Virtual Roundtable – Summary of Discussion on Successful Strategy Execution

The aim of the Beyond Default Roundtable discussions is to give practitioners in strategy and change an opportunity to share their experiences, challenge conventional wisdom, brainstorm ideas and network with peers who share the same interests and challenges. The discussion was led by David Trafford, co-author of Beyond Default and moderated by Chris Hallam, founder of CH Coaching Solutions. As the Roundtable followed …

How Organisational Capabilities Anchor You to Your Current Trajectory

Ironically, the very capabilities that your organisation has developed over time, and that have made it successful in the past, can be the same ones that are anchoring it to its current trajectory. If the purpose of strategy is to change an organisation’s trajectory – to one that leads to an improved future – then the influence of these potentially …

Confronting your Organisation’s Default Future


Ambition Magazine, April 2018 edition, pages 1, 4, 32-35. Have you ever wondered why some organisations – whether large corporations, family businesses or not-for-profit enterprises – are more successful than others? Why is it that once-great companies like Compaq, WorldCom, Eastern Airlines, Woolworth Group, Blockbuster and Marconi no longer exist? Why is it that companies like Xerox, Blackberry, Kodak, RBS, …

Beyond Default Gets Five-star Book Review

Review by Gisela Dixon for Readers’ Favorite “Beyond Default: Setting Your Organization on a Trajectory to an Improved Future by David Trafford and Peter Boggis is a non-fiction business book on strategic management. Beyond Default is written for companies and organizations of any size, large or small, to enable them to assess their current strategy, and then develop and execute …

What’s Your Default Strategy

Dialogue Review, 14 September 2017 Every organisation has a ‘strategy’ – whether it’s intended, or not. All organisations need a strategy; indeed all organisations have a strategy – though they may not realise it. It may not be explicitly defined or clearly articulated, but the daily decisions and actions of an organisation’s leaders reflect that strategy. The only question is …

Why is Transformational Change so Difficult?

Marketing and Networking University, 25 October 2017 All the available evidence indicates that organisations are not good at delivering transformational change. Whether the transformation involves merging with another company, replatforming core IT systems or changing culture to become more customer-centric, the success rate – in terms of achieving the targets set at the outset – is often said to be …

Why Most Strategies Fail to Deliver

MBA World, 7 November 2017 Before the financial crisis of 2008, the leaders of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) claimed that they didn’t need a strategy, as everything they did led to success! Maybe if they’d had a strategy the UK Government wouldn’t have had to inject £45 billion of taxpayers’ money to save the bank. In reality, RBS …

Beyond Default Book Review: Don’t be a Failure by Default

Executive Magazine, November 2017 “All organisations have a default future – as do individuals, families, communities and societies. It’s the place they will end up if no action is taken, other than that which is currently planned. If the default future is judged to be an attractive destination, then there is no need to take any action; you’ll arrive there …

Operationalising Ideas

Thinkers50, 28 December 2017 Ideas are important, as without ideas there can be no progress. But not all ideas are good or make a positive contribution to business and society. Some ideas may be interesting – and possibly intellectually stimulating – but are of no other value when it comes to informing organisational strategy and transformational change. The potential value …

Confronting Your Default Future

Mi Business Mag, 8 January 2018 Individually, each of us has a default future; as do our businesses, families, communities and societies. It’s the place we will end up if we take no action other than that currently planned. If the default future is aligned with your ambition and aspirations, then simply enjoy the experience and be sure to keep …