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What do Strategists do in Uncertain Times?
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Does your life seem more uncertain today than it did before? With the talk of inflation, tariffs and DOGE cuts; with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East; with violent summer weather and AI poised to disrupt everything, if you’re like me, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Turns out, it isn’t…
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So What?
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a radically disruptive technology, with many companies reporting that AI has helped them cut costs and improve productivity. According to a recent McKinsey survey, the adoption of AI has surged to 72% of respondent organizations with half of these organizations leveraging AI for two or more business functions…
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Successful Presentation at SCIP 2019
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Our joint presentation with Michelle Volesko Brewer from Wolters Kluwer was a resounding success on Wednesday, based on participant surveys. About 30 participants learned about and shared experiences with Managing Complex CI Projects. This session focused more on the ‘Art’ of the role of strategy professionals rather than the ‘science’. Key Best Practice themes…
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Strategy as Learning – Why Your Strategy Should Be a Hypothesis You Constantly Adjust
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In the HBR article entitled “Your Strategy Should Be a Hypothesis You Constantly Adjust” (link below) authors Edmondson and Verdin examine two cases of recent business failure: Wells Fargo’s and Volkswagen, and discuss the concept of ‘strategy as learning’. In both cases, the companies’ strategies were viewed by their top executives as analytically sound,…
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Using Analytics to Stay Ahead of the Competition
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“As product strategists aiming to launch a new product or gain market share with a new enhancement, it is critical to be first to the finish line. The risk of losing the race can be in the millions of dollars and devastating to careers.” – Steve Schulz, Line of Sight Group President and Founder…
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Competing on Customer Experience in Retail
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Customer Experience is the area many retailers have chosen to compete on over the past few years. When it comes to shopping, it is breaking increasingly into “chore” vs. “cherish” activities. On the “chore” side, firms like Amazon offer commodity pricing, streamlined delivery, and voice recognition to make online ordering an easy experience for…
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Competing in Financial Services
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Competing in the financial services industry can be as risky as it is broad. While the services of our clients in the financial services industry range from consumer finance to sophisticated back-office technology in the insurance industry, they all share a common challenge of dealing with quick, continuous and sometimes dramatic changes in the…
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SCIP Minnesota Presents: A Panel Discussion with Line of Sight Group, PDMA & CXPA Practitioners
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Line of Sight Group is proud to be part of SCIP Minnesota’s panel discussion later this month. President and Founder Steve Schulz will join other top experts in the competitive intelligence, product management, and customer experience arenas. The discussion will touch on and provide insight on common challenges, including the type of intelligence leadership…
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When Listening to the Market, One Plus One Can Equal Three
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I was talking with someone recently who wanted to accomplish three specific tasks – gather market intelligence, create competitive profiles and send out newsletters. As we talked further, we discovered that the three tasks were closely related. The conversation then shifted to what intelligence was needed and how would it be used? In this…
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Competing through Intelligence – The Journey to a More Proactive Strategy
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In my observation over the years in leading market research and intelligence efforts within organizations and then supporting them in a consulting role, I’ve observed how organizations tend to migrate along a ‘continuum’, based on their experience and skills in making data-driven strategic decisions. Phase 1: Surprise! The initial realization that organizations need better…