Group Level
Strategy
a three day course for line managers
and functional specialists at group
and division levels
(November)
Group Level Strategy
Companies with multiple operating units create a special set of management
challenges. First there are decisions about what businesses and markets to
invest in (portfolio strategy). How focused should the portfolio of businesses be?
When does diversification go too far? How to find new growth areas when the
core activities mature? How much to invest in each operating business?
Second there are decisions about how to organise and manage the company
(management strategy). Should the operating businesses be grouped into
divisions? What functions should be centralised at divisional or corporate levels?
Are there benefits from a matrix structure? How to get the operating units to
work together? How much power should corporate functions have? How much
autonomy should operating units have? What activities need to be set up as
shared services?
Group Level Strategy addresses both portfolio
strategy and management strategy. It also ensures
that each participant explores his or her own
contribution as part of the management strategy.
The course is about fundamental choices that
determine corporate-wide performance.
Who should attend?
You currently have a job (or are about to get a job) at corporate or division level in your
organisation. Reporting to your level are some operating units or business units. You may
be the line manager to whom these units report or you may be part of a centralised
function, such as Strategy, Finance, Marketing, M&A, HR, Technology or Supply Chain.
You want to understand both how to make portfolio strategy decisions, which units to
grow and which to reduce, and also how to make management strategy decisions, what
activities to centralise, how to organise and how to add value. You also want to know
how other companies make these decisions.
Skills and resources of
group-levels
Rival
groups
Fit?
Attractiveness of
and issues facing
businesses/markets
Value
propositions
How to design the
group-level functions
and activities
Fit
Capital
market
conditions
Which businesses/markets
to invest in or exit
“Excellent eye opener Enlightening and enjoyable.”
“Good working tool. Will
use extensively. ”
Nick Brownrigg,
Managing Director Interleasing,
General Motors Acceptance Corporation
John Pattison,
Regional Director, Somerfield Stores Ltd
“Provided a most useful
construct for applications in
relevant business scenarios.”
“This is a real-time issue for us
and therefore the course was
very opportune.”
Steve Burke,
General Manager, Absa Bank SA
Group Head of Strategy & Planning,
Consumer Products
Timetable
Preparation and Follow Up
Day 1
How to choose markets and businesses
Participants will be expected to read
articles and prepare cases before the course.
Afterwards, participants are entitled to a half
day of personal coaching from any member
of the programme faculty.
www.ashridge.org.uk/gls
09.00 09.30 10.15
11.30 14.00
15.00
17.00
Introduction
Overview of concepts
Identifying attractive businesses
Portfolio analysis using
business logic
How group levels create value
Portfolio analysis exercise, using
the value added logic
Creating value – live case
Benefits and Content
Participants will develop a new perspective
about their companies and their personal role
in the organisation. They will also learn new
skills to improve their effectiveness.
• the difference between successful and less Day 2
Growth, new businesses and capital markets
09.00
Identifying the group’s added value
09.30
Added value exercise
11.00 Growing into new businesses
11.30 Traffic Lights exercise
14.00 Case study to illustrate business
logic and added value logic
14.45 Understanding capital markets
15.15 Capital markets exercise
17.00 External speaker: Comparing
corporate and private equity
Day 3
Designing the management strategy
08.30 Designing the divisional structure
and group levels
09.00
Organisation design exercise
10.30 Designing group functions –
Fujitsu Case
14.00
Creating synergy among
business units
14.30 Synergy exercise
15.30 External speaker: Lessons learnt
from GE and other roles
17.15 End of course
successful groups
• the three logics for resource allocation – business logic, added value logic and investment logic
• the main sources of group-wide value destruction and how to avoid them
• how to assess acquisitions and
group options
• how to develop and assess the strategy for a group of businesses
• how to design an organisation structure that supports the strategy
• how to encourage synergy amongst business units
• how to design the relationships and processes between the group and the operating units
• how to develop and assess strategy for a group function
“I will put to good use, the
principles I have learned and I
have recommended the same
course to my Chairman.”
