Case Studies

Getting Beyond Strategy Definition to Successful Execution

The American Red Cross's Blood Services organization had been operating as a collection of decentralized business processes across a number of independent business units. When new leadership arrived in Blood Services, they were faced with a myriad of business challenges including ongoing scrutiny from the FDA, an eroding donor base, and the emergence of new competitors in both the public and private sectors. As such, the new leadership team was eager to reshape operations and re-energize its mission by executing a new strategic plan.

To address these challenges, the American Red Cross leadership engaged North Highland to help them not only define the new strategy, but also – equally important – execute this strategy across the entire Blood Services organization. Together, the team launched a multi-phased effort that included a framework of performance measurements, an Office of Strategy Management, and a new Balanced Scorecard that measured every project on how it relates to their overall mission. As a result, over two hundred siloed projects were reduced to approximately 50 key strategic initiatives and all future projects are now prioritized and approved based on a set of clear strategic objectives.

Access the complete case study to learn more about how to ensure successful execution of your organization's strategy.