Why Cost Reduction Programs Fail: What the 14% Do Differently

Most cost programs don’t fail because of bad strategy. They fail because nobody runs the plan every week once the announcement is made. Deloitte’s 2026 Enterprise Cost Transformation Survey shows this at the largest scale. It’s even more true in a mid-sized company, where nobody has follow-through as their only job.

Deloitte surveyed 500 C-suite executives at organizations with more than $5 billion in revenue. These companies have transformation offices, restructuring reserves and outside advisors on retainer. Even so:

• 96% are pursuing a cost transformation right now, and 59% are targeting a reduction of 10% or more.
• 67% expect to hit their targets.
• 14% actually achieved their primary cost reduction goal last year.
• 24% account for value leakage, the savings that disappear between the plan and the result.

Deloitte summed it up in six words: “Strategy is clear, but speed is not.” …Read More

Listen: Business Growth Spotlight, Episode 249, on Apple Podcasts

Most strategies don’t fail on paper. They fail in strategy execution. In this episode of the Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk talks with Jim Gitney, founder and CEO of Group50® Consulting. They discuss why about 80% of businesses never realize the benefits of their own strategy, why companies stall right when they should accelerate, and how AI is changing what it takes to keep a strategy alive. …Read More

Is your company’s strategic plan too complex, unclear, or ineffective? Unfortunately, most strategic frameworks are difficult to explain and impossible to implement. As a result, people quickly forget them. That is where Group50® comes in. We take a simplified, results-driven approach. Therefore, every stakeholder follows one clear roadmap. That includes owners, board members, employees, customers, and suppliers. With Group50’s Where to Play and How to Win framework, you get a one-page strategic plan. In short, there is no jargon and no confusion, just a clear path to success.

A Simple, Powerful Approach to Strategic Planning

Is your company’s strategic plan too complex, unclear, or ineffective?

To help you assess your own organization, we’ve created a free survey:

Strategy Execution Risk Assessment Survey

This survey will help you quickly identify the biggest risks to your strategy execution and determine whether Value Stream Mapping Consulting would deliver high ROI for your company.

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Staying competitive and relevant are two key issues on the minds of senior leaders and boards of directors. The rapid evolution of technology plays a pivotal role in addressing these two issues. To successfully navigate the digital landscape, leadership teams turn to digital technology consulting firms like Group50^® Consulting. They do so to …Read More

Strategic planning is an essential process. Organizations use it to define long-term goals, allocate resources effectively, and adapt to changing environments. However, as markets grow more complex, most companies lack the skills to fully develop and carry out a strategic plan. That is why many turn to strategic planning consultants.

This article is a comprehensive guide to strategic planning consultants. It explains why they matter, what they do, which skills to look for, what they cost, and how the strategic planning and execution process works.

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Updated October 2026 with Gallup’s latest workplace data.

Remote employee engagement is still the biggest lever most companies aren’t pulling. Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report found that only 20% of employees worldwide are engaged at work, down from 21% the year before. In the U.S. it’s 31%, down from 36% in 2020. Whether your people work in the office, at home or both, the question is the same: …Read More

With the recent downturn in productivity across corporate America and the significant increase in remote work, Host Andrew Bartolotta sits down with Jim Gitney, CEO of Group50 Consulting and author of Strategy Realized – The Business Hierarchy of Needs, where Jim discusses ways to significantly increase employee engagement in the development and implementation of business strategy through his patented framework. …Read More

If you’ve ever had a strategic initiative fail at your organization and thought to yourself, “What am I doing wrong as a leader?” this episode is for you. The truth is, most leaders end up with several failed strategies under their belt. The trick is to stop making the same mistakes and lean into some best practices for strategic planning that actually work. There’s no one better to teach leaders how to build that foundation and grow through strategy than our latest guest. Jim Gitney, the Founder and CEO of Group50® Consulting has 45 years of corporate and consulting experience working with over 200 companies in guiding them toward double-digit top line and bottom line growth. Listen to the full conversation for more on the top mistakes business owners make when it comes to successful strategic initiatives, what the “Business Hierarchy of Needs®” is (and what CEOs can learn from it), the downsides of having too many goals, how to align compensation structures in a way that encourages forward motion on your strategic initiatives, and much more. Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn: …Read More

Jim Gitney joins host Diane Helbig to discuss strategy implementation. He explains why leaders must fully engage all stakeholders. He also shows how the Business Hierarchy of Needs® framework makes that engagement real. The conversation centers on building strategy around one Most Important Goal (MIG). …Read More

• Development of one Most Important Goal
• Creation of business strategies to support it
• Full engagement of stakeholders
• Application of Value Stream Mapping to close operating and strategic gaps
• Identification of an increase of $105M in Enterprise Value

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