Narrative View of Strategic Discourse - Essay Example

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Date Reflective Diary At the beginning of the course, I had no idea what to expect. I was naïve and unsure of what I wanted to achieve. Things were new to me and I was irresolute of what I wanted. Throughout the course, I can confidently say that I have learnt many things that can help me shape my personal and professional development and maturity. Compared to the past experience, I can say that the course has sharpened me in many aspects such as planning, time management, and effective communication etc. One aspect of my course involves strategic work (Mintzberg 11). Strategic work has shaped me to be a better person with regard to planning, gaining competitive advantage and ensuring I have direction in everything that I do. Strategic work can be defined as a planned action which is utilized to gain leverage and power over competitors especially in this contemporary global market. Therefore, it is an important concept for everyday situations and circumstances. Strategy plays a big role in achieving success in life. It is associated with many benefits including time management, idea generation among others. This essay will reflect on my experience and lessons that I have learnt throughout the course. In this course, I was able to read that strategy is characteristically diverse since it has a number of assumptions in its meaning depending on the contexts within organizations. I was able to derive other perspectives of strategy as the scope as well as the direction an organization devices in order to achieve over the long run. Also, I read that an organization ought to achieve its fundamental goals and objectives as well as meet the required expectations of its shareholders (Mitzberg 11). However, the above mentioned definitions do not hold enough water to be adopted in a modern-day global economy. On the other hand, I read that in a modern-day global economy, strategy ought to be depicted as a meaningful action that entails the processes of planning, sharing perceptions and attaining patterns of operations that are supposed to gain a competitive advantage as well as guarantee that an organization has come to accomplish its objectives (Mitzberg 11). I think that it is correct to say that strategy is a planned action which is utilized to gain leverage over competitors especially in this contemporary global market. In addition, I feel that this competitive advantage that is gained from engaging in strategic operations is solely intended to ensure that every objective set out by a company is achieved. Moreover, there are a number of challenges that I learnt when it comes to using strategy in an organization (Mintzberg 15). First, making comparison of arguments as well as coming up with the right assumptions that motivate these arguments was a huge challenge. Another challenge that I encountered was trying to reach an agreement on how strategy can be put to practice. But then again, I learnt from Mintzberg that if one performs an ineffective plan, he or she may destroy any strategic thinking. This comes about since it results to confusion between the current and the organization’s main vision and mission. Other than that, I learnt that having a good effective plan may avoid such occurrences. In my understanding, strategy can be referred to in very many ways. For instance, strategy can be in form of an organization, environment and client (Mintzberg 15). Strategy in terms of an organization in my perspective involves the position chose within the organization. This is mainly because strategy must encompass the evaluation of different meanings with regard to which associate of an organization perceive the world. For example, an organization that is considered an ‘aggressive pacesetter’ observes the global market in terms of technological innovation in order to fully utilize the available as well as emerging markets. Therefore, strategy in terms of organization is regarded as a motivating concept (Mintzberg 15). Also, from the course, I understood that strategy when viewed from a members’ vantage point, it has to be shared promoting the aspect of communication. Thus, I can conclude that strategy is equivalent to perceptions communicated by members within an institution through their own actions (Mintzberg 12). Additionally, when strategy is linked to the environment, it refers to the way in which a position can be sited. I view position as an organization’s internal and external environment. Taking the above description into consideration, strategy is a method that directly checks an organization to its environment. It is therefore concerned with the environment with which an organization can comfortably work in. For instance, within the setting of management, it refers to the product market in which most resources are centralized. Thirdly, I clearly understood from the course how strategy can be connected with certain client behaviours. When related to clients, it is defined in terms of a pattern of behaviours (Mintzberg 12). This is because strategy is considered a flow of actions with which an organization intends to use so as to gain leverage over their competitors. I also understood that strategy can be used so as to build a consistent behaviour which is expected to be noticed on the client’s side. For example, an organization can ensure that their products are constantly being used by their clients. This slowly builds the clients’ loyalty to the product and then to the organization hence gaining them a competitive advantage within the market (Mintzberg 12). The consistent behaviours portrayed by their customers of purchasing the organization’s products correspond well with the patterns of action. Therefore, strategy is considered a pattern of actions for it permits clients to get involved and fully participate. When