Prof. Timothy Waema, a Professor at the University of Nairobi, and his two co-authors, Ron Price and Dr. Evans Baiya have officially launched a strategy book aimed at equipping businesses and readers with knowledge and skills to draw and implement effective strategies that deliver results.
Titled Optimizing Strategy for Results: A Structured Approach to Make Your Business Come Alive, the book has been written as a blueprint for corporate leaders, business entrepreneurs, SMEs, and strategy students and consultants looking to design and implement strategies that are customized as per their business needs.
An idea that was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, the publication outlines why and how lessons learned, effective communication, experimentation, evaluation, and insight are critical in preparing, creating, and optimizing strategy, particularly in a business world that is currently themed as vulnerable, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA).
Speaking during the launch of the book, Prof. Waema said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the groups most affected by the unique operating environment was entrepreneurs running small and medium-sized businesses. As a founder and director of several start-up companies, I was challenged to help others within the business community to establish systems and structures that would help them withstand the volatility of the current socio-economic climate. With this in mind, we have developed a 7-stage model, built on a proven framework that is dynamic and responsive. A unique model that acknowledges that strategy is a process that needs to align to the diversity of people’s talent, skills, and passions.”
Besides providing the 7-step approach guide to strategy, readers of the book will have access to complimentary resources such as the VUCA readiness assessment tool, various strategy assessment tools, online training courses, and other psychometric tests that will allow businesses to have unbiased evaluations of their intelligence, abilities, and potential of their businesses.
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Speaking during the launch ceremony, Equity Group Managing Director and CEO Dr. James Mwangi said, “The book’s roots are hinged on local authorship and built on the strong foundations that acknowledge and the power of strategy catalytic factors that are critical for business success. Local businesses, enterprises, and SMEs now have a handbook that will help them establish and operate businesses that understand the value of strategic planning and why aligning your business vision and purpose with everyday operations is critical for optimizing strategy.”
Also speaking during the launch of the book, co-author, Dr. Evan Baiya said, “Most of us perceive strategy as a giant, complicated principle that requires a lot of investment with regards to time and money. By writing this book, we took a simplistic, systematic, and structured approach to strategic planning and execution and our vision is that local businesses can read this and apply this to their ventures with ease.”
Ron Price, also said, “When we wrote the book our main goal was to help businesses run efficient businesses that survive the initial stages of their formative years. We have combined insights from our unique experiences and we have spent many years experimenting, learning, and observing strategies in different organizations. This book distills the knowledge we have gained and we have presented it in a unique, new, and fresh way.”
The launch of the book is timely considering that most businesses are in the process of recovering post the Covid-19 pandemic which has hurt the global economy. Entrepreneurs, strategy students, and strategy implementers now have access to the book at the University of Nairobi and on Amazon in hardcover, electronic, audio, and Kindle versions at affordable prices.