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Are Strategy/Strategic Development 'Chaotic' Processes?
"According to Stacey (1993) 'organisations are complex adaptive systems and the patterns in the actions of organisations, which are their strategies, emerge unpredictably in self organising processes.' This accords with the view of 'strategy development' as both predetermined (through strategic planning) AND simultaneously emergent. Is this emergent element influencing change on the predetermined according to the realities experience, therefore 'chaotic'?
Communication of the strategic intent acts as the conduit (delivery) and the narrative (content) of the implementation/manifestation of the strategy (patterns in action) or 'strategic development'.
Is this 'where the rubber meets the road'? Is this the place where effects easily lose their perceivable association with causes (Stacey 1993), 'the edge of equilibrium'?
The use of formal or informal frameworks will only be as effective as management's ability to continuously translate the strategic plans (both business and IT) and their inherent complexities into communicable narrative. If that (strategic) narrative is open to amendment, as a result of environmental shocks would the process be best described as 'chaotic'?" |
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The Role of the Board of Directors in the Strategy Process
"If strategy is to guide the organization, then it certainly must be guided by what by law, if not actual fact, is the organization´s key governing body, the Board of Directors (BOD).
1. To what extent should the BOD participate in setting strategy?
2. How can this participation process be best arranged, keeping the BOD discussions, review and decision making concise and strategically focused?" |
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What Makes a Person Into a Strategist?
"It is really difficult to become a strategist without having the personality / behavior that makes a person into a strategist. I believe a strategist' personality is the product of proactive behavior.
We need to cultivate proactive behavior among business men so that they will be more proactive than reactive. With that I mean that they will be self-initiated, anticipatory and action-aimed at averting their situation to a more favourable environment.
In general, if we succeed in developing proactive behavior among the business community, it becomes simpler to find strategists who embrace creativity, innovation and futuristic thinking." |
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Should Executives Become More Strategic?
"A while ago we had 2 interesting discussions at 12manage "Strategic Planning must be Dynamic" and "Developing an Agile Top Management Team". I was made aware of a recent article by McKinsey consultants Birshan and Kar who argue that top executives should become more strategic.
The beginning of the article - rightly - states that that even in today's fast-changing competitive environment, companies still have to timely:
- Capture emerging opportunities
- React to unexpected threats
- Make correct and timely decisions
In other words, corporations need strategic agility. To achieve this, the authors suggest to increase the TIME spent on strategy, involving MORE (top) executives in the strategy process, and also to encourage them to CONSTANTLY DEVELOP their strategic capabilities.
The article gives 3 tips for top executives to 'become more strategic':
1. Develop a guiding industry context by studying, understanding and internalizing the economical, psychological and legal developments in your sector by using:
A. Specialized sector-readings,
B. (Custom) executive education and
C. Off-site strategy sessions, etc.
2. Become an expert in identifying potential disruptors (technological or other) for example using:
A. Site visits to technology hubs,
B. Periodic technical briefings,
C. Reverse-mentoring relationships with younger colleagues,
D. Talking to clients,
E. Watching new competitors, etc.
3. Possess strong communication tools and skills, for example using:
A. Special sessions to share strategic insights and
B. Data that's easy to navigate and use.
Do you agree that involving a larger number of more strategic executives in a more continuous strategy process is part of the answer to deal with today's increasing complexity and speed of changes? What other things are also important?
Source: Becoming more strategic: Three tips for any executive, Michael Birshan and Jayanti Kar, McKinsey Quarterly, July 2012." |
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What is a Strategy?
"Unless a definition of "a strategy" is agreed upon by those who will have to use it and act by it, no "strategic planning" of whatever flavor will do. Yet, it is an illusion to fancy that one doesn't need a strategy. Let's make it clear. I define a strategy as:
"a timed response to a challenge (opportunity or problem)".
The outcome of a strategy will be a set of policies that the company follows.
So, whatever one is doing today is the follow-up of decisions taken in the past and these embody a strategy because the future of the company derives from that.
A strategy can be engineered in the sense that its outcomes can be specified and it can be designed. A strategy lowers the uncertainty to manageable levels and, after implementation, what's left is a set of policies that materialize in procedures (almost zero uncertainty). This is valid for opening a new facility abroad or to establish a new bonus plan." |
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What is Strategic Management?
