A successful organizational strategy must be balanced. The organization's existing success is built on customer and market relevance, which should not be abandoned. The new objective of operational excellence should be integrated into the strategy, not replace the existing focus. According to ITIL 4 DITS, while an organization may choose a primary competitive focus (e.g., operational excellence), it must maintain threshold standards in other areas (e.g., customer intimacy) to remain viable. A balanced strategy ensures that internal improvements are aligned with external market demands, creating a holistic approach that sustainably increases commercial success, in line with the 'think and work holistically' guiding principle.

A. Focusing entirely on operational excellence is a narrow approach that risks alienating the customer base and losing the market position that brought success.

B. Creating separate strategies leads to silos, conflicting priorities, and a lack of alignment, preventing the organization from achieving synergistic benefits.

D. Operational excellence requires deliberate planning and investment; it does not emerge automatically simply by focusing on customer relevance.

1. AXELOS. (2020). ITIL® 4: Digital and IT Strategy. TSO (The Stationery Office).

Section 2.2.1, "Strategy is about being different": This section discusses the concept that organizations must choose a competitive position but cannot completely ignore other dimensions. It states, "An organization that chooses to compete on the basis of operational excellence must still maintain a threshold of product leadership and customer intimacy." This directly supports the need for a balanced strategy (Option C) over a singular focus (Option A).

Section 3.1, "Digital and IT strategy and the organization’s strategy": This section emphasizes the critical importance of alignment between different strategic levels. A new focus on operational excellence must be integrated with the overall business strategy, which includes customer and market relevance, rather than being treated as a separate, disconnected plan (Option B).

ITIL Guiding Principles (referenced throughout the DITS publication): The principle of 'Think and work holistically' is fundamental. It dictates that no part of an organization stands in isolation. A strategy must consider the interplay between internal operations and external customer value, making a balanced approach essential.