Announcing The Execution Challenge: Delivering Great Strategy at Scale
The Execution Challenge, co-authored by Brian H. Cameron and Whynde Kuehn, focuses on the often missing "how" of strategy execution, including how to translate strategy and create and maintain an ongoing line-of-sight to execution. The book provides a coherent and cohesive approach that brings all of the teams together from strategy to execution and that leverages the holistic perspective of strategic business architecture to underpin decision-making.
The Execution Challenge is being published by Wiley and is now available for pre-order (hardcover) from all of your favorite online booksellers and in bookstores worldwide. The hardcover will be released on 11 July 2024. (The eBook will also be available for order on the release date.)
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What People Saying About The Execution Challenge...
"All businesses must maintain their relevance in ever changing market conditions and do so with greater confidence that their chosen strategy can be realised. Too often companies have a disconnect between their strategy and their change investments, compromising their operating plan and financial performance. Cameron and Kuehn promote a well-researched, comprehensive, educational insight into the essential discipline of strategic business architecture that provides the red-thread between strategy and execution; ultimately helping organisations succeed in their chosen journey."
Peter Elsdon
Head of Strategic Transformation Planning | Strategy Office
A.P. Moller-Maersk
“In today’s complex, fast-changing environments, effective strategy execution is not just about the ‘what,’ but also the ‘how.’ Cameron and Kuehn provide a practical, insightful, and invaluable guide, offering proven techniques to translate ambitious strategies into coordinated action and momentum. For an emerging leader, they provide the tools that allow you to create a path forward, helping you navigate the execution challenges with agility, structure, and organization. For seasoned leaders, they provide a compass prompting a reevaluation of established practices, fostering adaptability, better decision-making, and encouraging a culture of continuous improvement. A must-read for executives, strategists, and business leaders who seek to bridge the gap between strategy and successful execution.”
Jessica Saba, PharmD, MMGT, BCGP
Director, Business and Operation Strategy Realization
Highmark Health
“Based on a career that included business leadership in three Fortune 500 companies, leadership of a multibillion-dollar private family-owned company, and growing up in a smaller family business, I developed a passion for business leadership and strategy. I saw good strategy development with less than stellar execution. As a business leader, I believe you actually start by developing good business execution processes in the organization before you start strategic planning. Once you have them in place you can step back and develop clear strategies. After that you link them together. Once you have this in place it can be very powerful.
Many well-formulated strategies fall apart without strong organizational buy-in and the transformation of ideas into action. This book provides a fresh approach into the “how” of strategy with a focus on execution. This comes down to the strategy process and the book presents great tools and techniques to develop and execute great strategies. Move this one to the top of your reading list!”
Rick Merluzzi | Executive Vice Chairman
Metal Exchange Corporation
“Strategy without execution is meaningless. Yet, many companies are so focused on strategy that they forget the most important part of strategy is execution. The business environment has never been more volatile and unpredictable, making execution more critical than ever. While the business challenges of successful strategy execution are well-known, I believe the playbook for how to do it are not well developed in most organizations. In The Execution Challenge, Cameron and Kuehn provide an indispensable guide for how to link strategy with the organization’s capabilities deliver it through the entire value chain. The Execution Challenge is a practical, real-world framework to understand and manage complexity. This book is a must-read for business leaders, strategic planners, and managers at all levels who must lead their teams and organization through change.”
Brad Smith
Vice President, Portfolio Management, Innovation and Insights
CJ Schwan’s
“As part of our mission to drive innovation in graduate business programs, the Graduate Business Curriculum Roundtable was pleased to sponsor a recent study by Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn to investigate how, if at all, strategy execution is taught in these programs. The study found that most strategy execution/implementation courses focus heavily on the human and organizational elements of strategy but do not discuss in any real detail HOW to translate or execute strategy or manage ongoing changes to it. This book squarely addresses that gap with a comprehensive approach to strategy execution that links the project execution layer with business strategy and keeps them aligned as organizations evolve in today’s dynamic landscape. The Execution Challenge should be considered as part of every graduate business curriculum and is a must read for business leaders of today and tomorrow.”
