Skip to content

Blackmetric at Innovation, Business Change and Technology Forum Europe 2017

Adrian SpeakingWe’re very pleased to announce that Blackmetric’s Principal Consultant Adrian Reed will be speaking at the Innovation, Business Change & Technology Forum Europe 2017.  Adrian’s presentation is entitled “Strategy: Crucial Enabler or Tired Cliche?” and will explore how strategy is addressed in modern organisations.

For more information, and to book your place, visit the conference website.  A short abstract of Adrian’s session is included below:


Strategy: Crucial Enabler or Tired Cliche?

Say the word ‘strategy’, and many people will respond with a glazed look and a sigh. Seen as a Dilbert-esque ‘corporate’ buzzword, people throughout organisations often disengage, seeing strategic thinking as something for those in an ivory tower. It is often seen as disconnected from the real-world, with bland internally-focussed vision statements and strategic plans festering away twenty-six links deep on a corporate intranet. It is seen as a barrier to change, and associated with bureaucracy and governance.  Yet pursuing change and innovation without a cohesive set of strategic principles is like setting sail without a destination, a compass or a map. All important change requires co-ordinated effort, and this cohesion can be achieved with a clear, crisp, concise strategy. Done well, this ensures we have a laser-like focus on delivering products and services in a way that our customers love.

In this presentation, Adrian Reed positions strategy as a crucial enabler for the success of organisations, innovation and change, and proposes that everyone in an organisation is responsible for the alignment and delivery against that strategy.  You will hear:

  • What strategy is, and more importantly what it isn’t
  • The reason that we should focus on strategy, even when others are telling us to ‘just get going’ with a particular course of action
  • A range of practical strategic analysis techniques that can be used early in the business change lifecycle
  • What to do when strategy is ‘cloudy’ or our organisations seem to be pursuing conflicting goals
  • How innovation and change can shape strategy, and vice versa – and the relevance of strategy even in fluid, unpredictable business contexts.

The conference will be held 21-23 March 2017, and you can find out more by visiting the conference website. We hope to see you there!