Closing the Alignment Gap - Strategy and Operations in the Enterprise

A new study by Forbes Insight, in associatioin with SAP show executives clearly agree that aligning strategy and operations is essential to their companies’ success, but many organizations still face significant barriers that may prevent them from achieving this. Executives on both sides of the strategy/operations aisle are concerned that strategic priorities may be out of sync with operational realities, in particular in critical areas such as risk management and talent allocation and retention.

Intensifying this split are the sudden shifts companies have had to make to deal with the impact of the global recession and resulting economic volatility. But it is clear that many executives believe the time to more closely align strategy and operations is now, to protect the company in the short term and to help it map out the long-term growth initiatives for the eventual economic recovery.

This study, conducted in association with SAP, is based on a survey of more than 200 C-level and senior executives at global enterprises with annual revenues exceeding $500 million. Additional interviews with senior executives provide first-hand insights into how companies are managing alignment issues.

Download the full report here.