Part 3:
Strategy in Action
The Focus of Part 3:
Strategy in Action (1)
How strategies develop in organisations; in
particular, the organisational processes
that may give rise to intended strategies or
to emergent strategies
The way in which organisational
structures, organisational processes and
the management of relationships is
important in organising for strategic
success
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The Focus of Part 3:
Strategy in Action (2)
The relationship between an organisation’s
overall strategy and the resource areas of
people, information, finance and
technology
How strategic change might be managed
and the importance of understanding
organisational context and in managing
change
Who strategists are and what they do in
practice
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Strategy in Action
11: Strategy Development
Processes
Learning Outcomes (1)
Explain what is meant by intended and
emergent strategy development
Identify intended process strategy
development in organisations including the
role of vision and command, strategic
planning systems, and externally imposed
strategy
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Learning Outcomes (2)
Identify emergent processes of strategy
development such as logical
incrementalism, resource allocation
processes, cultural processes, and
organisational politics
Consider how different processes of
strategy development may be found in
multiple forms and in different contexts
Explain some of the issues managers
face in strategy development
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Exhibit 11.1 Strategy
Development Processes
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What is an
Intended Strategy?
An intended strategy is an
expression of a desired strategy
as deliberately formulated or
planned by managers.
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Stages of Strategic Planning
Initial guidelines
Business-level planning
Corporate-level planning
Financial and strategic targets
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Strategic Planning at Shell
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Possible Benefits of Planning
 Help structure
analysis and thinking
about complex
problems
 Encourage
questioning
 Encourage longerterm view
 Improve
communication
 Provide agreed
objectives
 Involve people
 Provide a sense of
security
 Enhance coordination
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Dangers Associated with
Strategic Planning Programs
Confusing strategy with the plan
Detachment from reality
Lack of ownership
Dampening of innovation
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What is an
Emergent Strategy?
An emergent strategy comes about
through everyday routines, activities,
and processes in organisations
leading to decisions that become the
long-term direction of an
organisation.
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Exhibit 11.2 Strategic Direction
from Prior Decisions
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Reasons for Logical Incrementalism
Environmental
uncertainty
Generalised view
of strategy
Experimentation
Coordinating
emergent
strategies
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What is the
Resource Allocation Process?
The resource allocation process
(RAP) explanation of strategy
development explains that realised
strategies emerge as a result of the
way resources are allocated in
organisations.
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Exhibit 11.3 Strategy
Development through RAP
Corporate level
Discrepancy
to resolve
Proposals
in line RAP
Business level
Discrepancy
to resolve
Proposals
in line RAP
Operating level
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Viacom
 How did Viacom’s strategy development process
differ from other strategic planning approaches?
 Which of the corporate parenting approaches
explained in Chapter 7 was being adopted?
 How could Viacom have avoided its problems
in1995?
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Influences on
Organisational Politics
Personal experiences
Competition for resources and influence
Relative influence of stakeholders
Different access to information
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Vodafone
 Who are Vodafone’s key stakeholders?
 Are the events reported at Vodafone exceptional?
 What strategy has Vodafone pursued since 2006?
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Possible Configurations of
Strategy Development Processes
Planning
Incrementalism
Incremental
Cultural
Political
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Imposed
Political
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Exhibit 11.5 Managers’ Perceptions
of Strategy Development Processes
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Exhibit 11.6 Strategy
Development Routes
Emergent
strategy
Realised
strategy
Intended strategy
Unrealised
strategy
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What is a Learning Organisation?
The learning organisation is
capable of continual regeneration
from the variety of knowledge,
experience and skills of individuals
within a culture which encourages
mutual questioning and challenge
around a shared purpose or vision.
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Tenets of
Organisational Learning
Managers facilitate rather than direct
Information flows and relationships
are lateral as well as vertical
Organisations are pluralistic
Experimentation is the norm
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Exhibit 11.7 Strategy Development
in Environmental Contexts
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Chapter Summary (1)
Strategy development can be explained as
intended and emergent
Intended strategies may be the outcome of
strategic planning systems
Intended strategy may also come about on
the basis of the direction of central
command or the vision of strategic leaders
and the imposition of strategies by external
stakeholders
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Chapter Summary (2)
Emergent strategies can be explained in
terms of logical incrementalism, resource
allocation processes, bargaining outcomes
associated with political activity and
elements favoured by organisational
culture
Multiple processes of strategy
development are likely to be observed in
organisations
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Key Debate: Honda and the US
Motorcycle Market in the 1960s
Are the different accounts mutually
exclusive?
Which of the different explanations of
strategy development explained in the
chapter do you discern in the Honda
story?
Do you think Honda would have been
more or less successful if it had adopted a
more formalised strategic planning
approach to the launch?
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Case Example: Intel (1)
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Case Example: Intel
Identify the different strategy development
processes operating in Intel. How
different/similar were these processes
within and between the different phases?
How effective were these different
processes? What effect did these
processes have on Intel’s performance?
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Case Example: Intel
What were the tensions between
processes within each phase?
What proposals would you make as
to the most appropriate strategy
development processes that should
exist as Intel moves into a more
diversified business model?
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