Roy Murray Bruce,
President, Silverbird Communications Ltd
Faculty
Andrew Campbell is a joint author of the classic text “Corporate Level Strategy” and
acknowledged world-wide as a leading thinker on the management of groups of businesses.
He is also a co-author of “Synergy: Why links between business units often fail and how to
make them work” and “Designing Effective Organisations”. Jo Whitehead co-authored the book
“Think Again - Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep it From Happening to
You” with Andrew Campbell and Sydney Finkelstein. His most recent book is “What you need
to know about Strategy”.
Andrew Campbell
Jo Whitehead
Andrew Campbell is programme
director. Prior to joining
Ashridge, he was a Fellow
in the Centre for Business
Strategy at the London
Business School. Before
that he was a consultant for
six years with McKinsey & Co,
working on strategy and
organisation problems in London and Los
Angeles. Andrew Campbell holds an MBA from
the Harvard Business School where he was a
Harkness Fellow and Baker Scholar.
Before joining Ashridge, Jo was
a Vice President and Director
of the Boston Consulting
Group (BCG). He worked
in the London, Los Angeles
and Atlanta offices and
acted as BCG’s Director of
Energy Research and Marketing.
Jo is also a Fellow of the Centre
for Management Development at London
Business School, where he teaches primarily
on Executive Education programmes. Jo
holds an MA from Cambridge University, an
MBA with High Distinction from Harvard
Business School and a PhD in Strategy and
Organisation from London Business School.
“The case studies and the preparatory material has been carefully
developed to cover all key strategic decisions and traditions. The
teaching effort is extremely sincere and enlightening.”
Pradeep Bandivadeker, Deputy General Manager, Tata Engineering Ltd - Tata & Sons
Booking information
The programme is residential at Ashridge Business School, near Berkhamsted,
Hertfordshire HP4 1NS; one hour from London airports.
Dates:
5 – 7 November 2012
4 – 6 November 2013
3 – 5 November 2014
Fee for 2012: £3,950 (+VAT)
Fee for 2013: £4,250 (+VAT)
Enquiries concerning bookings:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7404 0032
Email: melinda.pooley@ashridge.org.uk
www.ashridge.org.uk/gls
Selected other programmes at Ashridge
Advanced Organisation Design
is a four day course for experienced
managers on designing organisations that
fit the strategy and the people. It focuses
on practical tools that provide a rigorous
framework for making design choices.
Strategic Decisions is a five day
practical and highly interactive course to
help senior executives improve the quality
of strategic decision-making. This course
gives participants a good grasp of modern
concepts of strategy analysis.
Making Strategy Happen is an
advanced four day course for managers
involved in turning plans into action.
Building on research into business and
military methods for implementing strategy,
this course shows managers how to bridge
the three gaps of planning, implementation
and adaptation. Strategic Human Resource
Management for senior human resource
professionals or line managers responsible
for strategy implementation through HR
management. This popular course will focus
on the overall business strategy so that,
in HR terms, more value can be created in
areas that actually matter.
Making Successful Acquisitions
is a three day course that introduces
the 10 steps to successful acquisitions, giving
managers the experience they need to lead
an acquisition or to participate at any stage.
“ Good rounded, challenging
and always interesting.”
Sarah Crowhurst,
Strategy Manager, Strategy Implementation,
National Grid
For more information
Visit www.ashridge.org.uk/gls
or contact Melinda Pooley,
Ashridge Strategic Management Centre.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7404 0032
Fax: +44 (0)20 7831 3746
Email: melinda.pooley@ashridge.org.uk
Courses are residential at Ashridge
Business School, near Berkhamsted,
Hertfordshire HP4 1NS.
Ashridge Strategic Management Centre is a widely recognised authority on strategic
management issues within large companies. Directors of the Centre were previously all senior
consultants from top strategy consultancies, such as McKinsey or The Boston Consulting Group.
The Centre carries out research projects and publishes reports and articles, as well as providing
short courses and seminars for senior management.