chapter 3 Linking Strategy to Portfolio Connections between strategies and putting the strategies into play are critical for organizations. When strategists neglect the transition of ideas to implemen- tation, strategy goes awry and the seeds of failure are sowed. Although execu- tives might understand this instinctively, they may lack a systematic approach for moving strategies from good intentions onto the transformation highway toward results. This gap between strategic concepts and implementation arises from as- sumptions about how strategy is to be converted into understandable work and to what extent the organization is capable of managing the transformation needed to implement upper management's ambitions. People at all levels affect the transition process. Two Worlds, Shared Objectives Related yet unique worlds hold in balance the essence of business and organization success. The first world, one of strategy and direction, is populated 33 American Management Association www.amanet.org