Jeff Bieganek, Executive Director, Graduate Business Curriculum Roundtable
“The translation of a winning strategy into a superior performance is perhaps one of the greatest challenges of organizational leaders in today’s ever changing corporate arena. How do we help our people maintain razor sharp focus on strategy execution amid so much organizational complexity? Cameron and Kuehn help us bridge the gap between strategy formulation and execution – how refreshing it is to have such an in-depth exploration of the “how” of implementing strategy successfully!”
David L. Dinwoodie, Center for Creative Leadership; Co-author of Becoming a Strategic Leader: Your Role in Your Organization’s Enduring Success
“Despite years of research and strategy methodologies, many organizations continue to be challenged in strategy execution to achieve their strategic outcomes. The Execution Challenge: Delivering Great Strategy at Scale aims to bridge this gap and comes at a time where effective strategy execution will not be just for business performance, but for future survival. Cameron and Kuehn provide invaluable insights and a pragmatic approach, drawing from extensive experience and organizations successfully embracing their teachings to fill the gap between strategy and execution. For strategy executives navigating today's complexities, this book is indispensable.”
Kartik Ravel
Head of Value Realization, N.A.
Fujitsu America, Inc.
“In The Execution Challenge: Delivering Great Strategy at Scale, Cameron and Kuehn provide an expert playbook for effective strategy execution, with a focus on proven, real-world implementation. In the intricate dance between vision and reality, strategy execution wields the conductor’s baton. This book not only reveals the notes but also teaches us how to orchestrate them into a symphony of success, something that has been missing in other books about strategy. In the current volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) landscape, Cameron and Kuehn introduce strategic business architecture, the missing link in ensuring the successful realization of organizational strategies.”
Jenn Hood, HR Transformation PMO Director, UGI Corporation
“The Execution Challenge provides keys to businesses and leaders who want to move from a 'ready, fire, aim' approach to 'ready, aim, fire.'”
Miranda Meyer, Director of Strategy Management and Chief of Staff, Health Insurance Company
“This book is a must-read for leaders who are looking for a proven, pragmatic approach to executing business strategy. The often missing “line of sight” linkage between strategy and tactical execution becomes visible when you leverage the practical frameworks and techniques outlined in this book.”
Tanisha Fitts, General Manager, T. Rowe Price
“Cameron and Kuehn offer the tools to make a strategic plan that is actionable - not merely theoretical. This book provides a way to navigate the tension that is inherent in developing a concept and its execution at once. Most strategic plans morph along the way to implementation - if they even make it that far - so much so that the end result may have little in common with the vision. Using their strategic business architecture, organizations can create an integrated, comprehensive way forward that leverages the best of their teams, talents, and opportunities.”
C.J. Wise, Senior Vice President, Finance & Strategy, New York Center for Child Development
“When I started reading this book, I could not stop. It effectively addresses the strategy to execution gaps using strategic business architecture. With my experience in strategy, business architecture, and agile project management, I am excited to see the practical, straightforward, and easy-to-consume methods presented in this book. In my opinion, if you follow these methods, you will be able to execute your strategy successfully.”
Mulanga Machaba, Strategist, Leading Financial Institution in South Africa
“As a leader, I am always striving to add more tools to my skill set to drive better strategic planning and execution. The Execution Challenge is a must read for all leaders looking to close the gap between strategy ideation and execution excellence. Cameron and Kuehn provide clear visibility to the challenges of strategy execution and how to keep leaders focused on coordinated efforts to deliver strategy execution at scale.”
Shawn T. Condon
Chief Operating Officer, Schuman Cheese
“The Execution Challenge represents a superb resource for business executives, it distills in simple but powerful deep rooted strategic principles the drivers that allow organizations to deliver on their value propositions, hence paving the road to wealth creation and long-term economic growth, a must read for any current or aspiring business leader.”
