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  • Published on

    Strategy & Thought-leadership: take #2

    Governance Management Phd Research Strategy
    The motivation for my blogpost on 24 October—in which I asked where thought-leadership for strategy should lie—was to gather feedback to test a couple of ideas lurking in the depths of my PhD considerations. Several people have since contacted me directly to share their thoughts, which has been very helpful. Thank you to those people! 

    I also posted the same question on the Boards & Advisors Group over at LinkedIn, in an effort to broaden the pool of people who might like to comment. Many have, and a great conversation has emerged. I suggest you have a look there if you are interested in this topic, because a solid discourse is unfolding right now...
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    Where should thought-leadership for strategy lie?

    Governance Management Phd Research Strategy
    The development of strategy and strategic decision-making have emerged as core themes in my doctoral research in recent weeks. Regular readers will know I am investigating the governance–performance relationship, in an effort to explain the impact boards have on company performance (because we currently don't know).

    When one considers strategy and strategic decision-making, the question "Where should thought-leadership for strategy lie?" raises its head. One commonly-cited view is that the board should set vision and goals, management should develop strategy (for the board to approve), and then management should implement the approved strategy. Others say the board should drive everything and management should simply implement the board's wishes.

    Forming a view on this question is central to my research. So, what do you think? I'd value contributions from anyone with a story to tell!
  • Published on

    Paper selected for ICMLG Conference: Bangkok 2013

    Governance Phd Research
    I'm thrilled to announce that a paper summarising my post-graduate research project has been selected for presentation at the International Conference on Management Leadership and Governance (ICMLG), to be held in Bangkok in February 2013. I'm looking forward to sharing my findings, and to discussing governance with other researchers and practitioners. The full title of my paper is:

    "The impact of governance on the performance of a high-growth company: an exemplar case study".

    Papers cannot be published prior to the conference, however a copy of the abstract is available here. The full paper will be published on my Research page following the conference. If you'd prefer me to send you a copy, please let me know!
  • Published on

    Clearing hurdles provides a sense of accomplishment

    Governance Phd Research
    At high school, I was an "above average" middle distance runner. I won a few races and was selected for regional competitions. Running on the track seemed to come reasonably naturally to me. I didn't train to any great extent. In contrast, the hurdles races were a challenge. I just couldn't get the timing right and would inevitably knock over hurdles or, worse still, end up in a heap somewhere along the track. Despite practice, I struggled—until one day I slowed down, concentrated entirely on technique, and cleared all 10 hurdles! Looking back along the track, the sight of 10 standing hurdles spoke volumes. I had accomplished my goal. I promptly retired (at the ripe old age of 16), having achieved my only clear run, ever.

    Visual feedback is great. It gives a sense of achievement. Whether it's looking back at 10 standing hurdles, admiring a painted wall, or taking in the vista having climbed a mountain peak, the sense of progress and achievement is tangible and immediate.

    This week, I cleared another (albeit small) hurdle along my research journey. The doctoral journey is long and arduous. Breaking it down into bite-size chunks is necessary, for my own sanity and to measure progress. My research proposal was submitted for consideration by the Confirmation Panel. While I still have to defend the proposal in front of the panel, the sense of accomplishment that came from completing and submitting the written the proposal was very real. For six months, I have been preparing for this week—reading, thinking, collating ideas, arguing with myself (and others on a couple of occasions), editing text and adjusting my argument. If the proposal (and my defence) is acceptable, I'll lock in another "cleared hurdle", and get started on the next chunk of work—ethics and case selection. Fingers crossed.
  • Published on

    Why do Boards focus on monitoring (vs. strategy)?

    Governance Management Phd Research Strategy
    A very interesting discussion is underway in one of the LinkedIn groups at present. It has arisen out of a survey conducted by PwC, which showed many discrepancies between what Boards actually do and what directors think they should be doing or concentrating on. While attitudes are starting to move, actual behaviours are lagging well behind.

    Several researchers and practitioners (including me) are exploring why Boards concentrate on monitoring and control, when the respondents said they want to spend more time on strategy. Others are discussing the Board's role in IT oversight.

    These are important issues for Boards. I suggest you have a look, and contribute your views!
  • Published on

    When the penny drops and the fog lifts...the view is great

    Governance Phd Research
    Image description
    Have you experienced the pure delight, the visual symphony, of looking to the horizon after reaching the pinnacle on a seemingly unending trek? When the view changes from the near detail of the next step to the overall context? Yesterday, I had exactly this experience with my research. After spending several weeks wading through a great pile of weighty tomes, academic articles and handwritten notes, feeling somewhat daunted by the seeming lack of progress, a penny dropped and the fog that'd been masking my view lifted.

    All new knowledge needs to be built on a worldview (technically, an ontology and an epistemology). In my case, discovering the most suitable starting point for my governance research. I've been struggling with this, because the theory of knowledge doesn't come naturally to me at all. Much of the governance research to this point has employed positivist (financial analyses), post-positivist (structure and composition research) or constructionism (boardroom behaviour) worldviews. Unfortunately, much of the research to date has revealed very little about the impact boards have on performance. Therefore, my work needed to look at the problem quite differently if any progress was to be made. The new lens finally became clear during a meeting with my Supervisor yesterday, when we explored a couple of seemingly left-field ideas that I'd been investigating in recent days. An intense 30-minute discussion around the whiteboard was all it took. The path forward became clear. And in case you're interested, the worldview is pragmatism, supported by a multiple-case study design and grounded theory.

    With the launching point now clear (in my mind, at least!), it's time to pause for a coffee and admire the view, before heading onward and upward again to face the next challenge. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me in recent weeks, I (now) appreciate it.