Thread regarding Verizon Communications Inc. layoffs

What does strategy team do?

What does the strategy team actually do?

They spend their time building polished, fancy decks, but there’s often no execution plan because execution isn’t part of their mandate.

I also want to build a rocket. But do I have the budget, resources, talent, or infrastructure? No. Anyone can propose ambitious ideas if they’re not accountable for delivering them.

So how do we justify the existence of these teams?

In the November layoffs, VCG eliminated entire strategy teams. Yet in the new organization, they’ve rebuilt another army of people doing…strategy.


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| 7 views | | 6 replies (last 22 hours ago) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1kyw2y071

6 replies (most recent on top)

They’re a bunch of retired consultants making pretty slides with no action

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Post ID: @c2+1kyw2y071

@98 Same VZ board, same VZ team

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Post ID: @b1+1kyw2y071

There is a purpose for an executive level ‘strategy’ team. And then again there are different types of “strategies”. Blah blah blah.

I think my most deep thought is that if the strategy team is just “Verizonizing” a stock [insert consulting company dujour …most likely McKinsey] deck/plan - then they aren’t really a strategy team. Just vendor management.

I don’t know if that is the case with VZ though …maybe so maybe not.

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Post ID: @ae+1kyw2y071

Oh, that reminds me of the new CXO Strategy org roadshow. This lady spent the entire session serving up word salad, backed by an ugly deck with what felt like a thousand slides and graphics.

Then someone asked, “How are we actually going to deliver this?” Her response: “That’s not my question to answer. That’s up to the delivery team.”

Pretty much sums up the disconnect—coming up with ideas is easy when someone else is expected to figure out how to make them happen.

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Post ID: @ac+1kyw2y071

Ru kidding me? They drive critical insights that are never used

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Post ID: @a9+1kyw2y071

They do important work. Let me strategize and they will come back to you!

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Post ID: @a1+1kyw2y071

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