Jose Eduardo Salgado Ballesteros
CEO CURFIMEX SA DE CV
"Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn break through the philosophic and high-level strategic concepts of transformation and provide practical insights on how to operationalize these initiatives by leaning on business architecture as the consistent thread. A one-of-a-kind primer, here is a book that serves to make us wiser digital transformation leaders."
Jessica Carroll
Chief Experience Officer, Acuative & Institute for Digital Transformation Fellow
"One of the keys to effective strategic delivery is the ability to ‘see’ the big picture and translate aspiration into meaningful action. Well-executed business architecture paints that picture. Joining the dots across complex organisations and systems enables everyone within them to see and do things differently, harnessing the real power of shared vision-aligned collective effort. This book provides a practical ‘how to’ guide to creating strategic business architecture which effectively links delivery to purpose at scale."
Jacqueline Ambrose - Head of Change, The University of Sheffield
“If you're in search of a guide to achieve successful strategy execution, then The Execution Challenge is the book you need. This insightful read has it all, bridging the gap between developing a solid strategy and effectively executing it. It provides a clear roadmap, highlighting the benefits of establishing a strategic business architecture function and integrating it with strategic planning. Along the way, it demystifies the application of the most effective strategy frameworks and tools. Additionally, it offers an organisational assessment tool that allows readers to evaluate the maturity of their existing strategy execution processes. Whether you're an executive, strategist, or simply curious about strategy execution, The Execution Challenge is a must-read for you!”
Deborah Billingham
Organisational Change Professional
Western Power Corporation
“This is the book I would have loved to have on my desk as a strategic and transformational leader. Executing on the strategy is one of the biggest challenges business leaders have and this book gives a great perspective on how to include strategic business architecture to maximize execution capabilities. Great book.”
Lene Østerberg
CEO and Founder Linconomy
“The authors have identified the natural dichotomy that occurs between organizational strategy and execution. While many others have written about the development of business strategy, Cameron and Kuehn have focused on techniques to ensure successful implementation of those strategies. Followers of this work will be seen as key delivery enablers.”
Gary Buck, Global CIO, Retired
“Everyone in leadership understands the importance of developing strategic goals within their organization. Unfortunately, the majority of leaders never successfully execute such strategies. This book will stand apart from all the other leadership books that you own, as it illustrates challenges from traditional thinking and explores new approaches that can get you closer to effective strategy development and execution. In leadership, there are no excuses, just results!”
Aaron Parker, Manager, Labor Relations, Amtrak
"In leading a scientific/technically focused function within a large biotech and medical device corporation, a major challenge has been evolving the organization to address expanding internal product portfolio needs and external environmental drivers (customer and regulatory requirements). Urgency often demands a targeted response to the immediate need, with limited consideration given to optimization of resultant department architecture, transactional processes, or true cohesive strategy to drive effective service delivery and execution. This book offers a very thorough foundation in the relevant theory, development of actual applications, and ultimately distillation into practical actionable frameworks to address performance. The authors' depth and breadth of expertise on how to build a cohesive strategy and translate it into coordinated execution is clear and obvious; as is their true commitment to sharing this knowledge for the benefit of clients and readers. I'm sure you will find the same as you delve into this book."
David W. Eaker, Ph.D., DABT
Vice President, Corporate Preclinical Development and Toxicology
Becton Dickinson (BD)
“Successfully transforming an organization is about having the ability to adapt, pivot, and transform organizational DNA and culture. We need a mechanism to pool our cross functional experience and skills to collaborate on dealing with whatever crisis arises, be it financial, technological, environmental, regulatory, or health related. The Execution Challenge gives us that mechanism by articulating the comprehensive journey from strategy formulation through its seamless execution.”
Peter Cully, President Association of Change Management Professionals ANZ Inc.
