CITATION

Formisano, Roger. The Manager's Guide to Strategy. US: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

The Manager's Guide to Strategy

Published:  October 2003

eISBN: 9780071436458 0071436456 | ISBN: 9780071421720

Book description:

Translated into 16 languages! The reader-friendly, icon-rich Briefcase Books series is must reading for all managers at every level.

All managers, whether brand new to their positions or well-established in the organizational hierarchy, can use a little "brushing up" now and then. The skills-based Briefcase Books series is filled with ideas and strategies to help managers become more capable, efficient, effective, and valuable to their organizations.

The best strategies--and the most capable managers--are those that effectively match an organization's capabilities with its customers' needs. The Manager's Guide to Strategy shows managers how to analyze a firm's position in the marketplace, formulate and execute a profitable strategy, then evaluate and revise that strategy over time. It details techniques for making employees excited about and committed to a strategy, and explains how to use strategy to take advantage of opportunities as they arise--to the mutual benefit of both a company and its customers.

How Top Managers Create and Implement Strategies that Benefit Their Companies and Their Careers

As a manager, every decision you make must both support and drive your organization's strategic goals. But first you must understand those goals--what they are, how they were arrived at, how you can contribute to them, and what you can do to help achieve them.

Manager's Guide to Strategy provides you with proven, up-to-date concepts, tools, and insights for effective strategy formulation, along with myriad examples of successful and not-so-successful strategies from real companies. The latest results-focused volume in McGraw-Hill's bestselling Briefcase Books series, this step-by-step introduction to strategy and strategic planning will show you how to:

  • Formulate long-term goals, and create a plan to achieve those goals

  • Factor your best customers and their needs into every strategic decision

  • Evaluate and revise strategies to take advantage of new opportunities

Successful companies and managers recognize that strategy development is a continuous, iterative, and interactive process. Learn how to both think and act strategically--for the benefit of your organization, your customers, and your career--in Manager's Guide to Strategy.

Briefcase Books are written specifically for today's busy manager. Each book features eye-catching icons, checklists, and sidebars to guide managers step-by-step through everyday workplace situations. Look for these innovative design features to help you navigate through each page:

[Key Terms icon] Clear definitions of key strategy development terms and jargon

[Smart Managing icon] Ideas for intelligent strategy development and implementation

[Tricks of the Trade icon] How-to hints for efficient, effective strategic management

[Mistake proofing icon] Advice for minimizing errors when planning strategy

[Caution icon] Warning signs of strategic planning attempts going wrong

[For Example icon] Examples from a variety of companies, large and small

[Tools icon] Boxes where you'll find specific strategic planning procedures

Roger A. Formisano is a professor of executive education at UW-Madison, focused on the areas of strategy, leadership, governance, and mergers and acquisitions.