Strategy ultimately revolves around the allocation of resources. In his book *Dynamic Management*, Fred Conijn succeeds in fundamentally enriching our understanding of management by linking hard and soft management and further elaborating on the role of management in Innovation.

Management is a topic close to my heart. I’ve always been a strong advocate for the symbiosis between the soft and hard aspects of management. Fred teaches us to think in terms of data, motivations, and behavior. He provides us with the tools to approach our analyses and predictions systematically. In fact, he makes it clear how you can shape behavior by leveraging the various dimensions of organizational culture.

Referee

That is why the concept of the controller, as Fred has developed it, appeals to me. The controller as the owner of the management model, who acts as a referee to oversee the rules of the game and the indicators and ensures that all control mechanisms are properly applied. Freedom is very important for enabling people to perform at their best, but that’s only possible within the right framework; after all, “Discipline creates freedom, time, and flexibility.”

That’s not only crucial for “running the business”—the day-to-day operations—but also for innovation—“Changing the Business (Execution Excellence).” You need to have a clearly defined understanding of the value of your innovative capacity. Otherwise, you’re essentially just dabbling. The concept of dynamic management, as Fred has developed it, can play an important role in professionalizing and simplifying revenue management systems.

Staying Focused

Power entails responsibility. Strategy Execution is all about setting priorities within the Portfolio and then maintaining focus. In this context, management can provide the necessary objectivity, taking into account the interests of all potential stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, society, and shareholders.

Issues such as sustainability, social responsibility, and diversity are part of our lives and, therefore, also influence the way we shape and manage organizations. It is therefore inevitable that controllers will play an increasingly important role in Strategy Execution and concrete value creation. With his book *Dynamic Management*, Fred Conijn provides all managers with an excellent framework for seriously reflecting on the changing role of the controller and for giving that role a central place within their own organizations.

Read the full blog post on CM: Controllers Magazine