Execution is not the Problem: Aligning Execution with Strategy Is!

Here is the paradox. People are working harder and more productively than ever before, but executives are worrying more and more about execution. CEOs believe that their organizations cannot effectively carry out new programs. Various pundits have responded to these concerns with a flurry of so-called panaceas. Managers have been bombarded by fad upon fad addressing the perceived need for improved execution. These include total quality management, time-based management, business reengineering, and the seven habits of highly effective managers. We will argue in this chapter that managers are misguided in focusing solely on project execution, instead, they must carefully address the alignment of execution to strategy.