Capabilities Frameworks

Let’s say you developed this wonderful growth strategy for a business unit or division or country organization. When it comes to implementing this strategy, a number of things usually have to happen. This “capabilities” framework is useful for such a discussion.

It highlights a number of areas, and allows you to dive into specifics on People (do we need to hire new staff?, train our marketing team?), Process (how will the order and delivery process work?), Systems (do we need to adjust our web site?) and Organization (shall we drive this growth effort with an independent team of sales reps?). The groupings may vary, and I have seen a variety of ways to define the four quadrants.

Another nice graphic way to address the same topic is to use a number of different cog wheels. This easily allows you to come up with only three key areas, or five for that matter. And it gets the case across that all these areas are usually quite closely interrelated.