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Strategy Tools

Global Advisors' thoughts on classic, new and proprietary strategy tools and their applications.

In this episode of the Global Advisors podcast, consultants James and Lucy unpack the new **AI?SWOT** strategy tool and what it means for leaders trying to make sense of artificial intelligence in their organisations. They start by revisiting the **Amplifier Principle** at the heart of the article: AI does not change what matters strategically, it changes what is possible strategically. From there, they walk through how the familiar SWOT framework (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is reworked for the AI era – with AI treated as a deliberate amplifier of strengths and opportunities, and as a practical mitigator of weaknesses and threats, rather than a standalone “AI strategy” on the side. James explores how AI can **amplify genuine strengths** – such as proprietary data, deep sector expertise, and long?standing client relationships – turning them into disproportionate advantages when paired with the right AI capabilities. Lucy brings in concrete examples from the article, including how global brands have used AI to scale personalisation, sharpen operational performance and inform product and content decisions. Together they discuss what this looks like in a consulting context, where boutiques compete head?to?head with global firms. The conversation then shifts to AI as a **mitigator of weaknesses and threats**. Lucy explains how AI can partially close capacity and capability gaps – from research and analysis to proposal development and client communications – and why it is critical to focus on the weaknesses that actually drive competitive loss. James drills into the WT quadrant, where internal weaknesses and external threats intersect, and shows how AI can be used to build early?warning systems, strengthen risk management and buy time in the face of competitive and operational threats. Crucially, they do not treat AI as unalloyed good news. The episode covers **AI as a new category of threat** in its own right: competitor amplification, low?barrier new entrants, data and IP exposure, and the reputational risks associated with uncontrolled AI outputs. James and Lucy outline what boards and executive teams should be asking by way of governance and minimum capability thresholds. Throughout the episode, they refer back to the **workshop?ready methodology** set out in the article: the pre?work to build a robust baseline SWOT, the two core sessions on amplification and mitigation, and the design of a concrete AI?SWOT action agenda that ties each AI initiative back to a specific strategic lever. They also share practical tips from running early versions of the tool with clients – what resonates, where leadership teams get stuck, and how to keep the discussion anchored in real competitive trade?offs rather than AI hype. For listeners in leadership, strategy, transformation and consulting roles, this episode offers a structured way to move beyond generic AI experimentation towards a disciplined conversation about where AI truly shifts the strategic equation in their organisation – and where it does not.

PODCAST: Strategy Tool – Rethinking SWOT analysis in the context of AI

AI-SWOT reframes classic SWOT for the AI era by treating AI as a strategic amplifier and mitigator, not just another technology. It shows how AI can dramatically amplify existing strengths and opportunities (through scale, speed, data flywheels and new business models) while mitigating key weaknesses and threats (by closing capacity gaps, enhancing risk detection and building early?warning systems). The tool introduces a structured, workshop-ready process that walks leaders through: (1) identifying where AI can turn genuine strengths into durable moats, (2) using AI to unlock or accelerate external opportunities, (3) targeting AI at the specific weaknesses that drive competitive loss, (4) deploying AI to detect and neutralise emerging threats, especially in the WT quadrant, and (5) recognising AI itself as a new category of threat via competitor amplification and low-barrier new entrants. Packed with contemporary case studies (Nike, Amazon, Netflix, Klarna, JPMorgan, Siemens, boutiques vs. global firms), diagnostic questions, and stepped tasks, AI-SWOT gives executives a practical, evidence-based way to convert AI from a generic initiative into a focused, advantage-creating strategy tool.

