STRATEGIC AS PRACTICE

Strategic as Practice

Strategic as practice

Introduction

“Complexity theory dominates the narrative in strategy today”. The essay primarily focuses on the use of complexity theory in the strategic management perspective. The Complexity theory has been widely used for the management purposes especially in the field of organization studies and strategic management. (Matthiesen, 2009.Pp. 11)It is employed in these domains to understand and analyze how different firms and organizations adapt themselves' with different changes and environment. (Gladwell, 2000.Pp. 15)

Limitations of the study

We will critically analyze stamen “Complexity theory dominates the narrative in strategy today”. In order to analyze it critically I will use secondary research sources and study how strategies in an organization serve as a narrative. During the case of the study there is no need to carry a primary research on a specific organization.

Discussion

The theory looks at the organizations as collections of structures and strategies. When the firm or organization shares different multifaceted adaptive systems (comprised of many simple and partially linked structures), they are more prone to adapt their environment and thus, survive. (Whittington, 2003,Pp 3-22) Complexity theories are a part of Organizational and strategic studies since they have become a part of the academic disciplines.

For several years the strategy is cited as something that organizations possess in the academic perspective of strategic management. In other practice perspective the strategy is cited as what people do. It deals with the practice of strategizing and encompassing both aspects of formulation and implementation of these strategies to achieve strategic change and renewal. (Matthiesen, 2009. Pp.11)It is therefore seeks for the question like

What do people do in order to formulate strategies for organization

How do they convert strategies in to achievable strategic actions and organizational change

What are the capabilities and competencies are required to achieve these strategic plans

How do they use different tools and concepts to support for strategic management

What are the best practices for managing strategy?

It might appear a bit strange that the question that what managers actually do in order to carryout and manage these strategies is neglected.

Critical analysis of Strategy as practice (complexity theory)

In the recent years, the new innovations and different theories in the business world has created a ripple effect and raised new questions. (Shaw, 2008,Pp. 10)These ripples, in the form of complexity theory (which includes chaos theory) have confronted the scientific management and strategic planning. (Jarzabkowski, 2008,Pp.223-232) Complexity theory proposes that an anticipated, conventional world is over and strategic planning as well. As a discipline, scientific management, look at strategic planning as a tool to anticipate future, setting future goals, and making strategies to achieve these goals.

Complexity is not only a characteristic of the systems we learn, it is also a substance of the way in which we systematize our thinking concerning those systems. The rationale of complexity theory, which we claim point out and supports the use of the narrative form. (Julia,2009. Pp.128)The contribution of the narrative approach towards organization complexity is established by taking a narrative approach to the recursive ...