From Plans to Action: Bridging the Gap for Successful Strategy Implementation

Archive note: This article covers COTRUGLI’s former Strategy in Action (SiA) programme. The programme is no longer active at COTRUGLI, and applications are closed. Interviews and quotations reflect the time of original publication. For current options, see our programme comparison.

The world of business understands a significant number of ambitious strategic plans fail to materialize as intended. While reasons for these failures may differ, the common culprit is often poor execution. Research indicates that up to 67% of well-crafted strategy, plans fall short due to inadequate implementation, often arising from leaders’ reluctance to confront their organization’s strategic challenges, particularly within the first 18 months of their promotion or hiring.

What causes executives to falter in translating their strategies into action?

Executives often stumble due to a need for deeper insights within a competitive landscape. Their attention tends to gravitate toward internal organizational matters such as resolving conflicts, aligning budgets, and tracking performance—a valid focus, no doubt. However, this emphasis on internal affairs can overshadow strategic considerations like competitors’ market maneuvers, user and customer demands, and prevalent market and technological shifts.

Moreover, executives sometimes make compromises and overestimate their organization’s capacities, leading to strategies riddled with critical flaws that only come to light during execution.

Addressing this requires a shift in how we equip executives for their roles. Genuine investment in preparing leaders for the practical demands of their positions could substantially reduce failure rates, enabling companies to adapt and prosper more consistently and swiftly.

COTRUGLI’s Former SiA Programme

COTRUGLI Business School previously offered Strategy in Action (SiA) to support strategy implementation. The programme combined the SiA Platform, expert workshops and coaching to help businesses develop and implement their strategies.

Effective strategic activation

The programme supported executive teams in developing growth strategies backed by financial analysis. Its platform enabled collaboration on strategy development using established processes, frameworks and tools, with guidance from expert consultants.