Architecture/Engineering (A/E) firm strategy is one of the main topics of this blog. I have discussed in previous posts how a firm’s strategy is the key to its long term success and is key to avoiding commoditization or settling for average. If you have good strategy, you are likely outperforming in the industries and market […]
I had been told by several people that I had to watch the movie “Moneyball.” They told me that it was a great movie that had great lessons about business, management, and the power of data. This sounded right up my alley so I recently watched it. This is a great movie with some great […]
As I wrote about in a previous blog post, culture is an incredibly important and powerful force for architecture and engineering (A/E) firms. It is likely a primary element and driver of your strategy. I also discussed why it is important to understand your culture because decisions you make that affect structure, systems, and […]
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This is a quote that is often attributed to Peter Drucker, but it’s not clear if he actually said it. This thought has appeared in several other forms over the years such as culture beats strategy, culture trumps strategy, etc. This quote, in any form, seems to make the assumption […]
When the topic of strategy is discussed, often it is done so in the context of strategic planning. The process of strategic planning is where most people are first exposed to the concept of corporate strategy. If you asked them about strategy, they would likely describe it in terms of the planning process. There is […]
There are many different approaches to and views of strategy that have been developed since the field of strategic management began to develop nearly a half a century ago. Many of these are great for industries in manufacturing and consumer products – you almost never see case studies for professional services in this body of […]
Whenever a group of architects and engineers get together, invariably someone will bring up the topic of commoditization and what it is doing to our profession. They talk about commoditization like it is a natural phenomenon that we can do nothing about. The truth of the matter, though, is that commoditization is a choice and […]