"In the business environment people talk of strategic planning, strategic implementation, strategic direction, strategic fit, strategic flexibility, dynamic environment, turnaround strategy, downsizing, divergence and convergence and manymore.
Economists, managers, exchangers, marketers, speculators, brokers and dealers, innovators and entrepreneurs, and broadcasting corporations all fuel us up of big words...
Now what exactly is this field of strategic management?" |
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Implementation/Formulation Strategy Matrix
"Properly formulated strategies that are actively managed lead to success. The Implementation/Formulation Strategy Matrix has 4 quadrants to be considered when developing a strategy:
1. WISHFUL THINKERS
- Implementation: Not Managed
- Formulation: Comprehensive
- A strategy formulated, which looks and sounds grand on paper, but never gets off the ground.
2. MOON HOWLERS
- Implementation: Not Managed
- Formulation: Incomplete
- A fractured approach to developing a strategy. Implemetation attempts half-hearted.
3. ON THE ROAD TO NOWHERE
- Implementation: Managed
- Formulation: Incomplete
- All resources made available to implement a strategy, but the strategy is not correct.
4. ACHIEVERS
- Implementation: Managed
- Formulation: Comprehensive
- The success stories.
Owen Skae and Brian Barclay." |
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Outsourcing Manufacturing
"Some US manufacturing firms still find it advantageous to source their manufacturing from China and other Asian countries.
How are the strategies of these firms different from those who decide to locate in Guadalajara?" |
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What is Strategic Quality Planning?
"I am a student researching about strategic quality planning. How do we develop a strategic quality plan? What are the processes involved? What are the considerations in making such a plan? Thanks for your input..." |
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Customer Attractiveness Matrix
"This is an important method for customer segmentation. I missed this method in the dictionary. Maybe it is in there under a different name. It describes the customer attractiveness versus the suppliers strength or position with the customer. Also know as customer portfolio matrix." |
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Tips for Innovation Strategy
"As a part of corporate success factor development process, we have found a need to build up an "Innovation Strategy". Can anybody give good hints or examples of what to or not to take into consideration?" |
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Mission: To achieve the Vision
"How's this for a novel approach. Every organisation, the world over, has the same Mission. It's simply 'To achieve the Vision'." |
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Strategy-Driven Requirements Engineering
"In Australia as elsewhere I've seen many organisations that can and do articulate their highest strategic goals, objectives etc but then have no idea of how to execute upon that strategy in terms of implementing IT systems that really do help explicitly in achievement of say a competitive business strategy.
I find that business analysts tend to held more accountable for IT delivery that business alignment. Most of the tools BAs use were born in the IT world e.g. use cases, BPMN, object models. None of these address strategy. Yes, BPMN is an IT driven business process modeling tool that has really only been designed for workflow modeling. Where do you put goals and strategies (i.e. achievement of) on a BPMN model? You can't except as a post-it note.
Are there any tools/methods that really address strategy all the way to execution from a business perspective?" |
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Importance of Strategic Marketing Plan
"Strategy is generally outlined in terms of the mission, vision and corporate values that the company will adopt; in another words, defines what the company will do, its raison d'ętre, and what it will be in the future. Competitive Strategy deepens in the competences, strengths and weaknesses of the company, as they relate to the characteristics of the market, and the matching competences, strengths and weaknesses of its competitors.
However, in order to bring the full benefits of Strategic Planning, a Strategic Marketing Planning, is of utmost importance. The Strategic Marketing Plan is usually designed by the Marketing Department’s team, but as an isolated element, and in such way that does not assure a cohesive link between brands/products, market and company." |
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CORE Charts: Creativity - Opportunities - Rationale - Strategy (Spanish: Estrategico)
"This is how one can translate creativity into value for stakeholders:
The CORE chart is just a refinement of the original creative ideas through a process that starts out with Creativity, goes through real Opportunities that exist, then goes through a Rationale for operation viability, and finally their implementation in a strategic (Estrategico) plan. Once the final strategy is written, the tactics, tasks and responsibilities are assigned." |
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What is Strategy?
"If creativity is making the complicated simple, then we can see strategy as the process of transforming creativity into value for the stakeholders." |
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Strategy Community of Interest
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Strategy Education & Events
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Add a method / model
