When managing an organization as large and as complex as the FBI, it’s not enough to have only a defined mission and a set of priorities. In order to turn it into an intelligence-driven, threat-based entity, a definitive strategy is required. After the 9/11 attacks, the FBI Director, Robert Mueller, published a list of priorities, which clearly showed that the Bureau’s intention to fight terrorism was the main priority. But the list was not enough for a long-term organizational change; therefore, a new strategy was needed.
Striving for continuous improvement represents the most difficult task that a company is faced with in its road to achieving, and more importantly, maintaining organizational performance. Firms improve their performance by adapting business processes to their specific needs so that they can perform effectively and efficiently.
Strategies, decisions, choices, visions, implementation. These concepts are found in every organization’s vocabulary. However, not all organizations understand the full meaning of the terms, thus resulting a series of unsatisfactory outcomes. Richard Rumelt, in his book Good Strategy / Bad Strategy, talks about the way leaders of organizations misinterpret the meaning of strategy: “Leaders are misleading people (…) They are using this word, this concept, and are not delivering on it.” It is crucial to comprehend the terms and separate them in order to successfully develop and implement an idea in an organization.
The subject of the book Moneyball: The art of winning an unfair game, written by Michael Lewis and published in 2003, revolves around the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its manager, Billy Beane. In 2011, a film based on the book was released, starring Brad Pitt. Whether you have read the book or seen the movie, the message you must have stumbled upon is the same: Moneyball delivers a business lesson. You have to know your limits, establish your objectives and create business strategy to attain your goals.
Oussama Mansour, CEO at Profiles International MENA and Khaled Elgouhary, Director of Strategy and Performance at Qatar Leadership Centre (QLC) presented a case study during the second day of the HR Summit and Expo 2012. Their case study was focused on national leadership development as pursued by the Qatar Leadership Centre.