leaning about strategy, I assumed that a strategy does not involve making a plan of action that will assist in achieving the set goals and objectives. My assumption is that it involves putting extra effort in order to gain leverage over my competitors. After going through the course and learning about strategy, I clearly understood the in depth meaning of strategy and how it impacts performances within the environment as well as with other people. In day-to-day life, I noticed how strategy plays a big role in achieving success in life. For instance, arranging time in an orderly manner is a great strategy in getting the job done effectively. Therefore, my thoughts with regard to strategy is that it is a very important undertaking since it helps an organization or individual gain leverage over any situation that come their way. Finally, from my understanding of the course, I’ve learnt that strategy cannot only be used in organizations but also in our day-to-day lives. Since then, I have been able to apply and utilize strategy by making a concise plan of action when tackling certain tasks. Strategy research over the years has enhanced and is now being utilized in business, government organizations as well as in the military. I read from the course that this widespread strategic research has brought about better service delivery and leverage. I also came across participation which has been regarded as what complements strategy and makes it more acceptable in the process of decision making in modern organizations (Mantere and Vaara 344). I spared some time to go through an article entitled “Participation in Strategy Work” which exacted that it is very important to involve participation in strategy work and also that it can also lead to inadequate decision making. In the same article, I also came across participation as a fundamental aspect in the SAP research which assesses the performances of shareholders as well as the various processes they get from strategy work (Mantere and Vaara 1). According to the above mentioned article, strategy ought to involve more than one person either inside an organization or outside so as to make it successful. Within an organization, such a process involves top ranked officials as well as their subordinate managers and employees. From the article by Laine and Vaara, I learnt that participation entails four key elements of the strategic process. These elements put participation as an operation of the strategic process, as a non-issue, as an component of subjectivity and as created via organizational practices. In addition, I also learnt from the course that strategy can be considered a decision making process which needs participation of high rank officials of an organization and several actors in order to enable implementation. Through this course, I was able to understand how participation is a key component in strategic research. Also, I was able to understand what takes place within an organization in terms of participation in strategic research and how it comes across very well with traditional organizations (Mantere and Vaara 346). I also realized that participation in strategic research may not be direct though modern-day organizations are now involving their internal shareholders so as to lead in prevailing in the market. In addition, I also realized how creativity plays a major role in strategy since staff members of organizations who are considered creative are given a chance to get involved in the organization’s strategies by coming up with new ideas (Mantere and Vaara 346). I also came to understand why in some organizations, despite the CEO being the final decision maker, they include more individuals in the whole process. Additionally, strategy is considered a decision making process which entails planning although, in an organization, this process occurs in a departmental level. I understood that participation as a strategic process, is more accepted within these departments when more gather together to formulate a policy. Therefore, participation as a strategic operation is significant when it comes to decision making as more members as well as mid-level managers are actively involved in the objectives of the organization. In this course, I assumed that participation as a strategy process entails the act of only getting involved in fulfilling the objectives of an organization but to find out that it entails more than that. These assumptions helped me learn precisely what strategy participation is and how well it applies in our organizations and day-to-day life. Through this period, I have been able to relate what I learnt to a number of situations. For instance, in my class, in order to get the best lecture time, the class president actively involves other students in the decision making activity. This enables everyone’s opinion to be voiced and also to be considered thus coming up with alternatives that are efficient. I think that strategic participation is very important and that it should always be considered in organizations since it promotes interaction as well as sharing of new and fresh ideas. Finally, through this course I have learnt how important it is to involve not only the top officials but also other employees in the decision making process since it encourages the spread of new ideas which might be beneficial to the organization. During my course, I have learnt that strategic work differentiates organizations (Earner, 7). I have learnt that a company can be considered innovative and creative if it has an effective strategy. For instance, examples of companies that are considered innovative include Dell and Amazon and people understand that it take innovation and creativity for them to be employed by these companies. Nevertheless, I assume that strategic work cannot be evaluated based on an organisation and its members alone. I think that strategy