Light Footprint Management draws inspiration from two unconventional sources; Barack Obama’s ‘light footprint’ military doctrine, and what the author has elsewhere called China’s ‘management revolution,’ discussing how both have evolved as responses to our often complex and turbulent world. The book culminates in ten practical steps for the piece-by-piece transformation of your organization from conventional to adaptive.
2. A PIONEERING BOOK
FOR POST-STRATEGIC
ORGANIZATIONS
£25 HARDBACK
9781472900050
18 JULY 2013
Light Footprint Management is available from
www.bloomsbury.com
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3. "Charles-Edouard Bouée's argument that lightness is a primary virtue in a
more volatile and uncertain business world is persuasive and well-made."
John Quelch, Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business
Administration, Harvard Business School, USA
"Management is the next big thing for Chinese companies and entrepreneurs. Charles-Edouard
Bouée’s argument that the Chinese management style must find links to military strategy in the VUCA
world and his conception of the 'light footprint' are fascinating. Entrepreneurs, both those in China now
and others who intend to dive into Chinese business, will find his ideas enlightening."
Gang He, Editor in Chief, Harvard Business Review China and
Managing Editor, Caijing Magazine, China
"From Chinese history, cyberwarfare and the use of drones and special forces, all the way to
the lessons of Apple's resurgence, Bouée takes the reader on a fascinating whirlwind tour of
turning points in business and geopolitics. From his extensive international experience and
unique ability to draw parallels and establish connections, Bouée derives an innovative
management philosophy adapted to a new world order of volatility and uncertainty."
Bernard Liautaud, Founder, Business Objects and Partner, BaldertonBernard Liautaud, Founder, Business Objects and Partner, Balderton
Capital, UK
"The picture Charles-Edouard Bouée paints of tomorrow's
business world, and of the kinds of organizations most likely to
thrive in it, is both original and plausible. Mass is becoming an
encumbrance. We could be hearing a lot more about light footprint
management."
Sir Tom Hunter, CEO, West Coast
Capital, UK
"For those who still think it's business as usual, Charles-Edouard Bouée has issued a timely
wake-up call. He has put into well-chosen words a new business philosophy that we at
Free/Iliad have been following without being aware of it. I predict that in the new, war-like
competitive world in which anything is possible but nothing is predictable, Bouée’s 'light
footprint' organizations, of which I would like to think Free is a pioneer, will give a good account
of themselves."
Xavier Niel, Founder, Free and Chief Strategy Officer, Iliad, France
4. From War to Business –
The origins of strategy
The Greek word στρατηγός is a combination
of "stratos" (army) and "ago" (lead/guide/move).
In Roman times a "Strategus" was a commander.
The term "La Stratégique" was introduced in France in 1799, and
defined in the 19th century as "the use of fighting for the purpose of war".
In 1944, "strategy" made its first appearance in game theory. In the
1960s, Igor Ansoff applied the term to business.
The military domain inspires business management.
5. A US MILITARY ACRONYM THAT
TELLS US A LOT ABOUT TODAY’S
CONTEXT FOR BUSINESS:
VUCA
Today's organizations
face a VUCA world
THE CONCEPT OF THE VUCA
WORLD EMERGED 15 YEARS
AGO AT THE US ARMY WAR
COLLEGE AND REFRESHED
OUR UNDERSTANDING OF
CURRENT ENVIRONMENT
US Army War College, Pennsylvania, 1990s
Volatile AmbiguousUncertain Complex
VUCA US Army War College, Pennsylvania, 1990s
– Students - future US Army Generals - were
"told time and again that they are preparing
for leadership roles in a world that is violent,
uncertain, complex, and ambiguous"
Students heard it so often they coined the
acronym "VUCA"
This understanding of the current environment
laid the foundation for changes in:
– US military doctrine…
– … and also in business approach
Source: Roland Berger Analysis
6. NEW ORGANIZATIONS SEEK
THE "SWEET SPOT" BETWEEN:
Size and agility
Hope and fear
Guiding vision…
… world is
uncertain
The emergence of a VUCA world has
generated numerous paradoxes that
organizations will have to reconcile
SELECTED EMERGING PARADOXES
Hope and fear
Change and continuity
Vertical and horizontal
The individual and the
organization
Need to create
more impact…
… less control
of their impact
uncertain
Need to generate
more trust…
… reality
is ambiguous
More open to
data…
… already
submerged
See enterprises as
"communities"…
… also "machines"
but
"The test of a first-rate intelligence…
the ability to hold two opposing
ideas in mind at the same time and
still retain the ability to function."
