NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - August 10, 2010) - The annual budgeting process offers a critical opportunity to focus on what matters most, and too many companies fail to take advantage of it. That's the message from Booz & Company Partner Paul Leinwand and Managing Director Cesare Mainardi, co-authors of the recent Harvard Business Review article "The Coherence Premium," and the forthcoming book The Essential Advantage: How to Win with a Capabilities-Driven Strategy.
"Inevitably, there's a long line of people and departments looking for funding, but rarely is anyone considering which functional endeavors are most essential to the company's advantage. And that's just as true for the people reviewing and approving the budgets as it is for the people actually making the budgets," said Leinwand.
"Budgeting should lead to better performance. Unfortunately, at most companies it's a time-consuming, frustrating, painful process that has no impact at all on performance. And it happens the same way every year. People dread it. But no one seems to know how to fix it," added Mainardi. "The first task of budgeting should be to decide which capabilities are most important to supporting the company's chosen market position. Then double down on those. It's an especially important task in an economy like this, when resources are stretched and competition is fierce."
Mainardi and Leinwand can discuss a better and more efficient way for companies to manage their annual budgeting process, which provides the operational and strategic foundation for the coming year. They can explain why...
- Budgeting must support a company's "coherence." The key to strategic advantage is figuring out what the company is good at -- how it adds value in a differentiated way -- and focusing on those capabilities. The authors describe such companies as being "coherent," and they cite three key steps in building coherence:
1. "Way to Play": Make a clear choice about how the company creates value in the market -- i.e., a considered strategy for attracting and holding chosen customers. The company's way to play forms the basis of its core value proposition and organizational mission: the ways in which what it does, and delivers, are different from others.
2. "Capabilities System": Identify the differentiating capabilities, those three to six things that the company does uniquely better than anyone else and that support the way to play -- and how these capabilities fit together into a mutually reinforcing system that can be leveraged over and over again to build scale and pursue new opportunities.
3. "Product & Service Portfolio": Make a clear decision about the "sweet spot" in the market, and choose a product and service portfolio that provides an optimal fit between the company's unique capabilities and the demands of its chosen customers.
Mainardi and Leinwand can also explain that, capabilities-driven budgeting...
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Reinforces strategic advantage. Line managers know how and where to budget in order to reinforce the company's strategic advantage: they support the way to play instead of veering away from it; they strengthen differentiating capabilities to be even more efficient and effective; and they drive product development toward closer alignment with the first two.
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Drives investment, not just cost-cutting. With a clear idea of coherence -- i.e., how the company is positioned in the market, which capabilities are critical to supporting it, and what products and services are best suited to it -- budgeting becomes a strategic investment exercise, one that's focused on growth and naturally eliminates irrelevant and wasted expense.
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Is faster and leaner. Because line managers know what's important, they also know what to ask for -- and what not to ask for. They are more likely to come up with realistic budget requests that need less guidance from senior management, and less pruning and juggling in the review and approval stages.
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Is more transparent. When people have a clear framework for setting priorities, they are more likely to understand why something gets cut from the budget. Decisions feel less arbitrary, less personal, and budgeting can be used to model "coherence" up and down the line.
Leinwand and Mainardi can also discuss practical guidance on effective budgeting:
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No budgeting exercise is complete without looking at strategy;
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No budgeting exercise is complete without a clear look at its impact on the company's capabilities system;
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All budgeting must be seen as a way to direct investment toward specific capabilities that the company needs to compete, and the products and services that best fit with its capabilities and way to play.
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All budgeting should start with a conversation focused on coherence. The people putting together departmental and divisional budgets need to understand more than just what the numbers are; they need to know how to manage the numbers to help the company sharpen its competitive edge and achieve a right to win in the marketplace.
"Frugality, productivity, and efficiency -- the need to do more with less -- are on every business agenda, and more intensely than ever since the economic crisis of 2008/09. But far fewer companies are having the more important conversation, about what makes them different and better, and how to take that advantage to the next level," said Mainardi. "In a tough year like this one, executives must tackle that core strategic question first, and ensure that the budgeting process delivers on its potential to enhance the company's advantage."
"Many companies don't have an adequate understanding of their differentiated capabilities, which are what add value and attract customers. They don't have a capabilities-driven strategy, one that aligns their way to play with their capabilities and products and services and thus increases their coherence. So in the end, there is no overarching framework or clear list of priorities for people to budget against," added Leinwand. "First you have to know what you're good at. Then you need to develop a capabilities-driven strategy that outlines your way to coherence. Let coherence drive your budgeting. If you can't find that coherent center, then you're lost, and the budgeting process will just be an exercise in running in place."
To arrange a conversation with Paul Leinwand and/or Cesare Mainardi of Booz & Company, please contact Frank Lentini of Sommerfield Communications at 212-255-8386 or lentini@sommerfield.com.
About the experts
Paul Leinwand (paul.leinwand@booz.com) is a partner in Booz & Company's global consumer, media, and retail practice. Based in Chicago, he serves as chair of the firm's Marketing Advisory Council. He supports clients undertaking significant strategic opportunities, and in building capabilities systems in marketing, innovation, and customer management.
Cesare R. Mainardi (cesare.mainardi@booz.com) is managing director of Booz & Company's North American business and is a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Based in Cleveland, he works with Fortune Global 500 companies to help them achieve major business transformations. He has served as global leader of Booz & Company's functional practices and has led the firm's global consumer products and health practices.
About Booz & Company
Booz & Company is a leading global management consulting firm, helping the world's top businesses, governments, and organizations.
Our founder, Edwin Booz, defined the profession when he established the first management consulting firm in 1914.
Today, with more than 3,300 people in 61 offices around the world, we bring foresight and knowledge, deep functional expertise, and a practical approach to building capabilities and delivering real impact. We work closely with our clients to create and deliver essential advantage.
For our management magazine strategy+business, visit www.strategy-business.com.
Visit www.booz.com to learn more about Booz & Company.
Contact Information:
Contacts:
Frank Lentini
Sommerfield Communications, Inc.
(212) 255-8386
lentini@sommerfield.com
Karen Guterl
Booz & Company
(212) 551-6516
karen.guterl@booz.com