The principal strategic challenge for global companies, as recently reported in a survey of some 2,700 senior executives and managers, is the reconciliation of seemingly conflicting goals: thinking long-term while delivering short-term results, developing global scale while being locally responsive, and investing in innovation while increasing operational efficiency. In each aspect of this challenge – long-term vs. short-term results, global vs local focus, and innovation vs efficiency – there is a tension between two necessary but apparently opposing goals, which needs resolution.