The Global Strategy Crisis, Its Nature and its Impacts on Companies, Organisations, Businesses, Economies and the Global Agenda’s and Initiatives

The Global Strategy Crisis, Its Nature and its Impacts on Companies, Organisations, Businesses, Economies and the Global Agenda’s and InitiativesThere is a growing concern by metastrategists, strategy intellectuals and strategy consultants around the world about the way many companies and organisations are performing in the area of strategy, strategic planning and the use of strategy. This concern is worth paying attention with elephant ears because strategy is the difference between company, organisational, business and economic success and failure and between mediocre, average, great and outstanding results. ?There are two major versions of the strategy crisis;

1.??????Not taking strategy as seriously as people in leadership and management positions should and

2.??????Having a flawed or poor concept of strategy and its facets

That many people in positions of top leadership and top management seem not to take strategy seriously is also a major concern that perpetuates strategic underperformance and hence the performance and results of many companies, organisations, businesses, economies and societies. I share the same concern with those raising alarm on strategy based also on my personal experience in strategy as well as working with many companies and organisations in other area.

Misuse and Abuse of the Term “Strategy”

In many organisations and institutions, the word strategy is as ubiquitous as the air. It is as if it is a marker word for executive and managerial positions. The word is mentioned in many conversations and to mean so many things that one would can begin to wonder whether we have ever consciously thought about the word and concept strategy in our lifetimes. For example, I have heard so many times people say;

“I have a strategy!” or’

“We have a strategy”

When you then probe deeper about what they mean when they say they have a strategy, you realise that what they actually have is not a strategy but any of the following

1.??????A very rough idea about how to do something or to solve a problem

2.??????A basic generic plan of action

3.??????A raw idea

4.??????An aspirational goal

5.??????A possible solution

6.??????Or generic list of things to do in a certain domain

This is worrying when it comes from people in top leadership and management position or those who are supposed to help them in the areas of strategy.

All these six things can be part of a strategic plan, but they are not in themselves strategy at all. We are saying this over and over again but the permeation rate is still very slow at a time when companies, businesses and economies are severely compromised and futures threatened for lack of real strategy.

Strategic Theory Dissonances, Errors and Deficiencies

I have worked with many top leadership and top management teams in different aspects that include strategy session facilitation, leadership and managerial training, education and development, crafting strategic plans and plan strategy advisory. In an overwhelming majority of the cases I have faced;

Top leadership and top management teams do not have a commonly agreed concept or model of strategy. I ask ten top leaders or managers in the same team or organisation to define strategy and I get ten different meanings or flavours of strategy. This is a telling sign for me because if members of the same leadership or management team do not have a common definition of strategy, how they do they come up with a correct version of strategy? How they do they come with a good version os strategy when they do not share the same meaning of strategy?

Strategy theory dissonance is the disparity in the meaning of the term strategy and its elements among members of the same leadership or management team and also within the rest of the staff. The higher the strategic theory dissonance, the poorer the organisation is in dealing with strategy.

There are many errors and deficiencies in the area of strategy in companies and organisations including;

1.??????Errors and deficiencies in the meaning and understanding of strategy

2.??????Errors and deficiencies in developing strategies

3.??????Errors and deficiencies in planning for strategic planning sessions

4.??????Errors and deficiencies in facilitating strategy and strategic planning sessions

5.??????Errors and deficiencies in self assessments in the area of strategy. Many people in positions of leadership and management overestimate their knowledge and understanding and interpretation of strategy and how it must be done and handled.

6.??????Errors and deficiencies in the use of strategic planning outputs

7.??????Errors and deficiencies in the learning and teaching of strategy

The Need to Review the Theory and Practice of Strategy

Many companies and organisations need to seriously review their theory and practice of strategy. This is the first critical step in dealing with the strategy crisis, the same way assessment and diagnosis are the first step in health management. Many people in positions and leadership feel insulted by the idea that their approach to strategy might be poor or wrong and that their current theory and practice of strategic might be flawed. They think taking a strategy audit is a sign of weaknesses and admission of strategic incompetence. This is very dangerous and can lead to fatal failures and it is of the most unstrategic thinking leaders and managers can exhibit.

Taking a review of your theory and practice of strategy one of the most intelligent and wisest thing leaders and managers can ever do. There is no other action that can bring better results. The results of this audit are always a game changer in your performance, results and sustainability. By resisting taking periodic audits of your theory and practice of strategic has catastrophic consequences.

[email protected] ?+263-77-444-74-38

?Simon Bere?