Strategy Implementation Essay -- Business, Organizational Design

This report provides an analysis and evaluation of strategy implementation used by California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) and discusses the effectiveness of their strategy through organization design, control systems, people and culture. My research concluded that CPK relies on control systems to undertake a majority of the company’s operational activities and that human resources and organizational culture must support the strategy implemented, which it does in in the case of CPK. Introduction Strategic implementation is a critical factor when making decisions regarding issues that affect the vision, mission, or objectives of an organization. Strategies are often implemented in accordance to the culture of the organization, the nature of control systems, the stakeholders, and the nature of the organizational design. In order to achieve success in the implementation of strategies, the structure of these factors must work in coordination with one another. For instance, the strategic vision of CPK lies in the creation of a globally recognized brand name and therefore, all of the goals and objectives of CPK must be directed in realizing that the company achieves this objective (California Pizza Kitchen 2011). Furthermore, the vision statement is inclusive in itself in that it communicates the message in a directional, flexible, and focused manner. Strategic implementation entails the application of deliberate management processes to achieve the desired results. Predominantly, the process is achieved through the selection of implementation approaches that are related to an organization’s structure, management of human resources, developing, decision-making and information processes, allocating resources, determining desirable ... ...ementation of strategies within the company. Lastly, symbols do play important roles at CPK and this includes the iconic leadership of the founders, Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax. Conclusion Strategy implementation is an important feature at CPK and the type of strategies implemented depend on organizational design, structure, human resources (people), organizational culture, and the use of control systems (Bradford and Duncan, 2000). Even though the mission statements are not openly stated anywhere, they are very essential in influencing the types of strategies implemented by the company and must be executed in such a way that influences the performance of the company. Human resources and organizational culture must support the strategy implemented. Lastly, CPK depends on control systems to undertake majority of the company’s operational activities.