HAVE you ever been in a situation where everyone seemingly agrees on a particular strategy, but somehow it never happens?
See if you identify with this example: A large technology firm was figuring out how to integrate services for its largest global customers. After extensive planning, senior management decided to assign experienced executives to a dozen of these customers and give them the authority to manage the accounts end-to-end. What management failed to address was that many of its best sales executives couldn’t be released to take on these new roles; the firm’s financial systems couldn’t provide the right information on a customer-by-customer basis; and its research programs were geared toward new technologies instead of integrated solutions. So while everyone agreed that an integrated approach was needed, very little change occurred.
