Thread by @atatimelikethis

A Business Game

This is an HBR strategic business case with a Poll for you to complete at the end.

Company Strategic Investment.

You're a new CEO replacing a recently fired predecessor who has failed to shepherd your company through a transition.
Interesting times are ahead.

You have an investment of £50-60B to make that will have an impact in the £100s of Billions over decades.

The transformation was widely predicted to completely distract your Exec and Senior Management and indeed revenues have stagnated, and you've done nothing else for 3 years.

All CEOs have a one chance to do dirty washing. Get bad news out, before it becomes theirs.

If you initiate the project, costs will be sunk and the decision irreversible

30 years ago the founder set excellent deal terms that built the company. Your decision sacrifice her work?

All of your consultants have advised you against initiating the project. Your competitors, sensing a misstep have started to hire your most trusted staff. You have a tenuous grip on your board and e-team and expect to lose many critical board votes that will secure the project.

You know your staff struggle with analysis let alone the deployment of the project.

3 years ago the old CEO asked if the staff supported the project. A 1/4 said they would, but you worry about true risk/issue evaluation. Another 1/4 are demoralised. The other 50% didn't respond

Worse, in the 3 years since the CEO asked almost all promises of the project have been proven invalid or unworkable, at least in how it was initially constructed.

The project *could* happen. But it the promises can't be kept. Your team blames staff rather than admit the issues.

You Have 3 Options as CEO.

A) Ruthlessly re-evaluate the project, fixing its flaws. You will recover the project by creating a strong business case for the expenditure, a structured plan to implement including any additional analysis and time to ensure you make a good decision.

B) After extensive analysis, realising the project is flawed & contradictory do dirty washing.
Explain carefully the reasons the project was once valid but is no longer.
Engage employees in working together through alternatives
Privately create process to avoid future disasters.

C) Throw yourself into the project with bluster, making it up as you go along. Your leaders are unprepared, a hostile market wants the business and half your workforce is actively fighting you on strategy.

But
You
Can
Do
It

So for fun, also set an impossible date to deliver.

So dear tweeter. Which path do you choose for your company?

Feel free to provide your thinking and rationale in replies below. The company is all yours now.

Oh and Retweet. I'd love to know how Leave AND Remain would choose.

Backbone of British Small Business? What say you?