week 3

Why is strategy making like a science and why is it also like an art or craft?

                                                              

Strategy making is like science because

1.     Both in science and strategy making various analyses are performed before developing anything.

2.     Both have set of rules and different analytical tools.

3.     In science and strategy making all the information should have logical values.

4.     Both in science and strategy making the idea is developed and then implemented and adjustments are applied if necessary.

5.     In science and strategy making the strategy is analysis of single person and rational.

Strategy making is like an art or craft because

1.     Strategy making and art or craft involves group work and sometime there occurs conflict, politics and compromise.

2.     Like art or craft, strategy making is a creative and unpredictable process.

3.     Strategy making and art or craft is exploratory and emerging factor.

In your own words and using referenced quotes describe the difference between intended strategy and emergent strategy?

The differences between intended strategy and emergent strategy are as follows:

1.     According to the (Mintzberg and Waters 1985, p.257) intended strategy is the strategy expressed in preferred strategic direction intentionally developed by managers and emergent strategy is creative ideas that generated through everyday routines, activities of internal and external environment.

2.     Intended strategy is a long term planned strategy which is carefully planned in advance to operate smoothly in future. Whereas emergent strategy is the unintentionally planned actions that organizations perform to the market and environment forces that emerges incrementally.

3.     In intended strategy organization figure out best strategy among many strategy by internal and external environment analyses. Whereas in emergent strategy organization find out the strategy by exploring within organization.

4.     Intended strategy is formal and structure but emergent strategy is informal and unstructured.

5.     Intended strategy is the process of think and act where strategies are developed by various analyses and then implemented whereas emergent strategy is trial and error process where strategy is implemented in less analysis.

6.     At first strategy is planned in intended strategy but in emergent strategy, strategy is experimented at first.

7.     Intended strategy is strategic planning where there is strategic leadership, vision and command whereas emergent strategy is strategic and critical thinking where there is logical decision are made in short period.

Choose 2 of the 10’s schools of strategic thought and describe them in your own words. Try and provide a real world example for e.g. an organization or a situation.

Learning school

In this school, strategy is developed by learning, doing experiments and adapting. Hence strategy keeps on coming as everyone continues to learn and act and develop. So in Learning School strategies are developed informally, sometime step by step and unexpectedly, usually in collective process.

For real world example Samsung Company is the best example for learning school because Samsung has been emerging and innovating new ideas to the market by learning continuously about the market demands. Now Samsung is providing its galaxy smart phone models which are more than our real galaxies. Samsung keep on learning the consumer mind and they are providing the smart phone from high range to low range with android operating system. So now Samsung has hold its position as strong competitors in the market and still it is continuing its learning and experiments.

The cultural school

In this school strategy are often develop based on the shared beliefs and values. Culture plays the main role in the adjustment of strategy and for the success. The strategy that developed is the cooperative cultural strategy of an organization.

For the real world example Mc Donald’s is the best one because when Mc Donald’s entered in the Indian market they change their strategy according to the Hindu culture because Hindu culture are against of beef and Mc Donald’s main recipe is beef but for standing in the Indian market they need to plan according to the culture, so they started their business in Indian market by using potato instead of beef, which was creative cooperative cultural strategy.

Write about your experience with today’s case study. What answer did you give to the question?

The case study was very interesting as it describes the Google strategy to compete in the market. The topic itself is very interesting and from topic we can get ideas like what kind of strategy Google will emerge to hold its position as strong competitor against Facebook.

How long Google's magic last?

Would you describe Google’s strategy as more deliberate or more emergent? (List reasons for each)

The Google has more emergent strategy because of following reasons:

1.     As technology develops Google come up with new strategy.

2.     Google introduced android operating system in smart phone without cost, where other companies charge installing cost.

3.     Google developed its own library of online apps, and provided free service for which users need to make Google account, which was the good emergent strategy to retain and attract more people.

4.     Google also came up with Google instant service which saves time of user when searching information.

5.     Google introduced social layer service from which users can share useful information to his social circles and people can see what their friends have been watching on the service.

6.     Google invested in a wind energy project which was different to its core business.

7.     Google has also invested in self driving car which is the emergent strategy which has already covered over 140,000 miles on the country’s road.

What are the advantages of being very ‘experimental’? (List)

The advantages of being very experimental are

• Organization can generate more ideas to improve its product.
• Organization can be a monopoly market by introducing new product and be the business leader.
• Increase the revenue as there will be no competitor
• Being experimental helps to implement best strategy among the best as strategy come up with every activity.
• It helps to be more practical in dynamic business environment.

What are the disadvantages of being very ‘experimental’? (List)

The disadvantages of being experimental are

• The experimental strategic implementation may not be success as customer perception might change.
• There is high risk as there will not be enough research and analysis.
• Both time and money may get waste.
• Organizational conflict may occur as everyone has different perception which results in slow decision making.

What do you think of their strategy? (Try to justify and support your views)

I think Google emergent strategy is one of the best strategy because in the technology world every time we seek information online and our first preference will be Google. Google has been emerging its strategy to provide information from every source either in the written form or video clips. Every time we access online source we Google will be there for us and this is also the source of income of Google as whenever we click a link Google can ping carefully targeted ads. Hence Google has successfully established its brand name to all people minds and heart and this all because of their emergent strategy.

Even now Google has provided their services in the smart phone by providing android operating system from which we can get free online service of Google like games, software etc. Also now Google has provided service using our contacts to make communication easy and in cheap price. Hence in this IT world using emergent strategy Google is gaining its competitive advantages and standing as a strong competitor in the market.

Reference list 

Mintzberg, H., and Waters, J., A. . (1985). "Of Strategies, Deliberate and Emergent." Strategic Management Journal (pre-1986), 6(3), 257.

12manage, 2014. Mintzberg's 10 Schools of Thought: Summary, Forum and Expert Tips. [Online]

Available at: http://www.12manage.com/methods_mintzberg_ten_schools_of_thought.html