Essay Sample on Strategic Planning and Business Policy

Introduction

According to the article by Leinwand, Naujok and Rotering (2019), the roles of chief strategy officer are only a few decades in age, but keeps growing in popularity (Leinwand et al., 2019). Many companies, both small and large, are continuously creating the CSO position, and are recognizing the value of having a member of the C-suite, who orients themselves, basically, to the profitability, sustainability, and future of the company. One of the companies with a CSO is Microsoft company, which brags of the success of Google ("Microsoft's Chief Strategy Officer: "Google Owes Its Business To Us" - Search Engine Land," n.d.). This essay focuses on outlining the duties and obligations of a Chief Strategy Officer in the article by Leinwand, Naujok and Rotering (2019), and relating them to those of the CSO in Microsoft company.

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Microsoft CEO has made claims about the adaptability, flexibility, and how resourceful the company is. Microsoft is a software plus services model, regardless of whether the acquisition of yahoo is successful, as claimed, would allow the company, eventually, to surpass and to catch Google's web-only businessTheroles of the CSO as outlined by Leinwaand, Naujok, and Rotering (2019) include; the CSO is responsible for working with the executive team to establish answers to the fundamental strategic questions that all companies should address. The CSO should ensure that they avoid problems of neglecting stakeholders and should respond to a highly dynamic business environment by providing that their strategic plan feeds that budgeting process of the company and is not dominated by it, by focusing the scope of strategic planning processes on a few key strategies which require answers and by improving inputs, to entail the broader set of external stakeholders (Leinwand et al., 2019). A CSO should improve company engagements to make strategic planning experience, rather than a mere exercise of filling templates. The most significant role of the CSO is to shape the strategic direction of the company and to make sure that the majority of the leadership team's decisions are in line with the strategic agenda. Depending on a company, a CSO could be called to add other roles for a limited time, like managing the cost transformation program. The CSO plays roles based on the company's needs and culture, and their personality and strengths, which include; pushing of the organization and presentation of ideas that other leaders might not consider and being the truth-teller. The CSO also provides objective insights on challenges in the business and the economic environment, and gets work done for individuals by helping them in problem-solving (Leinwand et al., 2019). Other duties include: securing, promoting, and identification of critical capabilities that aid in differentiating the organization and supporting the organization in achieving its strategic objectives. The responsibilities of the CSO outlined in the article, relate directly to those of the CSO in Microsoft company. The roles and obligations of a CSO in Microsoft company include the blending of data analysis and creativity.

The CSO in Microsoft ensures that there is the development of new product areas and gives up direct control of marketing for the company. As it has been described in the article, the CSO in Microsoft is the most significant individual in shaping the strategic directions of the company. The CSO works on the core issues across Microsoft's products, value propositions, and investments, as illustrated in the Microsoft web site ("Microsoft's Chief Strategy Officer: "Google Owes Its Business To Us" - Search Engine Land," n.d.). The CSO leads in all cross engineering and crosses business strategy by emphasizing on the opportunities that can span a product and create engineering boundaries. Other duties include the identification of new investments and helping in executing strategic initiatives.

Conclusion

As outlined in the article and based on the duties and responsibilities of the Chief Strategy Officer in Microsoft, the executive team in Microsoft is aware of the fact that the future of their company relies heavily on making the right choices. Based on the roles identified for the CSO, the position is unique in addressing challenges Inside the company. Microsoft's CSO focuses on the opportunities presented in the company, and on the core questions of strategy.

References

Leinwand, P., Naujok, N., & Rotering, J. (2019). Memo to the CEO: Is Your Chief Strategy Officer Set Up for Success? Retrieved from https://www.strategy-business.com/article/Memo-to-the-CEO-Is-Your-Chief-Strategy-Officer-Set-Up-for-Success

Microsoft's Chief Strategy Officer: "Google Owes Its Business To Us" - Search Engine Land. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://searchengineland.com/microsofts-chief-strategy-officer-google-owes-its-business-to-us-13471