Advances in Strategy Development in the 21st Century
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by: TMG
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Word Count: 356
Today there is resurgence in the demand for management consulting and particularly in the field of strategic planning.
Two particularly forces are suggested as driving the resurgence by management consultants, TMG. They are:
- An acceptance in the business community that “change” is no longer something which is remarkable
- An increasing realization that complexity theory is as applicable to strategy development as data rational cause and effect
In the race for competitive advantage, business leaders and management consultants alike are gaining confidence in exploring ways to improve “engagement” and “effectiveness” of the human processes that ultimately determine any strategy decisions.
The resurgence is increasingly less faddish and more considered too, as the experiences of the excesses in 1989 and 2001 live in strategic planners minds as pitfalls to be avoided. This time round, the collaboration between managers and consultants is better. Both parties are involved, such as in the preparation for a Strategy Conference.
To improve the value of a strategy conference, preparation is not the only thing which has improved. Whist the time frame for preparation needs to appropriate to the planning cycle and dynamics of the industry, more questions are investigated and information more universally shared prior to the meeting. Participants are arriving for the conference far better informed and prepared for productive dialogue. Preparation is also addressing the importance of creating and sustaining the circumstances for the dialogue to include crucial confrontations and an acceptance of divergence or ambiguity. Underpinning improvements in strategy development is less time being spent resisting change and instead embracing it. Further, embracing the reality of human systems as being complex and confidently working with that complexity is making a big difference.
One particular aspect of the change is that the short term thinking that has characterized strategy in recent years is now becoming more future seeking. Globalization, climate change, demographics trends and wider share ownership are increasingly better understood and applied.
About the Author
Peter Boyce is the Founder and Managing Partner of TMG Strategic Planning, TMG Management Consulting and TMG Strategy Facilitation.
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