Four Topics in Strategy

1. How Does Strategy Happen? – Practices

How can the complexity perspective of management help us understand strategy in reality?

By the nature of their operations, organizations are complex systems that are made of several related elements that work together to achieve the overall goals of the organization. Consequently, it can be said that organizations have several potentials that can be achieved either practically or cognitively. As a result, any action in an organization helps in achieving some of these potentials while leaving others unachieved therefore making it essentially selective. The selection process of the potentials to be achieved by an organization becomes more difficult depending on the level of complexity. The plan of action may sometimes become totally paralyzed if the level of complexity in an organization becomes too great. For the management to move ahead with the necessary plan of action, the complex circumstances must be done away with or reduced to acceptable levels (John M. Bryson, 2011).

This requires coming up with a list of all the possibilities or potentials and carrying out a pre-selection. Pre-selection is the responsibility of structures like norms, resources and goals. It’s good to note that structures do not eradicate possibilities but rather make easier to handle them. For example, a structure like a norm can take many possibilities and turn them into two possibilities from where the management can either choose to conform or deviate. In such a case, the level of complexity is lowered therefore making the selection process easier. One major method that is used to lessen complexity in the operations of an organization is strategy. All over the world, strategy is used to lower organization complexity to levels that the management can work with. The reduction in complexity can either be practical or cognitive and it mostly involves eliminating all possibilities that do not contribute towards the attainment of the organizational goals. Therefore, strategizing can be termed as the action of choosing, and selectively merging all forms of lowering complexity in the day to day operations of an organization.

1. What is a Strategist? – Practitioners

What is the role of leadership in strategy?

Organizations do not have brains of their own but all their operations and undertakings are directed by the management especially the strategic management. These managers are charged with the responsibility of making decisions and taking actions that help in the formulation and execution of plans meant to help achieve organizational goals. Coming up with strategies and implementing them is a key role of strategic management process and it can be termed as the process that involves turning formulated ideas into actions (John M. Bryson, 2011). The top leadership in an organization plays a very important role in the formulation and implementation of strategies.  Many businesses operate in very competitive environments and the top leadership in an organization is responsible for ensuring that they remain profitable and competitive. Consequently, one can correctly say that strategic leadership is the ability of the top management in an organization to envisage, foresee and mobilize the necessary resources to bring about the necessary strategic change. Leaders do not do everything on their own but rather need to bring other subordinates on board to ensure that everyone in the organization is moving in the same direction. Developing a winning strategy is just the beginning and leaders must motivate and bring other employees on board to execute the strategy and keep the organization up to date with the prevailing businesses environment. This not only calls upon the leader to pay emphasis on the process of developing a strategy but also on its dimension and contents.

1. Where Does Strategy Happen?

Critically appraise formal mechanism of strategy development

Development of a strategy is very crucial and there are some formal mechanisms or steps that are followed so as to ensure that the desired results are achieved. As stated earlier, a strategy is very important because it gives direction to an organization in achieving its goals as well as ensuring that the available resources are used accordingly. The first step in developing a strategic plan is agreeing on the process of strategic planning. This is usually done at board meetings with representatives from all departments in the organization. This step is important mainly because it helps all the involved parties understand the importance of the exercise to the organization as well as costs that will be associated w.............