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IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL: Get a summary of several resources on strategy that I use as inspiration for running the Grounded Architecture practice in complex organizations.


There are many definitions of business strategy, but I found the view of Roger L. Martin, a prominent business strategist, the most practical and inspiring. Maring views strategy as integrated choices designed to achieve a specific objective. He emphasizes that strategy is not merely a plan but a framework or theory for making decisions that guide an organization toward success.

In his work, Martin introduces the “Strategy Choice Cascade,” which outlines five critical questions that form the foundation of a robust strategy:

  1. What is our winning aspiration?
  2. Where will we play?
  3. How will we win?
  4. What capabilities must be in place to win?
  5. What management systems are required to ensure the capabilities are in place?

This cascade encourages organizations to make deliberate choices that align with their overarching goals, ensuring that each decision reinforces the others to create a cohesive strategy.

Roger L. Martin emphasizes the importance of articulating the underlying logic of a strategy. He suggests that strategists clearly define the cause-and-effect relationships they believe will lead to success. This definition involves specifying the assumptions and conditions that must hold true for the strategy to be effective. By laying out this logic, organizations can better understand their strategic choices and identify potential areas of risk or uncertainty. Martin advises that after establishing this logical framework, organizations should implement the strategy, monitor its progress, and make adjustments as necessary. This approach acknowledges the inherent uncertainties in strategic decision-making and promotes adaptability in changing circumstances.

Business strategy and IT are deeply intertwined, with business processes and supporting systems working together to achieve organizational goals. Strategy sets the direction, identifying goals, priorities, and specific needs, while IT enables execution by streamlining processes, driving innovation, and providing data-driven insights for decision-making.

This relationship is dynamic, where business needs shape IT solutions, and technological advancements influence strategic opportunities. New technology also requires changing how you manage it, as traditional management approaches may not suffice for emerging technologies’ unique demands. Effective alignment requires integrating processes with systems, adapting workflows to leverage technology, and fostering collaboration between business leaders and IT teams. As both evolve, continuous realignment ensures organizations remain agile and competitive, maximizing the mutual value of business and IT.

In business strategy and IT architecture, I often draw inspiration from several key sources, covered in the follow-up sections:

  • Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: The relationship between business strategy and IT architecture is dynamic and requires continuous realignment, leveraging different operating models, flexibility strategies, and IT maturity stages to maximize efficiency, agility, and strategic value.
  • Outsourcing Strategies: Outsourcing strategies—strategic outsourcing, co-sourcing, and transactional outsourcing—help organizations optimize external partnerships based on business goals, operational needs, and desired control levels, with IT architecture playing a critical role in ensuring integration, governance, and alignment with enterprise objectives.
  • Achieving Market Leadership: The Discipline of Market Leader framework highlights three distinct strategies for market leadership—operational excellence, product leadership, and customer intimacy—each requiring a tailored IT architecture to align technology with business goals, optimize processes, and sustain a competitive edge.
  • Value-Based Strategy: An IT architecture can align technology decisions with value-based business strategy by simplifying IT initiatives, enhancing customer experience, improving employee work conditions, optimizing supplier relationships, and enabling business model shifts to maximize overall value creation.
  • Connecting Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service Strategies: IT architects play a vital role in optimizing marketing, sales, and customer care by integrating technology, data, automation, and security to create seamless customer experiences, improve efficiency, and drive business growth.
  • Culture As a Strategy (aka Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast): Organizational culture profoundly influences IT architecture by shaping how architects approach collaboration, decision-making, innovation, and technical priorities, requiring alignment between cultural values and architectural strategies for long-term success.
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