Blackwell Reference Online

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Despite voluminous research, the process through which strategies are shaped, implemented, and changed remains ill understood. The old debates continue: Is strategy emergent or planned? Does it bubble bottom-up or is it set top-down? Is the process rational or political? Is strategy the work of a lone genius or the result of a collective, albeit more mundane, effort? Reconciling the varied and often contradictory findings into coherent guidelines for action has been difficult. Also, scholars who write about the process of strategic change seem disconnected from their colleagues who write about the relatively steady-state processes of protecting and extending an existing strategy. But what if change is frequent, as in many businesses? What then is the process of continuous change and renewal? Business executives who are faced with the above dilemmas often seek the help of management consultants. While the consultants (as do some academics) may have insights on how to help a particular company, they often do not have the time or inclination to investigate these insights more rigorously. Clearly, there is an opportunity to strike several potent alliances: (1) among academics in order to undertake more ambitious research projects and to cumulate their findings, (2) between academics and business executives to engage in research that is actionable, and (3) between academics and consultants ... log in or subscribe to read full text