Strategy Tool: Rethinking SWOT analysis in the context of AI

In this episode of the Global Advisors Spotify sequence, James and Lucy revisit Michael Porter’s Five Forces and reinterpret the framework for modern executives operating in volatile, digitally shaped markets. They trace its origins in industrial economics, examine its enduring value in understanding how profit is structurally distributed across industries, and address its limitations in a world shaped by platforms, network effects, data advantages, regulation, and AI. The discussion sets out the Global Advisors approach: move beyond qualitative strategy language, segment markets precisely, quantify structural forces with evidence, link analysis directly to capital allocation, and continuously recalibrate strategy as market conditions change. The result is a practical argument for more disciplined, data-backed, and ethically grounded strategic decision-making.

PODCAST: Quantifying Porter’s Five Forces for CEOs

The strategic evolution of PESTLE

Strategy Tools – PEST / PESTLE / PESTEL

The five pillars of industry structure

Strategy Tools – Porter’s Five Forces

The McKinsey 7S Framework is one of the most enduring and widely recognized management models in strategic consulting and organizational design. It posits that organizational effectiveness depends not on structure alone, but on the alignment of seven interdependent elements — three "hard" elements (Strategy, Structure, Systems) and four "soft" elements (Shared Values, Skills, Style, Staff). The model's central insight — that organizations are complex systems where changing one element inevitably affects the others — was revolutionary when introduced in the late 1970s and remains relevant today.

Strategy Tools: The 7S Framework – A Comprehensive Guide

Our Spotify podcast discusses hot to get transfer pricing right.. We discuss effective transfer pricing within organizations, highlighting the prevalent challenges and proposing solutions. The core issue is that poorly implemented internal pricing leads to suboptimal economic decisions, resource allocation problems, and interdepartmental conflict. The hosts advocate for market-based pricing over cost recovery, emphasizing the importance of clear price signals for efficient resource allocation and accurate decision-making. They stress the need for service level agreements, fair cost allocation, and a comprehensive process to manage the political and emotional aspects of internal pricing, ultimately aiming for improved organizational performance and profitability. The podcast includes case studies illustrating successful implementations and the authors' expertise in this field.

PODCAST: Effective Transfer Pricing

Our Spotify podcast highlights that despite familiarity, most managers do not apply CVP analysis and get it wrong in its most basic form. The hosts explain cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis, a crucial business tool often misapplied. It details the theoretical underpinnings of CVP, using graphs to illustrate relationships between price, volume, and profit. The hosts highlight common errors in CVP application, such as neglecting volume changes after price increases, leading to the "margin-price-volume death spiral." The hosts offer practical advice and strategic questions to improve CVP analysis and decision-making, emphasizing the need for accurate costing and a nuanced understanding of market dynamics. Finally, the podcast provides case studies illustrating both successful and unsuccessful CVP implementations.

PODCAST: A strategic take on cost-volume-profit analysis

Podcast: Your Due Diligence is most likely wrong

PODCAST: Your Due Diligence is Most Likely Wrong

PODCAST: Strategy Tools: Growth, Profit or Returns?

PODCAST: Strategy Tools: Growth, Profit or Returns?

Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash

Strategy tools: Effective transfer pricing

Due Diligence - Photo by Giorgio Tomassetti on Unsplash

Your due diligence is most likely wrong

Strategy Tools: Growth, Profit or Returns?

Strategy Tools: Growth, Profit or Returns?

Tokyo Doors - Photo by Dil on Unsplash

Strategy Tools: Repeatable Business Models in Times of Uncertainty

Flower pricing - Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

Strategy Tools: ‘Price-Volume-Profit’ Part 1 – A strategic take on cost-volume-profit analysis

Strategy Tools: The Growth-Share Matrix

Strategy Tools: The Growth-Share Matrix

Strategy Tools: Profit from the Core

Strategy Tools: Profit from the Core

Strategy Tools: Opportunity/vulnerability matrix – “The Bananagram”

Strategy Tools: Opportunity/vulnerability matrix – “The Bananagram”

Strategy Tools: The Ansoff Matrix

Strategy Tools: The Ansoff Matrix

Strategy Tools: Pareto (80/20) analysis

Strategy Tools: Pareto (80/20) analysis

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