Nine Key Strategies – Beyond traditional supply chains

Beyond traditional supply chains, many global companies are forming digital ecosystems as next-generation networks to create and deliver the solutions, results and experiences customers are looking for. Leading companies view global data as valuable fuel not only for predicting future performance or consumer behavior, but also for creating secure value. In Beyond Great, three Boston Consulting Group partners-Arindam Bhattacharya, Nikolaus Lang and Jim Hemerling argue that being big is no longer enough to succeed and reinvent the concept of exceptional business performance. Using digital technology, they are reaching deep into the user lifecycle to meet unmet needs, grafting new solutions onto physical products and services or replacing them altogether. To compete and win in a volatile and rapidly changing business environment, global companies must be able to make multiple, continuous transformations. What all this requires of a leader is consistent with what you will find elsewhere on this site: leading with conviction, being open, encouraging and implementing a continuous learning mindset, embracing transformational leadership, and developing the ability to navigate ambiguity, tension and paradox. Leading companies use asset-based, digital or e-commerce business models to reach new markets and grow quickly. Companies that are able to integrate the asset into their strategy and operations will maintain high profitability for their shareholders while having a positive impact on all stakeholders. Today, large companies are taking full responsibility for the results and experience of their customers. Rethinking their core business to achieve social impact in order to achieve long-term sustainable total return for their shareholders, instead of viewing social impact as something outside of their core business. Build global data architecture and analytics capabilities to support the other eight strategies. Deliver compelling digital solutions and experiences, not just physical products or services. Modern delivery models need to be not only cost-effective, but also fast, responsive and resilient. Invest in state-of-the-art factories and delivery centers in multiple locations, which, combined with low costs, enable fast delivery of customized products. In this context, we offer a new performance standard defined by nine key strategies in three areas: growth, operations and organization. Bureaucracy and customer marginalization are deadly in an era of volatility, and today’s leading companies know it.