| dc.description.abstract | Strategic implementation put simply is the process that puts plans and strategies into
action to reach goals. Strategic implementation is critical to a company’s success,
addressing the who, where, when, and how of reaching the desired goals and objectives.
A successful implementation plan will have a very visible leader, such as the CEO, as he
communicates the vision, excitement and behaviors necessary for achievement. Everyone
in the organization should be engaged in the plan. Performance measurement tools are
helpful to provide motivation and allow for follow up. Implementation often includes a
strategic map, which identifies and maps the key ingredients that will direct performance.
Such ingredients include finances, market, work environment, operations, people and
partners. Technology strategy is an evolutionary learning process for firms. An
organization's technological capabilities allow them to implement technology strategies
that best fit their goals. The experience gained from implementing technology strategy
feeds back into the technological capabilities which then enable firms to improve and
build their core competencies to help them maintain their competitive advantage.
Technological competencies are defined as the capabilities of the firm that enable them to
cope with environmental demands. Since new and innovative technological competencies
are needed for survival in a highly competitive environment, firms must be careful not to
fall into a competence trap. This can happen when a company's product and/or strategy is
successful and they become comfortable with existing areas of “expertise". The phrase,
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” causes firms to not think “outside of the box” to expand
core competencies in order to keep up with the growing and aggressive competition.
Existing competencies should not prevent innovation and creativity. Technology is
everywhere in the value chain and at all levels. Firms must first develop their internal or
core technology before determining the scope of their technology strategy. Choices are
always up to management in a firm. Management decides which type of technology
strategy best fits the organizational design and structure of the firm. Deciding whether or
not to have a centralized research and development department will impact the success of
a technology strategy. In this research we shall look at how strategy can be well
implemented in areas of technology to enhance supply chain management best practices.
The case study was conducted by way of personal interviews with staff in management
positions drawn from different departments and sectors after which content analysis was
carried out on the responses received. The research study established that for an
organization to be successful, proper strategies need to be put in place and for these
strategies to succeed, proper implementation is crucial. Otherwise a good strategy with
bad implementation will lead to failure. The study also unearthed various limitations that
could underrate strategy implementation. The study makes recommendations on how to
implement strategies to enhance best practices in supply chain management. | en_US |
