Thinking Strategically in Turbulent Times: An Inside View of Strategy Making : An Inside View of Strategy Making

An emergent approach to organizational strategy making assumptions that few organizations actually realize the goal of deliberative, top-down strategic planning, and that effective strategy making occurs on a continual basis and is a shared activity of the entire organization. This innovative book provides the first in-depth look at how real organizations are formulating and implementing strategic change under this new paradigm. The authors have dug deep into three large and varied organizations (Hewlett-Packard, the California State University system, and the County of Los Angeles) and identified each one's efforts to develop a new strategic planning process better-suited to match the current pace of change and environmental unpredictability. The book is filled with vignettes, quotes, and real-world examples that illustrate the trend toward faster, more adaptive strategic planning processes. It is relevant for a wide range of business, governmental, and non-profit settings, and should be required reading in any course on strategic planning. Contents......Page 6 Foreword......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 1 Introduction: The Contextual Framework......Page 18 Defining Turbulence......Page 21 A Cross-Sector Phenomenon......Page 22 The Strategic Process and Turbulence......Page 24 The Leadership Connection......Page 27 The Three Giants’ Study......Page 28 Appendix A. Detailed Methodology......Page 32 Appendix B. Interview Protocol......Page 35 Appendix C. Codebook......Page 36 2 Thinking Strategically at Hewlett-Packard......Page 38 A Time of Transition......Page 39 The Interview Sample......Page 40 The Compaq Computer Overlay......Page 41 External Environmental Forces......Page 43 Adaptation to the Pace and Sense of Turbulence......Page 56 Strategy at Hewlett-Packard......Page 57 Reflections on Strategy Formulation: Interview Findings......Page 62 The Centralized Versus Decentralized Organization......Page 69 Conclusions......Page 74 3 Thinking Strategically in Los Angeles County......Page 76 Environmental Forces......Page 77 The Circle Game......Page 90 Setting the Foundation for Strategic Planning (1994–1997)......Page 92 If At First You Don’t Succeed, You Get Another Chance (1997–2000)......Page 95 Elaboration and Learning (2000–2002)......Page 97 Halos and Blemishes......Page 103 History of the California State University......Page 106 External Environmental Forces......Page 107 The Pace of Change: Turbulence? What Turbulence?......Page 118 History and Evolution of the Strategy Process......Page 120 Strategy at the Campus Level......Page 129 Themes and Issues at the Campus Level......Page 133 5 When Sectors Collide......Page 144 The Eye of the Beholder......Page 145 An Absolutist Versus Relativist View of Turbulence......Page 150 Closing Thoughts I......Page 152 In the End, It Is a Balancing Act......Page 156 A Note on Differences......Page 160 Closing Thoughts II......Page 161 Hewlett-Packard......Page 166 Los Angeles County......Page 167 California State University......Page 168 Notes to Chapter 1......Page 170 Notes to Chapter 2......Page 171 Notes to Chapter 4......Page 172 Notes to Chapter 5......Page 173 References......Page 174 About the Authors......Page 178 Index......Page 180 Annotation This innovative book provides the first in-depth look at how real organizations are formulating and implementing strategic change under the emerging new paradigm in which strategic planning occurs on a continual basis throughout the organization, rather than as deliberative, top-down activity. The authors have dug deep into three large and varied organizations (Hewlett-Packard, the California State University system, and the County of Los Angeles), and identified each one's efforts to develop a new strategic planning process better-suited to match the current pace of change and environmental unpredictability. The book is filled with vignettes, quotes, and real-world examples that illustrate the trend toward faster, more adaptive strategic planning processes Based on extensive interviews with senior managers at Hewlett- Packard, Los Angeles County and the California State University system, the authors report on the different strategic planning processes for the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. The research was undertaken to determine how the managers approached strategy-making in environments characterized by speed and uncertainty. A chapter is devoted to each organization and the final chapter examines the similarities and differences in their strategies. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR