A.T. Kearney reached out to more than 2,000 executives, business leaders, and heads of strategy functions to discuss their thoughts on the state of strategy today. Our findings indicate that while most leaders continue to believe in strategy, the return on their strategy initiatives has largely eroded over the past decade. In fact, when asked what it takes to secure a prosperous future, more than 80 percent of executives consider agility as important or more important than strategy when it comes to securing a prosperous future. Fortunately, the findings also point to promising ways to reclaim strategy—including using future-focused tools and techniques and engaging the organization in strategy formulation.

1. Forming strategy
is more challenging
than ever.
How does
your company
stack up?
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014; sample size: 2,010 global executives

2. Globally, nearly
50% of corporate
strategies fail
broadly or don’t
fully deliver.
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014; sample size: 2,010 global executives

3. 62% of
companies say
developing
strategy is more
difficult than
10 years ago.
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014; sample size: 2,010 global executives

4. 74% of companies
are spending more
time than ever
developing
strategy.
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014;
sample size: 2,010 global executives

5. 81% of C-suite executives
say their strategies are
winning while only 52%
of management agrees.
Is it a case of C-suite
blindness?
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014;
sample size: 2,010 global executives

6. Strategy cycles
are short—63% are
less than two years
and 42% have
shortened in the
past 10 years.
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014; sample size: 2,010 global executives

7. The weak link in
strategy? The handover
between strategy
formulation and
deployment.
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014; sample size: 2,010 global executives

8. Increased participation =
increased success.
Expansive organizational
involvement increases:
Speed: 44%
Productivity: 60%
Innovation: 74%
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014; sample size: 2,010 global executives

9. Long-term planning supports
long-term success. Strategy
horizons >5 years have an
85% success rate but only
6% of companies have them.
Source: A.T. Kearney Strategy Study, 2014; sample size: 2,010 global executives

10. For more information
on A.T. Kearney’s
2014 Strategy Study,
please visit:
www.atkearney.com/strategy/futureproof-strategy