Organizing and executing a strategy for firms operating in and from the Islamic World

Strategy without action is futile, and action without strategy is fatal (Sun-Tzu). Strategy and organization are closely interlinked. If a firmʹs strategies can greatly influence the organizational structure, the organizational environment can also make certain business unit strategies very unlikely or sometimes totally impractical for the managers. Establishing close links between a firmʹs human resource, organizational design and strategy is therefore very crucial for a strategy to become successful. Managers in Islamic firms, on the other hand often fail to create excellent coordination between a firmʹs strategy and its functional departments, processes, systems and people. Where Islamic firms need to learn the art of converting their strategy into strategic action efficiently, it is also equally important to align their organizations with their strategies. This article is specifically aimed at providing some clear cut guidelines to the mangers of the firms operating in an Islamic environment as to how they can create an excellent coordination between different organizational units and once created, how they can use such a coordination for mobilizing each and every ounce of intelligence available to a firm and putting together all the intellectual resources of their employees for achievement of their strategic goals.