Action oriented strategic management

This paper describes a methodology for strategic management whose primary aim is to gain involvement and commitment from those whose actions will secure the organization's future, rather than to produce perfect plans. The process involves a continuous cycle of workshops in which many managerial levels participate, focussing on the creation and evaluation of strategic options, including analysis of the competitive environment in which the options would be carried out. Through such workshops, a knowledge base of the `corporate context' is built up of the combined, and often opposing, views of those who have participated, and this is fed back into future workshops. There is thus a flow of ideas and experiences both up and down and across the organization. It is argued that as well as enhancing commitment and understanding, the process also fosters creativity, reduces bounded vision and encourages participants to think about themselves and the organization in new lights.