Unleashing Strategic Success in a Complex Environment: Overcoming Challenges in Strategy Execution and the Role of Management Consultancies

Details

Supervisors

Decaux, Loïc

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

In today’s complex business environment, failures in strategy execution are a significant cause of strategic failures. Over 61% of companies state they frequently struggle to bridge the gap between strategy formulation and implementation. Nevertheless, strategic management researchers continue to focus on the development stage. Researchers often neglect the role that management consultants play in modern businesses during this stage or analyze their work isolated. This study explores how companies can overcome their execution challenges and why current frameworks often fall short of addressing the complexity and deepness of this final step of strategic initiatives. An inductively derived conceptual framework, based on insights from senior executives and consultants in the DACH region, reveals five key drivers for execution success: leadership commitment to strategy, effective communication from leadership, alignment of organization and culture, agility in strategy adaptation, and clarity of strategic measures. Moreover, the framework highlights the role of consultants in supporting execution processes through strategy clarification, transformation support, and client empowerment through knowledge transfer, challenging traditional views on these key actors. This integration of practical insights and synthesized literature provides a pragmatic contribution to the strategic management discourse.