“The Execution Challenge: Delivering Great Strategy at Scale transcends the conventional boundaries of strategic literature, emerging as a seminal guide that masterfully navigates the translation of intricate strategy into tangible outcomes. Where existing discourse on strategy execution often finds itself ensnared in the dichotomy of theory versus practice, this work stands out for its thoughtful exploration of the alchemy required to transform meticulously crafted strategy into harmonious, impactful execution. The authors imbue this book with an abundance of wisdom and practical advice, offering a treasure trove of insights for both seasoned strategy execution practitioners and those aspiring to mastery in this domain. It serves as an indispensable toolkit, designed to streamline efforts, mitigate conflict, and foster a productive dynamic that guides every step from strategic ideation to its pragmatic realization. This book promises not just to educate its readers but to equip them with the means to effect meaningful business impact through strategic excellence.”
Suleiman Barada, President – Lebanon Chapter at the Global Innovation Institute
“The Execution Challenge is a must read for current and future leaders. It serves as the how-to we need on implementing the business architecture framework, the true secret to strategic success. This thought-provoking body of work will be helmed as the guide for leadership teams who strive to take their corporations to the next level. It bridges the gap between premier strategy and profitable execution. Cameron and Kuehn's research creates a powerful body of work and shows just why they are the ones to watch and learn from in the field!”
Rosa Barringer - United States Air Force, Retired
“Every business should be in the business of growth—and growth requires not only clear strategic vision—but a framework to align every individual in the organization towards the goal. The Execution Challenge delivers a brilliant and comprehensive roadmap for businesses of all sizes to deliver on even the most ambitious, far-reaching strategies.”
Eileen Love O’Donnell, Founder and Co-CEO, Odonnell Company
“Many companies strategize but struggle to translate their plans into transformative outcomes. The Execution Challenge breaks this pattern, delving deeper to address the vital connection between the execution layer and business strategy, while adeptly managing ongoing changes. It not only showcases expertise but also demonstrates a dedication to offering a thorough understanding of strategy execution, thus ensuring projects stay aligned with overarching business objectives in dynamic environments.”
Jackie Parkinson
Sr. Global Enablement Manager, Technical Pre-Sales
Adobe
“In a world where strategic execution can mean the difference between success and stagnation, The Execution Challenge: Delivering Great Strategy at Scale emerges as a vital compass for leaders navigating the complexities of corporate and IT strategy. Having served as both a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Chief Enterprise Architect, I've witnessed firsthand the challenges and imperatives of aligning strategy with execution across vast and varied teams. Co-authors Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn have masterfully distilled decades of experience into an insightful guide that demystifies the oft-overlooked art of strategy execution. Their pragmatic approach, blending strategic business architecture with actionable frameworks, is a beacon for those aiming to translate visionary strategy into tangible outcomes. This book not only equips leaders with the tools to bridge the perennial gap between strategy development and its execution but also fosters a culture of alignment, agility, and innovation.”
Raymond Bordogna
Chief Enterprise Architect, WPP
"Effective strategy execution is crucial for every organization’s success and its ability to adapt and thrive in today's dynamic and disruptive business environment. However, many organizations struggle to bridge the gap between strategy and execution, facing challenges such as time-consuming planning processes and disconnected teams and tools. The Execution Challenge helps us reimagine a better way. With its comprehensive approach to strategy execution, it demonstrates how to establish continuous alignment from strategy to execution in a transparent, cohesive, connected, and efficient way – enabled by a holistic view of an organization. The Execution Challenge is an instant classic on strategy execution – and essential reading for anyone serious about delivering strategy and transformation at scale.”
Geeta Pyne
SMD, Chief Architect
TIAA
"The Execution Challenge represents a much-needed paradigm shift from Business to IT alignment into an evolution and mindset of execution and realization. Business leaders and technologists globally will find a gripping real-world approach, decomposing business architecture as a business to execution practice through the enterprise strategic lens. Readers will find pragmatic composition of internal and external factors and considerations to scale "go dos" for target state capabilities and continuous achievement of the business results."
