Introduction
You have reinforced your sales staff, but sales are not growing. Competitors have increased, and your company’s advantage has faded. You brought in a consulting firm, but management has not improved at all. Those of you who have picked up this book are likely facing some management issue like these.
In recent years, as the economy has globalized, the business environment has been changing at a dizzying pace due to the shrinking domestic market, the rise of companies from emerging countries, turbulence in overseas financial markets and more, and management that simply follows conventional methods no longer works.
According to a survey by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, the leading cause of bankruptcy among SMEs is “sluggish sales,” while “accumulated past burdens” ranks second (2014). “Accumulated past burdens” means failing to take any measures against a crisis.
In other words, these companies were unable to put forward new strategies in line with changes in the business environment, for reasons such as managers being fixated on continuing businesses that succeeded in the past, or having no one to consult even when they sensed a crisis.
It has long been said that Japanese companies have many second-generation presidents of family businesses and salaried presidents who rose through internal politics, and fewer professional managers than overseas companies.
Moreover, the reality is that even consulting firms, advertising agencies, IT vendors and other partners in corporate management can only achieve “partial optimization” within a limited scope. They do not have the capability to support the formulation of comprehensive corporate strategy, so there are many cases where companies cannot handle them well and management activities instead fall into confusion.
Behind all this is the lack of opportunities for executives and senior managers to learn corporate strategy in a practical way.
I studied business administration at graduate schools in the UK and Europe, and what is taught in Japan and overseas seems to differ greatly. Overseas, practice is emphasized, whereas in Japan the focus is on learning theory as knowledge.
For scholars and critics, researching theory may be enough, but for anyone actually involved in management, it is meaningless unless that knowledge can be put into action.
I came to feel strongly about this issue when I was involved in management at an advertising company. I realized that no matter how much money clients spent on advertising, it had almost no effect unless it was thoroughly thought out as part of the corporate strategy.
From then on, I set aside my knowledge and experience in advertising—my area of expertise—and made solving companies’ management issues my “mission,” starting a new endeavor. I brought together experts from various industries, such as capable strategy consultants and creators, aiming to develop a new scheme for solving management issues.
Then, in 2012, I founded a company that supports comprehensive corporate strategy by integrating the know-how of consulting firms, advertising companies and IT vendors. The areas we handle are expanding year by year, from business strategy formulation and advertising production for listed companies to corporate strategy formulation for SMEs, regional revitalization projects and space development projects.
This book clearly summarizes not only the insights I have accumulated so far, but also a wide range of know-how from management research and corporate strategy support.
The content covers a wide range, including the “six fundamentals” essential to corporate strategy and various strategic techniques. Setting it apart from the difficult books on corporate strategy published until now, I have tried to use words and explanations that are as easy to understand as possible so that it can be read casually.
If this book provides hints for management and helps resolve stagnation in your business, and if even one person feels “I’m glad I picked up this book,” nothing would make me happier.
Hiroshi Ashida, President and CEO, Strategic Partners