Strategy as Leadership - by Roberto S Vassolo & Natalia Weisz (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The authors argue that changes often are predictable, it does not follow that the solutions to these changes come pre-defined. Instead, companies will need to work hard to find the most appropriate and contextually relevant answers. The sooner they can identify and understand the dynamics, the more rapid and effective can be their adaptation and their allocation of resources to the losses that will occur. They focus on how firms faced with changes that can bring about a shift in strategic priorities often fail in what are fairly predictable environments. It's a topic the authors know well from both their consultancy and exec. education courses, as well as research as academics. The authors, both at a major business school in Latin America, have strong backgrounds in management studies, (Purdue and Harvard), and have a strong presence in Latin America through their teaching at IAE Business School in Argentina. Their consultancy work with multinational companies is also substantial. The book will find a large professional audience in business across senior management teams, executives in top leadership roles, and business consultants in strategic planning, change management, and leadership"--

Book Synopsis

Strategy as Leadership is about making sense of predictable but drastic changes that can alter the relationship between businesses and their competition, posing substantial leadership challenges to senior management teams. Roberto S. Vassolo and Natalia Weisz provide a framework to address and respond to these critical changes by identifying them, describing the inner tensions these changes generate, and providing guidance for their successful navigation. This outside-in approach specifies the salient leadership challenges that executives will face while mobilizing their organizations to respond effectively to competitive and environmental change.

This book claims that strategy is leadership as, in this framework, these environmental changes demand shifts in strategic priorities that result in a consistent pattern of resistance. If we know that changes are occurring in the competitive environment, we can soon identify who will be most resistant to the shift in priorities necessary to address the new situation. This book is for senior management teams to enable their organizations' capabilities to adapt and address environmental changes successfully.

Review Quotes

"[A]nticipating recurring challenges or prospects can offer small enterprises a headstart, allowing them to leapfrog less nimble competitors. Large corporations might have the financial buffer to manage unexpected setbacks, but small businesses walk a thin line. This makes Vassolo and Weisz's 'Hidden P&L Framework' essential."--Benjamin Laker, Inc.

"Strategy as Leadership: Facing Adaptive Challenges in Organizations... sheds light on the profound implications of integrating strategy with leadership, offering companies a beacon as they sail through the turbulent waters of change and competition."--Ben Laker, Forbes

"Strategy as Leadership is a must read for any executive who wants to have positive impact in today's everchanging business context. Combining rigorous strategic research with real and engaging case studies, Vassolo and Weisz's systemic approach to leading organizational change provides a practical path for organizations to respond to strategic challenges, patterns of resistance, and to facilitate continuous adaptation."--German Herrera, Managing Partner US, Egon Zehnder

"Strategy as Leadership take us on the journey that all enterprises past and future will face through the almost predictable cycles of product evolution, technology changes and economic cycles. From mastering the details to "getting off the dance floor" for much needed perspective, leaders will refresh on a valuable set of lessons from the past, to prepare for the future."--Sebastian J. Gunningham, Technology and Board Executive, Amazon, Oracle, Apple, WeWork and others

"The book uniquely combines strategic management insights with adaptive leadership tools. It is a practical guide to help organizations navigate the changing environment, providing an in-depth overview of several of the most significant competitive shifts companies face in the current world. The combination of robust theoretical underpinning with relevant examples facilitates understanding the challenges of implementing strategic changes. Essential to take into account when redirecting business strategy."--Krishna Palepu, Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

"This engaging book is full of frameworks and tools on how to develop creative organizational capabilities and then lead your team to act on them. It's essential reading for anyone who wants to emerge from disruption stronger and more effective."--Anita M. McGahan, Professor of Strategic Management, University of Toronto

"Using this espalier of change, [Vassolo and Weisz] provide a practical framework to help leaders recognize and respond to all kinds of changes. Recommended."--R. Subramanian, CHOICE

About the Author

Roberto S. Vassolo is a Full Professor in Strategic Management at IAE Business School (Argentina) - Universidad Austral, and is a visiting professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, School of Engineering and Systems. Natalia Weisz is an academic and business consultant in Adaptive Leadership. She is a Full Professor at IAE Business School (Argentina) and studied Adaptive Leadership at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She obtained her Ph.D. in Strategic Management at Purdue University. Natalia weaves together Adaptive Leadership, Sensemaking, Storytelling, and Strategic Management to help managers strengthen their ability to exercise leadership.