Strategy paper
Strategy Development at Castle Press
Andy Bailey and Julie Verity
The two cases, New Town Council and Castle Press, illustrate the process of strategy development within different organisational contexts. Both cases are based on the views of the strategy development process as seen by members of the respective top management teams. The Castle Press case describes how five members of the top management team view the process. Both cases are con structed around two general themes. The process of strategy development and the organisational context in which it takes place.
The two cases illustrate differences in the strategy development process, demonstrating that the pro cess of managing strategy development in one organisation may not be the same as, or necessarily appropriate to, managing strategy development in another organisation.
I am not a commanding manager. I seek consensus, I am methodological, I'm a planning type of manager.
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Castle Press is a specialist publisher of educational materials and the largest subsidiary of a significant, UK-based publishing and media group. Despite the company's long history in the UK and a strong tradition in its specialist field, it markets its products and related services to an increasingly global audience. Castle Press is the largest company of those in the corporate group, with 200 people working from the UK office creating an annual turnover of £30m in 1995 and accounting for more than 40 per cent of total group revenue.
CHANGING TIMES
For more than a decade, prior to 1995, Castle Press was the market leader in its field, but it had slipped into second place. This change in market status provided a new incentive for organisational change, after a long period of relative internal stability (some now say, complacency). Internal dete1mination to regain market dominance was supported by a new strong message from corporate headquarters to 'go for growth', with the
Andy Bailey and Julie Verity
The two cases, New Town Council and Castle Press, illustrate the process of strategy development within different organisational contexts. Both cases are based on the views of the strategy development process as seen by members of the respective top management teams. The Castle Press case describes how five members of the top management team view the process. Both cases are con structed around two general themes. The process of strategy development and the organisational context in which it takes place.
The two cases illustrate differences in the strategy development process, demonstrating that the pro cess of managing strategy development in one organisation may not be the same as, or necessarily appropriate to, managing strategy development in another organisation.
I am not a commanding manager. I seek consensus, I am methodological, I'm a planning type of manager.
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Castle Press is a specialist publisher of educational materials and the largest subsidiary of a significant, UK-based publishing and media group. Despite the company's long history in the UK and a strong tradition in its specialist field, it markets its products and related services to an increasingly global audience. Castle Press is the largest company of those in the corporate group, with 200 people working from the UK office creating an annual turnover of £30m in 1995 and accounting for more than 40 per cent of total group revenue.
CHANGING TIMES
For more than a decade, prior to 1995, Castle Press was the market leader in its field, but it had slipped into second place. This change in market status provided a new incentive for organisational change, after a long period of relative internal stability (some now say, complacency). Internal dete1mination to regain market dominance was supported by a new strong message from corporate headquarters to 'go for growth', with the