Pamela Wise-Martinez, MEM, Author, Inventor
Executive Director, Global Head of the Enterprise Architecture
Whirlpool Corporation
"Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn present an effective solution to the challenge faced by executives in all industries to bridge strategy and execution and activate change needed continually in 21st-century organizations. This captivating book is a gift for leaders at all levels to not only deliver a great strategy but also scale it to grow and transform their organizations. This is not just a book but a manual containing step-by-step practical tools. A reader will be able to implement the tools right away by utilizing the tips and tricks from the lifetime work of the authors with deep expertise in the exciting and ever-growing field of strategic business architecture. Highly recommended!"
Guru Chadha, SVP Business Architecture, Citi
"The Execution Challenge provides a pragmatic view into concrete ways for how to achieve enterprise strategy plans. Where strategy formulation and change journey management set the stage, the drama of enterprise transformation plays out in the programs and projects where strategic execution occurs – or fails. My thirty years of transformations taught that lesson through hard learnings in the field. As disruptive technology change now compels leaders to set new strategies and execution challenges to meet, this practical guide is vital for new and experienced change agents alike."
Patrick Engelking
Vice President of Business Architecture & Transformation
Advantage Solutions
"How well companies, both large and small, can execute great plans will increasingly become a survival factor. This requires translating big ideas into blueprints for successful change implementation. Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn offer actionable ways of cracking the code to the HOW of strategy execution."
Juliane Berger, Head of Business Architecture, Allianz Commercial
“As a proponent and practitioner of business architecture for over two decades, I am thrilled to read Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn articulate such a pragmatic and applicable approach to strategy execution. Their delineation of business architecture across strategic and execution tiers, provides valuable insight for organisations struggling with the optimal placement of their business architecture practice. Moreover, the tools and logical steps outlined in this book will empower business architects to derive value across various strategic, value stream, or capability levels. The Execution Challenge also tackles head-on, the organizational hurdles associated with harmonising business transformation, technology, and architecture functions when executing strategy.”
Harminder Blackburn
Head of Enterprise Business Architecture
Liberty Specialty Markets
“Execution is the most difficult, yet least understood and documented phase of any major transformation program. This comprehensive work based on direct experience, is the skeleton key to making the complex simple and delivering the right outcomes in a controlled manner via strategic business architecture. It not only shows how, but why certain approaches are necessary and aptly places often confused transformation concepts that can otherwise create early communication challenges.”
Steve Carter, Head of Business Architecture QBE AUSPAC
"Business architecture plays a critical role for organizations that want to differentiate themselves amidst competitors, enhance their operational performance, and innovate on a large scale. However, many organizations fail to leverage the full potential of business architecture by limiting its role to an execution level within their enterprise architecture practice. To unlock exponential value, organizations need to embrace strategic business architecture as well. This book provides a comprehensive guide to establishing both strategic and execution level business architecture, along with practical steps to bridge the gap between the two. Aspiring and experienced business architecture professionals alike will find immense value in this insightful read."
Kavitha Narayanan, VP - Head of Business Architecture, Large Financial & Insurance Company
“During the two decades I have worked in strategy, business architecture, and portfolio management, the debate has unfortunately been more about who does what and when, and who decides and who is right, rather than collaborative value creation. In The Execution Challenge, Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn shed light on HOW to execute strategy, while prioritizing shared objectives and coherence across functions. Then, ‘who does it’ is no longer at the center of the debate because strategic business architecture provides a mindset and a way of connecting the dots across the strategy to execution continuum that transcends individual roles. Their pragmatic and agile approach, complemented by a brilliantly presented step-by-step maturity assessment tool, allows you to target exactly where to start within your organization. This guide, devoid of technical jargon and dogmatic concepts, is pertinent to all leaders and practitioners across the strategy execution continuum and I am confident that it will positively influence the success of our organizations.”
Amélie Régimbal, Senior Advisor in Organizational Transformation and Strategic Business Architecture Leader, Desjardins Group
"One of the questions I've been asked frequently as an educator, coach, and consultant in business architecture and leading strategy formation is, how do we actually do this work, practically speaking? We've been able to convey the "why" and the "what" of business architecture and strategy planning in our teaching over the last decade; making the case, laying out the conceptual, and then hoping to use our skills with the models to navigate through blockers and achieve real benefit.
