The Subtle Art of Strategy: Organizational Planning in Uncertain Times

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Strategyand the planning that created ithas too often failed to deliver its promised results. The reasons for this failure are many and varied, but include an over-reliance on the next big thing in strategic methodology, a failure to recognize and deal with the total change that strategy requires in an organization, and an inability to deal with uncertainty. Wilson argues that strategy is a subtle and demanding art, far more than it is a science or a methodology. To succeed in dealing with complex, interacting forces inside and outside the organization, strategy must: Deal with the totality of the organization in the context of its total environment (not just one function or one facet of the organization) Learn to harness the power of opposites (the sometimes conflicting objectives of the organization, e.g., the long term and short term; vision and execution; economic constraints and social responsibility) Deal constructively with pervasive uncertainty in its future Develop a strategic vision Create a culture that fosters a strategic mindset throughout the organization. Without constant change and adaptation, a strategy will fail. Continuing success depends, therefore, upon constant learning from customers, competitors, changes in our environment, and our own mistakes.

Reviews

"Before Jack Welch there was Ian Wilson. In his years at GE, Wilson pioneered the concept that strategists must learn to plan in the face of uncertainty....In this brilliant volume he summarizes the strategic state-of-the-art in terms that are as clear as they are practical. Nobody has said it better."-James O'Toole University of Southern California and author of Leadership A to Z
"Ian Wilson is that wise and experienced strategic consiglieri every business needs....Disdaining doctrines that promise easy fixes, he counsels managers to embrace a culture of truthful assessment, to relish the challenges of scenario thinking, and to search discerningly for opportunities where others see only uncertainty."-Robert M. Randall editor Strategy & Leadership and co-editor The Portable MBA in Strategy
"No other book so ably presents the dynamics of strategic management. An important addition to business literature....and a superb companion to Wilson's last book on corporate conduct."-William R. Wahl former president of AMAX Coal
"Wilson draws on a lifetime of strategizing with major corporations to provide an up-to-date guidebook to this complex area. He offers no 'silver bullets' but much hard-earned wisdom and many valuable insights."-Bernard Taylor Henley Management College, founding editor of Long Range Planning

Author Bio

IAN WILSON is an international management consultant, author, and authority on scenario planning and strategic management. Principal of Wolf Enterprises, a consultancy in San Rafael, California, he started his career in England and later joined General Electric in the United States. At GE, as a member of the strategic planning staff, he established their pioneering Business Environmental Analysis component before becoming a public policy advisor to GE's chief executive officer. Later, as a senior management consultant with SRI International, he worked with senior management teams in a variety of industries.