Strategic Management
Strategic Management MG334
Essay 1: “Describe the deliberate and emergent processes for developing strategies and discuss the best approach for delivering sustainable competitive advantage.”
Caoimhe Greene-13101870
Strategic management is one of the core fundamentals of a competitive business. This essay will discuss deliberate and emergent processes for developing strategies and the best approach for delivering sustainable competitive advantage.
Strategy can be broadly defined as the long-run direction and scope of an organisation. Two quintessential objectives of strategy are the delivery of value and the establishment of sustainable competitive advantage (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008, p.3).
Mintzberg’s 5P’s is a deliberate, planned and structured process executed by management in order to gain a clear objective. The 5P’s stand for plan,ploy,pattern,position and perspective.(Mintzberg 1987) The emergent process is the complete opposite, it is based on “trial and error” learning, that in turn influences future strategy. It is a bottom up as well as top down approach (Bettina Von Stamm 2008). Meyer makes the point that a balance of both is required, a business must have a focus and a plan but also allow for flexible emergent plans to occur (de Wit and Meyar, 2010).According to Mintzberg ‘there is no one best way to make strategy’. Ideally the learning should be combined with control in order to produce and foster the best resources from a business.
Mintzberg argues that Crafting Image is the best approach to gain competitive advantage than Planning Image. The Planning Image is a formal way in which senior management devise their strategy based on theory. However Crafting Image, the ideas emerge from practical experiences and managers play a hands on deck role and are fully involved with every aspect of the strategic process. Mintzberg illustrated this idea by comparing “craftsmen” as the management of the company
Essay 1: “Describe the deliberate and emergent processes for developing strategies and discuss the best approach for delivering sustainable competitive advantage.”
Caoimhe Greene-13101870
Strategic management is one of the core fundamentals of a competitive business. This essay will discuss deliberate and emergent processes for developing strategies and the best approach for delivering sustainable competitive advantage.
Strategy can be broadly defined as the long-run direction and scope of an organisation. Two quintessential objectives of strategy are the delivery of value and the establishment of sustainable competitive advantage (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008, p.3).
Mintzberg’s 5P’s is a deliberate, planned and structured process executed by management in order to gain a clear objective. The 5P’s stand for plan,ploy,pattern,position and perspective.(Mintzberg 1987) The emergent process is the complete opposite, it is based on “trial and error” learning, that in turn influences future strategy. It is a bottom up as well as top down approach (Bettina Von Stamm 2008). Meyer makes the point that a balance of both is required, a business must have a focus and a plan but also allow for flexible emergent plans to occur (de Wit and Meyar, 2010).According to Mintzberg ‘there is no one best way to make strategy’. Ideally the learning should be combined with control in order to produce and foster the best resources from a business.
Mintzberg argues that Crafting Image is the best approach to gain competitive advantage than Planning Image. The Planning Image is a formal way in which senior management devise their strategy based on theory. However Crafting Image, the ideas emerge from practical experiences and managers play a hands on deck role and are fully involved with every aspect of the strategic process. Mintzberg illustrated this idea by comparing “craftsmen” as the management of the company
References: Johnson, G., Scholes, K. &Whittington. 2009. Fundamentals of Strategy. [e-book] Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd. p. 3. Available through: Dawsonera https://www-dawsonera-com .libgate.library.nuigalway.ie/readonline/9780273724179/startPage/20# [Accessed: 17 Jan 2014]. Johnson, G., Scholes, K. & Whittington. 2009. Fundamentals of Strategy. [e-book] Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd. p. 60. Available through: Dawsonera https://www-dawsonera-com. libgate.library.nuigalway.ie/readonline/9780273724179/startPage/20# [Accessed: 4 Feb 2014]. Mintzberg, H. 1987. The Strategy Concept I: Five Ps For Strategy. California Management Review, 30 (1), pp 11-24. Available at: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libgate.library.nuigalway.ie/ehost/ detail ?vid= 7&sid=eb1c20d8-5454-4152-a773-536e189c5586%40sessionmgr114&hid=125& bdata=JnN pdGU9 ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=4760299 [Accessed: 25 Jan 2014] Mintzberg, H. and Hunsicker, Q. 1987. Crafting Strategy. Harvard Business Review, 88 (3), pp. 71-90. Available at: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.libgate.library.nuigalway.ie/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid =3e4f793d-674e-46da-93da-5226d4acd44c%40sessionmgr115&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU 9Z Whvc3 QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=6991748 [Accessed: 21 Jan 2014]. Mintzberg, H. and Waters, J. A. 1985. Of Strategies, Deliberate and Emergent. Strategic Management Journal, 6 (3), pp. 257--272. Available at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libgate.library.nuigalway .ie/ ehost/detail?vid=5&sid=166ae80e-db00-4eb6-9aad-615f95b18b2b%40sessionmgr4005 &hid =4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=12494995 [Accessed: 2 Feb 2014]. Stamm, B.V., (2008), Managing Innovation Design and Creativity, 2nd ed, West Sussex, John Wiley&Sons Ltd. De Wit, B. and Meyer, R (2010), Strategy Synthesis: Resolving Strategy Paradoxes to Create Competitive Advantage, 3rd ed, Croatia, Thomas Rennie.