Scott Fitzgerald
7. Light Footprint organizations will
succeed in a VUCA world by relying
on 7 strategic pillars in 3 key areas
INNOVATIONORGANIZATION DISPOSITION
Technophilia
Cybernomics
Agility
Special forces /
Commandos
Collaborative
Secretive
Risk-mitigating
8. Critical insights can be derived
from early adapters and "Light
Footprint natives"
OBAMA'S "LIGHT
FOOTPRINT" MILITARY
DOCTRINE:
Obama facilitated the transition from Powell's
"shock and awe" to Rumsfeld's "light footprint"
approach, leveraging drones, cyber weapons
and special forces to protect national security
while avoiding protracted ground wars
CHINA'S
MANAGEMENT
REVOLUTION:
Born at the dawn of the VUCA
age, modern China developed
a unique management model:
dynamic, flexible and
consensual
9. Managing the Light Footprint (LFP)
Organization
Be the Strategus, not a strategist
- Be the leader who, armed with the bigger picture, provides the guiding
vision for the entire organization
Unleash Gemba power1)
- Empower the organization to promote operating dexterity and fast
decision-making on the ground
Master the data
- Analyze Big Data in a timely manner to perceive and successfully adapt
to the environment's weak signals
Break the organization's boundaries
- Seek collaboration and involve stakeholders in the operations as the
center of a community fully integrated with the world
Move with speed and stealth
- Respond in a rapid, tactical and secretive way
1) Organizational power of a company created by its employees. Gemba (Japanese for "the real place") is where value is built through operational excellence
10. In Light Footprint
Management, you can
learn more about:
Modular Organizations
Commandos
Cybernomics
Ambiguity
AZBB (Accelerated Zero-Based Budgeting)
Gemba Power
Big DataEnlightened Leadership
Data AnalyticsAgility
(De)-centralized organizations
Lightness
Robotics
Commandos
Little Data
Complexity
Uncertainty
Ambiguity
Volatility
11. Enlightened Leadership
"When the best leader’s work
is done the people say,is done the people say,
'We did it ourselves.'"
Lao Tzu
12. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHARLES-
EDOUARD BOUÉE
IS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF ROLAND BERGER STRATEGY
CONSULTANTS, A MEMBER OF ITS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE AND PRESIDENT OF ROLAND BERGER STRATEGY
CONSULTANTS ASIA. BOUÉE HAS BEEN WORKING GLOBALLY ON
STRATEGY, MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS AND LARGE-SCALE
For more information on the book, visit:
www.rolandberger.com/lightfootprint
STRATEGY, MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS AND LARGE-SCALE
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. HE IS THE AUTHOR
OF THE BOOK "CHINA'S MANAGEMENT REVOLUTION: SPIRIT,
LAND, ENERGY" .
13. A PIONEERING BOOK FOR POST-STRATEGIC ORGANIZATIONS
JOHN QUELCH, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, USA
"Charles-Edouard Bouée's argument that lightness is a primary
value in a more volatile and uncertain business world is pervasive
and well made."
SIR TOM HUNTER, CEO, WEST COAST CAPITAL
"The picture Charles-Edouard Bouée paints of tomorrow's
business world, and of the kinds of organization most likely to
thrive in it, is both original and plausible."
Charles-Edouard Bouée proposes the adoption of "Light Footprint" management –
comparable to President Barack Obama's military doctrine and similar to the recent
emergence of vision and tactics over strategy in Chinese management. Bouée argues that
this shift in approach blazes a trail that Western companies will be obliged to follow, and
explains how conventional management methodologies, techniques and tools can be
adapted to the conditions of an increasingly ambiguous world.
Publishes July 18, 2013 / ISBN: 9781472900050 / Also available as an ebook / www.bloomsbury.com
