Management

Lessons from the Evolution of the Strategy Paradigm

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Review of the strategy literature indicates there has been five phases in the evolution
of the field since World War II. The paradigm was at its peak in the 1970s with the
strategic planning phase, however, prescriptive approaches to strategy formulation
and implementation were demonstrated to be inadequate in this period in the face of
environmental uncertainty. In the 1980s the field evolved into the strategic
management phase with a focus on the combination of the firm’s resources to achieve
competitive advantage. The prescriptive literature progressed further in this decade
with Porter’s strong contribution in understanding the external context confronting
organisations. The resource-based view of the firm, grounded in the descriptive
literature, also enhanced the paradigm’s knowledge of the firm’s internal processes.
However, despite these developments by the mid-1980s it was evident that the
strategic management phase was not addressing shortcomings in strategy
implementation. At this time a greater sense of the importance of organisational
culture and internal politics developed in the strategy process. The ineffectiveness of
strategic management in this decade led many experts to emphasise the need for
strategic thinking. In the 1990s a debate has evolved as to whether strategy should be
practiced as art, science or a combination of both

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Detail Information

Series Title

Lessons from the Evolution of the Strategy Paradigm

Call Number

-

Publisher

: ., 1999

Collation

1-31

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

1038-7448

Classification

NONE

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

-

Subject(s)

strategic Management

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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