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Strategy Execution Playbook

January 2024

Overview

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Overview

Book preview

Authors

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If you are currently working on a strategic initiative and don’t quite know what to do at this stage, this trusted companion provides you with a step by step guide for leading strategic initiatives by intertwining theoretical frameworks with practical tools.

It provides you with guidance on which tools to use when. Embedded throughout the book are execution and change management suggestions that will help you think through both growth and operational efficiency initiatives. In addition, we have included real world examples will bring the frameworks to life.

This Playbook is designed to be a trusted companion for sponsors, teams or leaders of strategic initiatives. It provides the necessary theoretical frameworks and practical tools to help guide teams in successfully implementing strategic initiatives (interchangeably referred to as “projects” in this Playbook).

The Playbook follows a methodological guideline for implementing both “exploratory initiatives” and “exploitative initiatives.” This is done in a step-by-step, modular way (explained in more detail in the ”Setting up for success” section). The Playbook’s structure broadly follows the phases of a strategic initiative’s execution – EXPLORE–DEVELOP–DO–EMBED

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20230608-Faculty-BettinaBüchel-740×374 - IMD Business School

Bettina Büchel

Professor of Strategy and Organization

Bettina Büchel is Professor of Strategy and Organization. She is an expert on strategy implementation, new business development, and change management. Her work is focused on leading strategic transformation programs and working closely with CEOs to build capabilities to deliver strategic priorities.

She says that many strategic initiatives fail to generate commitment and deliver value for businesses because leaders do not adequately address underlying barriers to change, such as gaps in the organization’s capacity to execute strategic changes. Her work is therefore devoted to helping companies increase the likelihood of successful implementation of strategic initiatives.

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Case reference: IMD-7-2366 ©2026

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Reference IMD-7-2366

Organization Norsk Hydro

Industry Manufacturing;Energy, Renewable Energy

Available Languages English

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