79% of all managers find project accountability unclear, showing a lack of direction and goals

Dubai, UAE -- (SBWire) -- 05/28/2012 --In 2012 companies will lose millions of dollars due to poor strategy execution. However Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) business leaders have been challenged not to be part of this daunting statistic. Strategy execution guru and bestselling author, Jeroen De Flander discussed research conducted by the Performance Factory , which incorporated both local and global companies.

“If business strategy is executed poorly it could spell disaster for companies. There needs to be a great strategy plan from the start and it needs to integrate the organisation and employee’s performance. We need strategy execution heroes,” said De Flander who spoke to a packed room of CEOs and business leaders at the Balanced Scorecard Forum recently in Dubai.

The BSC is a popular management tool, used not only in GCC region but around the world. It works to ensure the full alignment of an organisation using strategic objectives to achieve desired goals.

“We drew on data from 25,000 managers and CEOs from around the world, including the GCC region. Research showed that 49% of all strategy initiatives were poorly budgeted and 79% of all managers found project accountability unclear, showing a lack of direction and goals,” he continued.

Although De Flander said that growth in the region was moving at a phenomenal pace, informing leaders that they had the potential to execute well-planned strategies that could lead to successful breakthroughs in their companies.

“There is a huge potential for growth here. This region operates on a different gear which allows it to move at its current pace. Dubai has the internal capabilities to grow even more and while there will always be challenges, they have the ability to take over the world,” said De Flander.

He challenged UAE businessmen to “think outside the box” drawing on popular companies such as Ikea and Nespresso that have used marketing campaigns and innovative ideas to gain a competitive edge.

About Balanced Scorecard Forum
Featuring the iconic inventors of the Balanced Scorecard, Dr Robert Kaplan and Dr David Norton, and their famous Masterclass, the Balanced Scorecard Forum 2012 is a unique opportunity for the region’s leaders and strategy/performance practitioners to get a comprehensive update on the latest essential tools for successful strategy execution. Running at The Address Hotel, Dubai Marina on 21-26 April 2012, this year’s event features the famous two day Kaplan Norton Masterclass, an exceptional line-up of leading strategy practitioners, brand new strategy guru Jeroen de Flander and six new hands-on strategy and risk management workshops. For the full line-up, go to http://www.iirme.com/bsc