Strategy as Revolution by Garry Hamel - Essay Example

During the contemporary period, it can be seen that organizations operate in a dynamic environment that is characterized by various changes such as the use of digital technology in communication. For instance, Bharadwaj et al (2013), states that “In a digitally intensive world, firms operate in business ecosystems that are intricately intertwined such that digital business strategy cannot be conceived independently of the business ecosystem, alliances, partnerships, and competitors.” This shows that digital technology has revolutionized the communication landscape and this has a bearing on the operations of any organization.

This entails that organizations should also be revolutionary in their strategy formulation in order for them to keep pace with the changes that take place in the environments in which they operate. Since the business environment in which organizations operate is not static, it can be seen that strategy formulation should be an ongoing process. Efforts should be made to try to identify the areas that need to be changed so that the organization can keep pace with the changes taking place in the environment it operates in. As noted in the article, strategy formulation is not an event but a process that is comprised of different stages. These stages are very important since they determine the success or failure of the new strategy.

This article is also crucial in that it attempts to show that all strategies should have a solid foundation so that they can meaningfully contribute to the operations of the organization. Strategy is not all about how it is implemented in business but about how well it is formulated. A poorly formulated strategy is likely to yield poor results as a result of the fact that it may be difficult to implement in the company. When formulating a strategy, different people in the organization should be involved in this process since they can also contribute revolutionary ideas.

Strengths of the article

The main strength of the article is that it highlights the significance of strategizing the company and it also tries to differentiate it from planning. These two concepts are often confused since they are not synonymous. A company that has strategies in place is in a better position to operate viably since it can revolutionize its operations to meet the changing demands of the environment in which the organizations operate. The other strength of the article is that it clearly states that strategy formulation should not be tied to the aspect of experience since this deprives organizations of the opportunity to revolutionize their operations. The other aspect is that organizations operate in dynamic environments that are constantly changing. This entails that the way we think should not be static as well but it should be revolutionary since it helps the people involved to generate new ideas that can revolutionize the operations of the organization.

The other strength of the article is that it highlights the weaknesses that are often encountered in strategy formulation. For instance, some people think that strategy formulation is a preserve of senior managers in the company alone. However, this misconception often leads to different scenarios where the other employees in the organization often resist the proposed change. Strategy making as democracy is very effective since it gives the underrepresented constituencies in the organization an opportunity to share their ideas and be heard by the senior executives in the company. It is unfortunate that some senior managers in the company want to monopolize the strategy-making process thereby conveniently forgetting that anyone can be a strategist if given the opportunity.  Indeed, senior managers cannot start a revolution. In most cases, these people in the organizations are bent on protecting their interests so they cannot meaningfully contribute to effective strategy formulation in the organization.  The other strength of the article is that it outlines various steps that should be taken into consideration when formulating revolutionary strategies in the organization. This article is highly enlightening in terms of the measures that can be taken into account when formulating a strategy.

Weaknesses of the article
One notable weakness of the article is that it states that strategy making should be subversive. In other words, strategy formulation should not have any goal or objective. However, this brings us to this question: Why strategy then if it does not outline the objectives? It then defies logic if it is claimed that strategy formulation should be subversive. Indeed, when a strategy is being formulated, the managers should clearly state how they will use the resources and their competencies in order to gain a competitive advantage. This is not an event but a process that requires objectivity. From this argument, it can be seen that there is a section of the article that is in stark contrast with what is commonly known about strategy formulation. The purpose of formulating a strategy should be identified and it should be defined rather than carry out the process in a “blind” manner.