Strategy innovation

Transformative, innovative and adaptive strategic thinking can originate from anywhere in the Strategic choices canvas. In this section, you can find some different styles or patterns for sequencing your strategic choice formulations and innovating and enhancing your strategy for success.

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Epicenters of Strategy innovation

The following provides some epicenters you can use to innovate your strategy and ensure mutual support between choices in that strategy.

In the aspirations' epicenter, you start at Aspirations section of the canvas. In this section identify or redefine what customer and stakeholder aspirations you have for the business. Subsequently, work through your where to play and how to succeed choices and sub-choices to ensure mutual support between all the 3.

Strategic choices section as origin of the strategy innovation

top to bottom roadmap
Update or define your business aspirations and then identify the environments where those aspirations are best fulfilled and how to succeed in those environments. Finally, ensure you have the internal systems (policies, accountability, information and activities) necessary to implement the strategy

Example

In their book Playing to Win: How Strategy really works, Roger Martin and A.G. Lafely outline how they enhanced the vision of the line of business for OLAY based upon market research to fight the 7 signs of aging along with ensuring the sustainability and success of returns to stakeholders. Essentially, the aspiration epicenter is a vision lead strategy.

In the resource or capability epicenter strategy evolution / innovation roadmap, you look at the strengths of the business in terms of how it is able to currently win / succeed. This likely includes resources (tools in the toolbox) both tangible and intangible that it has and capabilities (how the business uses those tools) it has.

Resource epicenter roadmap
The resource epicenter then looks at how those resource or capabilities could be applied to alternative customer needs, jobs to be done, industry segments and other "Where to play" dimensions. As the where to play feasibility is understood through experimentation or assessment, then the aspiration for customers and stakeholders can be defined.

Example

Prior to the iPoD and iPhone Apple was a niche player in the personal computer market, but had resources in manufacturing computing devices and capability in terms of effective marketing, product design and retail sales distribution. It used these How it succeeds resources and capabilities to solve the music industry's music distribution problem and satisfy customers demand for access to digital music. Similarly, with that success, Apple added its resources in its developer community to create a hand-held computer with a phone and camera as a superior mobile phone and an ecosystem for apps to solve a variety of customer needs.

In the market responsive epicenter strategy evolution / innovation roadmap, you look at continuously deepening understanding of the needs in an existing market served by your business or needs that can be satisifed by your business in an alternative market with a similar or feasible how to win choice.

Resource epicenter roadmap
From a canvas perspective, you continuously deepen understanding of customer needs and desires and have that influence your how to win choice and subchoices. Choices are validated on the basis that they will increase your target markets' willingness to buy / pay for that enhanced value and your business has the resources, partnerships and capability to resolve those needs. Sub-choices affect may include, enhancing the unique value blend with improvements in your offerings - improved product or service (quality, functionality, range), adding / improving support e.g. installation with a product. Enhancing customer relationships, increasing convenience through improved channels e.g. digital and so forth. It is expanding your "How to win choice(s)"in respone to recognizing market needs.

Example

There are numerous examples of Market responsive strategies. As businesses embrace environmentally friendly production and products, these address consumer needs to know their consumption is sustainable.