Why do strategies fail?

Author's name: Abdullah Muhammad Salih

There are many reasons why I chose this research topic. After working as a strategy consultant in several institutions over the past twenty years, the leadership problem became clear as an organizational phenomenon, especially with the multiplicity of objectives on the one hand and the development of institutions on the other. Therefore, I wanted to know the reasons for the failures that occur in institutions, especially governmental ones, and the mechanism followed in employing and raising the efficiency and effectiveness of human resources by the administrative leadership. I noticed a significant change in the leadership style and types after 2010 (i.e. after the global economic crisis that occurred in 2008).
Many of the organizations I worked with after 2010 found that the strategies being formulated were in one valley, while the thinking of their leaders was in another. Their strategies varied under various labels, such as continuous improvement, applying quality standards, reengineering processes, reducing staff numbers, restructuring, changing work culture, and improving performance. In almost all cases, budgets and resources were wasted, and competencies were lost due to a lack of clarity of direction and path.
A few of these change initiatives have been highly successful, while others have met with disastrous failure. For the rest, the results have been mixed, with a clear tendency toward underperformance. Nevertheless, the lessons learned from these attempts are useful and worth reflecting on, and will likely become even more important for many organizations as new technologies emerge, disrupting management processes and investment initiatives, and further complicating the rest of the business.