Deliberate and Emergent

Strategies

By:
Sumara Naveed
How did forest become successful?
 Learning Objectives

• Understand how strategy is made

• Understand the difference between intended and

realized strategy

• Understand the need for a balance between

strategic design and emergence
 How does strategy form in
Organizations?
• Pattern in a stream of decisions (Mintzberg, H. &
Waters, J.)
 Overview of deliberate vs. Emergent
Strategies

Planned
Entrepre-
neurial Ideological

Umbrella

Process
Unconnected

Consensus

Imposed
 Types of Strategies (detailed)

• Planned
• Formal plans
• Precise intentions
• Central leadership
• Controllable & predictable
environment
• Entrepreneurial
• central vision
• Vision of single leader
• Adaptable to new opportunities
 Types of Strategies (detailed)

• Ideological
• Shared beliefs
• Intentions as collective vision
• Proactive organization

• Umbrella
• Leadership in partial control
• Defined strategic boundaries
or targets
 Types of Strategies (detailed)

• Process
• Origination in Process
•Leadership controls process
aspects of strategy

• Unconnected
• Most straightforward
• „doing your own thing“
approach
 Types of Strategies (detailed)

• Consensus
• Mutual adjustment
• Not driven by any intentions
of a central management

• Imposed
• Forced by Environment or
outside individual
• Most emergent
How did forest become successful?
More Case Studies

Google China Entry?

Westin Heavenly Bed?

Honda US Entry?
 Take Aways

• Environment becoming more and more

unpredictable
• Both important
• Do not limit yourself to what is already known or
understood
• Create an environment where mistakes are tolerated

„We shall get nowhere without emergent

learning alonside deliberate planning“