Rational, analytical, directed approaches for strategy creation and execution may work for creating value by conventional, hierarchically structured organizations operating in stable environments. However, when the basis of competition shifts from product features to an experience delivered by a network of independently acting participants in a complex and fast-evolving market environment, approaches based on command and control do not work. For order to emerge from such chaos and to gain more control over success, strategy based on reason alone is not enough to inspire action in others. To understand what it takes to effectively make strategy under such circumstances, this article shows how the UK's Royal Marines, in collaboration with more than a dozen different stakeholder groups, developed a novel adaptation of wargaming to affect strategic change in Afghanistan. It also demonstrates the broad applicability of this strategic approach.

Despite shocks such as the Gulf oil spill and the global banking crisis, corporations still treat the world as a predictable place. Instead, they should emulate the UK's Royal Marines, an organization whose success has much to do with its agility in the face of unexpected adversity. For the Royal Marines, planning a mission is about shaping strategic thinking and figuring out how to reach the desired end state while allowing for improvisation. As the UK's amphibious commandos, they don't always know what they will find when they arrive on land, yet they must achieve their mission regardless of conditions. They must also be prepared to change plans when disruptive events occur. For those reasons, it's essential that individuals can fall back on common procedures in response to the unforeseen-and can rely on their colleagues to do the same. So the organization uses a military planning technique called the Seven Questions. All members apply it, which means they all approach and analyze their missions in the same way, no matter where they are in the hierarchy. Planners develop a working understanding of the situation on the ground and their mission by answering the first three questions and then decide how to proceed by answering the remaining four. They revisit the questions as events unfold, to see if they need to change anything or even abort the mission. To illustrate the technique, the authors describe how Royal Marine Brigade planners used the Seven Questions to put together a mission plan for an assault on Iraq's Al Faw peninsula.

Despite the availability of many methodologies, management approaches, and literature on strategy execution, research suggests that seven out of ten organizations fail to successfully execute their strategies. However, three out of ten organizations do appear to succeed. To find out what these organizations do differently, ten key management elements for successful strategy execution were identified from the literature as well as seven business benefits that could be realized if these elements were performed effectively. Next, 93 organizations were surveyed, followed by focus group meetings with senior managers. While mastery of formal methodologies and development of business cases are important, successful strategy execution is critically dependent on having a portfolio of change programs that are explicitly aligned with the organization's strategy. Further, this portfolio needs to be supported by the strategic leadership team and managed within a culture conducive to change. There are specific actions that organizations need to take to identify which elements of their strategy execution capability need to improve in order to take their performance to the next level.