Are Better Strategy, Brilliant Strategic Thinking and Integrated Strategic Planning the Ultimate Cure for Zimbabwe's Faltering Economy?

Strategy is critical for the success of its country and its economy, companies, organusations, businesses and economies. But it must be real strategy, brilliant strategic thinking and serious strategic planning and intelligent use of strategy.

According to politicians, Zimbabwe's economy fell due to politics. The "opposition" politicians say that the economic woes were brought by the government and the "ruling" party while the ruling party politicians accuse the opposition for begging for sanctions from America, Britain and their allies. The opposition vehemently deny having called for sanctions, arguing that they cannot possibly have any power of US policy. At the same time, the accused, America, Britain and their allies deny having imposed sanctions but only restrictions to specified individuals and their allies. The government then deny any economic management incompetence, arguing that all economic woes are a result of the sanctions. The argument further argues that they cannot do much to drive the economy into full throttle unless and until the sanctions are removed, implying that Zimbabwe has no economic power until the sanctions are removed. The overall result is there is no political ownership of the situation. In general, any problems where no one accepts responsibility can be solved.

Politics is generally about narratives and not facts; yet economics is about facts. The facts are that the land economic reform created a systemic change in Zimbabwe's economy. Agriculture had always been known to be the "back bone of the country's economy" and the land reforms broke that very back bone. And what happens to the rest of an organism when its back bone breaks? It crumbles and is disabled. Of course I am not arguing that the land reform must not have taken place. I am simply stating an economic fact without any political connotations either way.

Years ago, a top government official asked me what I thought about sanctions. I have never wanted to get involved into a political discussions about sanctions because they mostly lead nowhere. So I told the official that as far as I was concerned, the issue was not longer about sanctions but about strategy.

I told the official that sanctions are a for of war. And in any war you only have two choices;

Either surrender or

Fight.

And when you choose to fight, you no longer rely on your enemy's mercies or benevolence but on your strategy. If you do not do your strategy work well enough or if you do not take strategy seriously, expect a very hard fight and one that you are most likely to lose dismally.

Regarding sanctions, I have always argued that we can either completely ignore the sanctions and operate as if they do not exist and carry on with our things. If we want to pay attention to the sanctions, it is not productive to use them as an reason why our economy is in trouble; neither is it effective to plead from political platforms with those who imposed the sanctions to remove them. What we need is a either brilliant strategy for dealing with the sanction.

Good strategy, brilliant national strategic thinking, effective strategic planning and well organised execution of economic plans and initiatives are also the only humane pathway to a better and more prosperous economy. Although Zimbabwe has developed a good economic strategy framework NDS1, its implementation has had some short falls especially in relation to stakeholders participation.

I am writing this article at a time when many leading authorities in strategy, strategic thinking and strategic planning are asserting that we have a global strategy, strategic thinking and strategic planning in surprisingly many countries, companies, organisations and economies around the world. They argue that in many countries, companies, organisations and economies thinking they have a strategy when they don't. They also argue that many strategic planning workshops and events are not producing strategic plans but basic operational plans peppered with strategy jargon and littered with strategic planning templates and tools. I have similar experiences with Zimbabwe although, in the absence of a proper research, I cannot say to what extent the problem exists in the country.

Successful economic turnaround does not need real strategy, brilliant national strategic thinking, effective strategic planning and well organised execution at a country or economic level, but also in all of Zimbabwe's companies, organisations, businesses and institutions. In other words, the country must have a culture of good strategy, brilliant national strategic thinking, effective strategic planning and well organised execution. I am talking about integrated, strategic economic thinking.

If all businesses, companies, organisations and institutions in a country use real strategy, brilliant national strategic thinking, high quality strategic planning and well organised, effective execution while also mastering in entrepreneurship and innovation, marketing, sales, leadership and management, manufacturing and production, industry and commerce then the economic will be extremely successful.

A good starting point for all this is for the leadership and management of the country to review their theory and practice in strategy, strategic thinking, strategic planning and use of strategy in their country, companies, organisations, businesses and economy respectively. This is important to make sure that Zimbabwe and its companies, organisations, businesses and economies are not a victim of the global crisis in strategy, strategic thinking, strategic planning and use of strategy and if it is, the immediately take remedial action.

The country and the companies, organisations, businesses and economies can engage a metastrategy or competent strategist to assist with this review, which takes between half a day and two days depending on the size of the company and the depth and detail required.

Strategy is critical for the success of its country and its economy, companies, organusations, businesses and economies. But it must be real strategy, brilliant strategic thinking and serious strategic planning and intelligent use of strategy.

Are there any metastrategists, strategic thinkers, strategic planners and strategy philosophers in Zimbabwe. If they are there, how come the country's economy has suffered for this long and how come so many companies are closing down.

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?Simon Bere Research Innovation and Development 2025.