Strategy Execution
The System Behind Creativity
Content is the backbone of everything. In the Strategy Execution process, we develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that must include at least one Breakthrough toward Renewal. This begins with channeling creativity. But is it even possible to incorporate creativity into a process under time pressure? Absolutely—it works very well.
This blog is based on *Strategy Execution*, the Turner methodology, and a publication by Jacques Pijl. It stems from Turner’s study of the same name, which includes contributions from sixty executives, seventy-five case studies, and three hundred sources.
From Idea to BREAKTHROUGH
Using creativity is different from hoping for a miracle. Creativity and stress don’t mix. In fact, creativity requires peace and space. But are those really available if we claim that only three to five weeks are set aside for the second Accelerator of the Strategy Execution model (INITIATE)? Absolutely. It is indeed possible to create pockets of creativity during such phases. Moreover, the method described in the publication *Strategy Execution* fosters a culture of continuous improvement, renewal, and innovation.
Using creativity is different from hoping for a miracle.
Idea Bank.
Selection and harvest of ideas that have been brewing and circulating for a long time are more productive than hoping for a miracle during the third workshop on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. So create a so-called “idea bank” where anyone can submit any idea at any time. This will create a rich collection that you can draw from during this phase. Idea generation must therefore be possible anytime, anywhere. Creativity must be an “ongoing process” on the “operational” side of organizations. It never stops, just like serving customers. If the brilliant idea is supposed to roll out according to schedule in project week 3, the pressure is far too high.
Generative AI has now made idea generation abundant and virtually cost-free. As a result, the scarcity has shifted: it is no longer the generation of ideas, but their selection that has become the bottleneck. Furthermore, research published in *Science Advances* shows that generative AI enhances individual creativity but reduces the variation among ideas. This is a reason to consciously keep the idea pool broad and human-driven—and to take the selection process seriously.
Poor predictors.
Idea selection is a precise process. It shares the same characteristics as the portfolio definition described in Accelerator 1. Essentially, you want a good balance between Type 1 (improvement), Type 2 (renewal), and Type 3 (innovation) ideas. And thus, between ideas with a high degree of certainty of achieving results in the short term (Type 1) on the one hand, and ideas with a low degree of certainty on the other (Type 3). Type 2 falls in between. The high uncertainty of Type 3—fundamental innovation—forces us to compile a long list of twenty ideas and then select a minimum of three and a maximum of five ideas for experiments we will actually carry out. If there’s one area where we shouldn’t take a top-down approach, it’s in idea selection. Research by Justin Berg, who conducted this study at Stanford and is now affiliated with the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, shows that managers and executives are the least capable of predicting which ideas will be successful. Peers are much better at this. It’s important to realize this before anyone decides to make the selection with the board of directors. Ideas like Harry Potter and Star Wars were once rejected in this way.
Serendipity.
Don’t rule out serendipity. Penicillin is said to have been discovered by chance. There are ways to increase your chances of making serendipitous discoveries. Knowing exactly where you want to go is the first step. The clearer you are about that, the more receptive you’ll be to other ideas that unfold along the way. That flexibility allows you to be comfortable with your discomfort.
Tension.
It’s healthy to put ambitious and creative ideas that could lead to a breakthrough under pressure at the right time. But doing so too early is disastrous. Generating ideas happens in a different phase than SELECTION. Marty Neumeier, an expert in innovation and “design thinking,” identifies six ways to stifle imagination during a brainstorming session: an unchecked assumption, a lack of technical expertise, a rigid mental model, “shopping” behavior (rejecting one idea while accepting another, thereby losing an idea’s coherence), fear of failure, and a fixation on “correct” answers.
Create a logical Customer Journey.
“Customer Journey Mapping” is a long-established method that has become increasingly popular since the rise of Digital Innovation. The traditional marketing and sales funnel (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action), through which customers are guided toward choosing your product, has all but disappeared. Loyalty is becoming less and less a given.
Customer Journey Mapping allows you to analyze and innovate customer processes. In doing so, you examine the entire Customer Journey. You analyze every touchpoint at the micro level—the interactions across each channel—to determine whether customer satisfaction is made or broken. By putting yourself in the customer’s shoes so thoroughly, inconsistencies in service and across channels (web/mobile/social media/phone/store) are unfailingly revealed. This method is illustrated in Figure 1.
By doing this systematically, with the customer present, the “points of delight” come to light. Naturally, you want to identify the points of delight that have the greatest impact and set you apart, while eliminating the points of pain. The key is twofold. Ensure there are enough peak experiences that deliver on the brand promise and meet the most important customer requirements. Typically, 20% of customer requirements determine 80% of their satisfaction. Make sure you know which ones those are. And remember: the most recent customer experiences at the last touchpoints strongly determine how the overall experience is remembered. Figure 2 shows the Customer Journey method that clarifies which touchpoints in the Customer Journey have the greatest impact—both positive and negative.
In 2026, a new channel will emerge that will fundamentally change the Customer Journey: AI assistants that research, compare, and—increasingly—choose on the customer’s behalf. Be sure to explicitly include that channel in the Customer Journey.
Strategy = Execution. Improve, Renew and Innovate Faster
How can organizations make strategy execution their number one priority? And improve, renew and innovate faster? This I describe in my book Strategy = Execution. Strategy = execution is based on the research that Turner started years ago into the success factors of strategy execution and innovation. We interviewed 60 directors and professionals and analyzed more than 75 cases, 300 relevant books and articles.
- More about Jacques Pijl (author) and Turner Consultancy.
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Top-4 law firm. Enhanced employee and client satisfaction through continuous improvement implementation
Breakthrough: A law firm consists of professionals such as lawyers, notaries, and tax advisors. Traditionally, the firm followed the path dictated by the content of the work.
Research laboratory for the environmental and food market seeking agility
Breakthrough: Daily stand-up meetings serve as the foundation for maintaining and improving the workflow, with a clear process architecture that provides an overview.
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Two media companies in the lead-up to the merger
Breakthrough: The ambition was to create the strongest media company in the market together and implement top-down cost-saving measures. Joint integration teams had to truly give substance to this ambition and not cling to the old ways.
Accolade
The care gap—an increase in the number of clients and a decrease in the number of employees—is putting many healthcare organizations in a bind. How should they organize their care? Anne Bosman, director of Accolade Zorg, enlisted Turner to develop a new strategy. It’s all about making choices and innovating, while maintaining our Christian identity, says Bosman.
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