Replying to LO26169 --
In "Top Management Strategy", Benjamin Tregoe and John Zimmerman defined
strategy as "the framework which guides those choices that determine the
nature and direction of an organization."
I think it useful to differentiate between the making of specific
strategic choices and the activity to clarify, articulate and share the
values, beliefs, assumptions, mental models about the organization which
are used to guide those strategic choices. I think of the former as
strategic planning, the later as strategic thinking.
This definition of strategy also permits us to differentiate between the
"espoused strategy" and the "strategy in use". The former is how
decisions are justified after the fact; the later is how decisions are
made.
To find the the espoused strategy, look for the organization's SPOTS
(Strategic Plans On To Shelf). These are usually the results of the
annual corporate exercises that are generated and adopted every year with
great fan fare, and then ignored for the remaining eleven months.
However, if required, these SPOTS contain enough material that can be
selectively cited to justify most any decision, before or after the fact.
To find the strategy in use, try identify that set of corporate decisions
over the last year or so (or non-decisions) that seem to be fundamentally
shaping the nature and direction of the organization. Inquire about the
values, beliefs, assumptions and mental models of the players that caused
these decisions to be made.
Doug Merchant
-- "Doug Merchant" <dougm@eclipse.net>[Host's Note: in assoc w/Amazon.com...
Top Management Strategy by Benjamin B. Tregoe, John W. Zimmerman http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671254014/learningorg
..Rick]
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