13. Prepare Strategic Landscape

The strategic crystal was partially sketched in the last chapter in terms of the duality of continuity and change forces. This provides the basis to prepare the strategic landscape so as to complete the insight of the strategic crystal. While preparing the strategic landscape, the first question that needs to be addressed is as follows: “What are the relevant strategic factors.” This involves identification of both customer and enterprise factors. Further, to clarify strategic intent, it is important to answer “how” these strategic factors interrelate with each other and “why” they interact in that manner. It is not enough to portray the interrelations of strategic factors among themselves; their interaction with the reality of continuity and change forces in the strategic crystal are equally important. This lays the foundation to move ahead to chart the strategic direction in terms of targets of various strategic factors at present as well as the intended ones. This strategic landscape indicates which factors to be changed and which needs to be maintained at the current levels. Such a strategic direction or intent will guide the channelization of strategies as presented in the next chapter. This will also act as an input for deployment and management of strategic performance.