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2.5 Conclusion

This chapter explains several challenges that executives face in attempting to lead their organizations strategically. Executives must ensure that their organizations have visions, missions, and goals in place that help move these organizations forward. Measures and referents for assessing performance must be thoughtfully chosen. Some executives become celebrities, thereby creating certain advantages and disadvantages for themselves and for their firms. Finally, executives must monitor the degree of entrepreneurial orientation present within their organizations and make adjustments when necessary. When executives succeed at leading strategically, an organization has an excellent chance of success.

Exercises

  1. Divide your class into four or eight groups, depending on the size of the class. Assign each group to develop arguments that one of the key issues discussed in this chapter (vision, mission, goals; assessing organizational performance; CEO celebrity; entrepreneurial orientation) is the most important within organizations. Have each group present their case, and then have the class vote individually for the winner. Which issue won and why?
  2. This chapter discussed Howard Schultz and Starbucks on several occasions. Based on your reading of the chapter, how well has Schultz done in dealing with setting a vision, mission, and goals, assessing organizational performance, CEO celebrity, and entrepreneurial orientation?
  3. Write a vision and mission for an organization or firm that you are currently associated with. How could you use the balanced scorecard to assess how well that organization is fulfilling the mission you wrote?