The strategic linkage model (SLM) or strategy map represents cause-and-effect relationships between strategic goals. The SLM offers two main perspectives, “activity” and “outcome” (Rabe & Ali, 2019, p. 15). The bottom part of the model contains goals related to LinkedIn’s most important activities. It covers business processes, cycle times, and productivity. Further, it describes what needs to happen to sustain and further develop these processes in terms of people, product, and process development. LinkedIn should undertake the following steps to succeed in its strategy. The first is to increase the proportion of non-English speakers joining this networking platform. The second is to encourage a higher participation rate of medium-small businesses in this venue. The third is cooperating with local recruitment platforms to be more attractive and relevant to the regional population. Next, LinkedIn should aim to rebuild its privacy protection facility and rules. Lastly, lessening the gap in the quantity between job hunters and recruiting companies will be helpful.
The top part of the model contains goals related to the desired outcomes of the activities undertaken, for instance, how the company wants to be perceived by external stakeholders and how this will ultimately affect its financial results and economic value. Each of the discussed activities may lead to one or more outcomes, and multiple consequences may similarly be defined by more than one action. The first desired outcome is for the company to be profitable, achieving 15 billion in revenue in 2025, which the new members and businesses can determine. The second anticipated result is being inclusive, which entails building a corporate culture of diversity, harmony, and motivation. Non-anglophone members and the lessened recruitment gap will most likely lead to it.
Third, LinkedIn should expect to become influential, evolving into the most popular recruitment platform in the Asian market. This outcome is predicted to be caused by a diverse membership and local cooperation. The fourth outcome is being trustworthy or, in other words, having a reputation for keeping users’ information strictly confidential, which a better privacy policy may achieve. Lastly, the last effect focuses on the sustainability of its existence, becoming a long-term venue for the users; this can be completed through local cooperation and privacy protection.
Good knowledge of the company’s industry allows one to carefully select a strategy model or a combination of strategy models. LinkedIn’s implemented strategy is a combination of intentional and emergent strategies. Moreover, their main driver in strategy management is the total customer solution. LinkedIn’s performance metrics design has three main principles: it should be flexible, simple, and effective. However, various metrics can be implemented and tracked, like customer integration or dominant exchange. The presented model of strategic connections is implemented based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). KPIs are combined to form composite KPIs that clearly illustrate how an organization progresses and controls quality. For example, processing time efficiency or value-added time can be chosen as simple decisions, which, in turn, will affect the low-cost item in the model.
Reference
Rabe, M., & Ali, M. (2019). Balanced Scorecard development over the last 26 years. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 21, 13–16.