Align: A Leadership Blueprint for Aligning Enterprise Purpose, Strategy and Organisation

Shortlisted for the 2020 Business Book Awards Why do some businesses thrive, while many more struggle and fail? A key reason – and the focus of this book – is strategic alignment. This is the careful arrangement of the various elements of an enterprise – from its business strategy to its organisation – to best support the fulfillment of its long-term purpose. The best-aligned enterprises are the best performing. Most executives recognise that their enterprises should be managed in this aligned way, but lack a robust system of thought to allow them to execute strategic alignment effectively and realise its full benefits. There are thousands of organisations globally that are operating below their potential simply because they are not aligned. This book aims to change that. In Align, Jonathan Trevor provides a blueprint for how strategic alignment can be effectively developed, implemented and sustained. Drawing upon active research at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School (with contributions from the joint works of Dr Jonathan Trevor and Dr Barry Varcoe), Jonathan also provides practical case studies and evidence-based insights – culminating in a thoughtful and compelling message to help leaders everywhere to improve their alignment and enterprise performance.

About the Author :
Dr Jonathan Trevor is a management researcher, author, advisor, speaker and teacher on the subject of strategy and organisation. Jonathan works extensively with executive leadership teams in all sectors and internationally to apply his research to help them transform their businesses to be fit for purpose. His academic work is published regularly in leading journals, including Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. His research has been featured widely in the media, and he has provided expert comment for the Financial Times, BBC, Wall Street Journal, CNN and Forbes. Jonathan serves on the faculty of the University of Oxford Said Business School, and teaches on the Oxford MBA, Executive MBA and international executive education programmes. Previously he was a lecturer at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. He holds a PhD in management studies and economics from the University of Cambridge and was a visiting doctoral scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You can learn more about Jonathan's work at www.leadtoalign.com

Review :
A unique blend of practical insights and academic research make this a definitive guide to enterprise alignment. Align is a core read for every business leader. Jonathan Trevor has done the extraordinary: he's taken a core business concept that most of us think we know well, studied it carefully, and given us a new, deep, and practical approach to alignment. His work is particularly timely as leaders in this complicated time wrestle with defining their purpose and aligning it to their strategy and organizations. As someone who is often resistant to accepting advice from business books for even my own strategies, it is no small feat that Jonathan Trevor's book has commanded my attention and that, more importantly, I have learned greatly from it. In Align, Jonathan Trevor passionately shares why connecting core purpose, strategy and organization lead to a highly successful and sustainable enterprise. Many of us business leaders have relied on our instincts and experience; now Align articulates an alignment framework that enables us to better bridge these critical components to seamlessly navigate our teams into in the rapidly changing future. Senior leadership teams eager to improve their performance will find this book provides a clear pathway to diagnosing problems and making choices for action to deliver sustainable change. A tour de force. Jonathan Trevor argues powerfully that the alignment of purpose, strategy and organization are the bedrock of successful performance. He provides a wealth of examples and sets out the questions which leaders need to ask if they are to overcome disruption and intense competition. Strategic and organizational alignment is crucial to the success of any company and this book, with its mix of academic rigour and real-life case studies, makes this abundantly clear. When the business community finds the right balance between customers, employees, communities and shareholders, society as a whole benefits. The key to this is alignment, and Jonathan Trevor's book provides a unique insight into why holistic management has become so crucial. Align is an invaluable compass for business leaders looking to develop a deeper understanding of their organization, providing guidance that will allow them to plot their future with confidence. The success of any enterprise is highly dependent upon the effective alignment of its various elements. Align is the essential guide for any business leader looking to master this process. Jonathan Trevor has succeeded in writing a clear, concise and engaging exposition about the importance of alignment – a mission critical matter for every type of enterprise, whether social, governmental or commercial. Align is a must read for any serious student or practitioner of leadership.