1 - Introducing the Strategy as Practice perspective

Summary

Introduction

Even a quick skim through a journal that publishes research on strategy reveals a common characteristic. Conventionally, strategy researchers assume that strategy is something organizations have. Organizations have differentiation strategies, diversification strategies and joint-venture strategies; they have strategic planning processes, decision processes and change processes. In this view, strategy is a property of organizations. We take a different perspective: strategy is something that people do. Strategy is an activity. For example, differentiation strategies involve people doing things differently and in ways difficult to imitate; strategy processes involve people making strategies.

Quite probably those who research strategies and strategy processes will readily agree that ‘doing’ in relation to strategy is important, but often they seem not to recognize the full significance of this as a research issue. Either they tend to assume what people do, attributing behaviour on the basis of observed outputs and deducing from these the actual activity; or they raise ‘doing’ to a level of abstract categorization, such as planning or change. We are concerned with what people do, literally and directly. As such, Strategy as Practice is essentially concerned with strategy as activity in organizations, typically the interaction of people, rather than strategy as the property of organizations. It is interested not exclusively in the fate of organizations as wholes, but also in the practical performance of the people who engage with them. In this way our focus is on two surprisingly neglected questions: what do the people engaged in strategizing actually do and how do they influence strategic outcomes? By taking these seriously there are at least four major benefits to be gained.