to the strategy in an iterative process a contractor develops plans that work in the long-term. Josh Waitzkin describes this well when it comes to mastery it is about drawing smaller and smaller circles - it is not a linear process.


Contact us to learn how we help contractors develop then execute winning strategies. 




Problem Solving Capabilities: From 3 Months to 3 Minutes
The first step of solving a problem is identification of the root-cause(s). That capability ranges from taking 3 months to 3 minutes. Understanding these ranges is the foundation of organizational structure, development, and succession readiness.
Progressive Questions for Interviews, Evaluations, and Development
Asking progressively higher-level questions helps assess capabilities while allowing you to stop before making the other person feel inadequate. These questions are valuable for development—answering them is like exercise for the brain.
Customer Strategy Intersection
Having an effective market strategy is the #1 thing a contractor can do to ensure sustainable and profitable growth. For your strategy brainstorm the following and look for intersections: