“What I offer here is no formula, no theory,
not even a set of propositions so much as a
framework by which to think about...”
(Mintzberg: Managing: 206)
Zoltán Baracskai, Doctus, Hungary
Viktor Dörfler, Strathclyde Business School, UK
Jolán Velencei, Budapest University… Hungary
if the witches would have not professed
 MACBETH: Speak, if you can: what are you?
 First Witch: All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee,
probable vs.
thane of Glamis!
unthinkable
task accomplisher
 Second Witch: All hail, Macbeth,
Extremistan,
vs.
decision
taker
hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!
big picture
search, potency
 Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth,
thou shalt be king hereafter!
accessorizing
 BANQUO: Good sir, why do you start; and
vs. thinking
model, “if… then”
seem to fear. Things that do sound so fair?
the wise
 never fails and therefore the mediocre feel
foolish and superfluous
 worship and respect but rebel against
knowledge
facts
EVALUATION
(subsidiary)
skills
EVENT
(focal)
data mining instructor
intuition
PRACTICE
(subsidiary)
ACTION
(focal)
negotiation
support
trainer
accessories
EXPLANATION HUNCH
(subsidiary)
(focal)
DOCTUS
COACH
consultant
we can learn the rules of measurement but not the perception
we can learn the rules of grammar but not the convincing speech
we can learn the rules of logic but not the hunch
… do you remember how we crashed
the traditions? You made love to me
before mom’s and pap’s eyes
(Mrožek)
credulous or believer
 “When men stop believing in God, it isn't

If we cannot learn then
we also cannot learn
that we cannot learn.



that they then believe in nothing: they
believe in everything.” (Eco)
letting or not letting the fashion in is not
up to a sophisticated validation
in the ’90s many leaders thought that
strategic thinking was easy, the
implementation was the hard part
we may cut ourselves with Occam’s razor
complexify yourself
“I am here so that your left brain would remain silent.”
 we do not trust precise forecasts
 we only believe in pictures painted with broad strokes of brush
ex post validity
 “By the time you know where you ought to
go, it’s too late to go there.” (Handy)
 “… more refined views as to the uniformity of
nature would have been useful to the
chicken” (Russell)
mostly we live in Mediocristan
 but strategy just does not belong here
the model of unthinkable conception
 conception: wide scope but weak (dull)
 accessories: narrow scope but strong (sharp)
nobody can seriously think to foresee the
changes of the scope of validity
 we can only look for internal consistency
alchemist
novum
recognition
guru
concept
sense making
coach
conception
contextualization
strategist
decision
dialog
strategic partner
different pictures
learning
paradigm
concept
concept-reading X
conception
validation
adaptation
as many GURU novum-recognitions, as many concepts
as many COACH concept-readings, as many conceptions
as many STRATEGIST & PARTNER conception-awarenesses, as many
adaptations or learnings