Document Detail


To succeed in the long-term, focus on the middle-term.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  17642127     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
When a mature company fails to endure over the long term, it's often due to the "Horizon 2 vacuum," argues Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm and several other books on innovation strategy, and managing director of the consulting firm TCG Advisors. The reference is to the strategic horizons outlined by McKinsey's Mehrdad Baghai and colleagues in The Alchemy of Growth: Horizon 1 is today's cash-generating business, Horizon 2 is the set of innovations just being commercialized, and Horizon 3 consists of forward-thinking R&D. Most companies understand they must invest in their future, so the funding and management of Horizon 3 is not the problem. The trouble starts when those innovations are brought to market and must compete with the mainstay business for company resources. They disappear from top management's radar screen and suffer a level of neglect few ventures could survive. Cisco Systems is one company that has recognized the problem and tried to address it. To begin with, CEO John Chambers has insulated Horizon 2 projects from many of the pressures of Horizon 1--for example, by reorchestrating sales coverage so that emerging markets won't be neglected. He has also kick-started some Horizon 2 businesses by augmenting them with acquisitions, increasing their scale, and giving them more management attention. For the same reason, he has challenged his head of product development to think in terms of new businesses, not simply new products--knowing that the latter tend to get lost in salespeople's bags. Most important, Cisco is handicapping its Horizon 2 projects so that they need not compete head-to-head with established businesses. Their success is judged by metrics that are appropriate to new businesses, and they are given the benefit of Cisco's best managerial talent.
Authors:
Geoffrey A Moore
Related Documents :
15694787 - Promoting the implementation of practices that are supported by research: the national ...
9009007 - Clinical incidents in general practice. keeping on track with test results.
21211717 - Bacteria as control engineers.
12534487 - Benchmarking in emergency health systems.
1790457 - The idealisation of therapy: fantasy versus reality in clinical practice.
21960067 - Current concepts and future directions in the pathogenesis and treatment of non-infecti...
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Harvard business review     Volume:  85     ISSN:  0017-8012     ISO Abbreviation:  Harv Bus Rev     Publication Date:    2007 Jul-Aug
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2007-07-23     Completed Date:  2007-12-20     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9875796     Medline TA:  Harv Bus Rev     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  84-90, 192     Citation Subset:  H    
Affiliation:
TCG Advisors, San Bruno, California, USA. gmoore@tcg-advisors.com
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Administrative Personnel
Consumer Satisfaction
Economic Competition
Humans
Industry / organization & administration*
Leadership*
Organizational Affiliation
Organizational Innovation*
United States

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Who owns the long term? Perspectives from global business leaders.
Next Document:  Building a leadership brand.