Now, with The Execution Challenge we've been given the unequivocal "how." My esteemed colleagues, Brian Cameron and Whynde Kuehn, have created the literal recipe book to instruct practitioners in the daily work of executing to deliver the strategic intentions of the organization using business architecture and other tools. With the why and what as the backdrop, they have brought us the step-by-step guidebook for how, which I think if followed in earnest, will lead to new opportunities for predictable success for both the practitioner and the organization."
Linda Finley, Founder and President
The Twin Cities Business Architecture Forum
“The making of strategies and their actual execution are interdependent processes. The Execution Challenge acknowledges this interdependence - highlighting the importance of aligning business architectures with the competitive and/or cooperative nature of the underlying strategy. The authors demonstrate the importance of design to sustain strategy, including cooperative ventures where interactions and capabilities associated with value co-creation are promoted. Execution is an essential part in understanding how single organizations are or can become part of evolving networks and emerging ecosystems.”
Lars Huemer
Professor of Strategy, BI Norwegian Business School
“Ineffective business books merely present content. Good business books introduce new subjects. Great business books explain the reasons behind things. Exceptional business books inspire us... This book is one of these! This is a must-read for all executives, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and academics looking for answers and aiming to understand the intersection between technology, strategy, business models, and exponential growth.”
Javier Tovar Márquez
Professor INALDE Business School, Speaker & Business Consultant
“The authors of The Execution Challenge offer a simplistic case for change by hitting on the shortcomings of traditional methods, then progress into how to determine the comprehensive change required to make strategies successful—from people, process, information, and technology lenses. Their insights on achieving horizontal enterprise alignment and informing strategic planning are truly groundbreaking, offering a path forward where before seemed like an abstract ideal. I firmly believe that this book has the potential to create a paradigm shift in how organizations approach strategy translation and redefine the field for architecture innovation.
Amy Browning, Strategic Business Architect, CBA®
"In the journey of achieving meaningful purpose, the path from strategic vision to tangible results is an exhilarating adventure. It begins with a steadfast commitment to execution.
The Execution Challenge: Delivering Great Strategy at Scale equips you with a powerful toolkit, forged from real-world experience, to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. These audience-friendly strategic business architecture tools can be seamlessly customized to fit your industry and organizational culture.
As you embark on this transformative voyage, remember your WHY—the driving force behind your aspirations. With this book as your compass, chart a course toward HOW—the practical steps that turn vision into reality.
Are you ready to conquer the execution challenge? Dive in, embrace the journey, and make your strategy soar!”
Lindsey Funair, MMGT
Global Business Architect
Orbia Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line)
“Executive level strategy oftentimes gets lost in translation as it is disseminated across the enterprise and attempts to align ongoing work with this strategy are hopeful at best. The Execution Challenge: Delivering Great Strategy at Scale addresses this existing gap in an easy-to-understand way. In my many years of experience, I have never seen a set of stepping stones to define the path from strategy declaration to appropriate project prioritization, initialization, or shut down. In the past, we have learned about strategy development, portfolio management, solution delivery, etc. which all seem to come up short, but utilizing business architecture as described in The Executive Challenge seems to fill that void. This a must read for all levels of management.”
Kurt Nelson, Enterprise Architect, The Boeing Company
"An overwhelming majority of businesses fail at strategy execution. Why? Because they lack the ability to turn their strategy into a coherent, actionable and manageable plan for change, where everyone is on the same page. That's where strategic business architecture can provide the golden thread, linking the vision for what an organization wants to be, with a clearly defined path to get there. Going beyond your standard business strategy book, The Execution Challenge also tackles the important topic of business education, taking the conversation to a new level. For companies to develop the muscle they need to survive in today's uncertain and complex business ecosystems, leaders need the know-how to reliably turn vision into reality. This highly pragmatic approach to solving strategy execution challenges, provides current and aspiring leaders with that knowledge."
Darryl Carr, Editor, Enterprise Architecture Professional Journal