is founded upon the fact that in most companies, strategic work is left for few top managers. As seen in the course, strategy is a decision made with regard to achieving goals and objectives set by an organisation. Top senior members of any organisations are employed to make strategic decisions which assist an organisation attain its strategic goals and boost its competitive advantage (Earner 27). Strategy work is left to the top managers who drive the strategy agenda. Strategy as seen from the course is an important aspect of any organisation. Not only does it give direction for an organisation to follow but it also offers competitive edge. I have found the discussion and presentation of analysis in the course very important and interested to read. The text offers me a starting point and edge to formulate a strategy. It has made me learn the importance of planning, sharing perspective and creating a pattern for communication process for strategic work to be effective. Planning tend to make strategic process more important since it takes into consideration factors such as budget, resources and other perspectives. The course also has enabled me understand that formulating strategy is a very hard task. In addition, managing and instituting any type of change is very difficult and thus requires a good strategy. Therefore, good strategy ensures that things are in place and in order before any change or any decision can be taken. Before the course, I knew less about strategy and I only knew it as a form of tactic that is utilised by companies in their operations to boost competitive advantage (Earner 7). However, throughout the course, I learnt that strategy involves more than that. By the end of the course, I realised that strategy is very important not only for professional development but also for personal satisfaction. In my opinion, many people reach their destination by accident. Such people lack strategy. Successful people who use effective strategy know their destination. I am now confident that strategy would give me direction concerning my personal and professional development. Strategic work coupled with organisational change is very fundamental in any given organisation. I have come to learn how communication plays a major role in effective strategic work. For instance, from the article “Middle Managers, Strategic Sensemaking and Discursive Competence”, managers have the ability to contribute to organisational change by utilizing their strategic role given to them. I have learnt that good communication can enable individuals influence people around them. During the course, I have come to understand that a narrative approach can make strategic work more visible. For instance, using figures like martyrs and wanderers, narrative can offer a comprehensive meaning that can be derived through a number of ways (Barry and Elmes 4). Throughout the course, another important aspect that I acquired is the fact that drawing the attention of people or influencing people does not just involve language and communication. It also involves various processes such as the way things are positioned, points of resistance and awareness of identities. Therefore, for me to interact with people effectively when communicating, I should display meaningful images in order to influence them. Before, I thought that effective communication totally entailed the use of correct language (Rouleau and Balogun 973). But I have come to learn that effective communication is possible if one uses the correct language in the right way, at the right time and communicating to the right people. Communication on the other hand is not enough in achieving strategic work. Good communication coupled with setting the scene can create a framework through which effective strategic work is achieved (Rouleau and Balogun 962). An important aspect from the course that caught my attention and has changed my way of thinking is the fact that in order to influence others and achieve effective organisational change and strategic work, one must socialise in their context of action which assist in understanding and appreciating the symbolic and verbal illustration. It is easier to influence others if one positions himself as a member and not a spokesman. Organisational change and strategic work is considered an organisational plan. Therefore, for strategic work to be achieved, one must undergo exclusive integrated planning procedures. I have learned that failure to engage in early planning and preparation may result to significant failure (Barry and Elmes 16). Therefore, planning and preparation is termed as concepts that are important in achieving strategic work. Conversations have the ability to open up new trains of thoughts. Therefore, the content and the nature of communication are very important. The course has changed my thinking in various ways. In the past, I used to think that effective strategic work and change is possible through effective communication alone. But as learned from the course, for effective work and organisational change to be achieved, a number of things must be taken into consideration. For instance, in order for me to influence others, I should use correct language, I should position myself in a manner that would assist me communicate well with others and I should also socialise in my context of action. The lessons learnt from the course have helped me in my personal and professional development. I have learned to change the way I communicate in my personal and professional life. Today, I take into consideration many processes in addition to effective communication. I first consider forming coalition with people who can reinstate and re-establish the communication process (Rouleau and Balogun 962). As established from the course, planning process is a part of effective strategic work. I make sure that in my personal endeavours, planning and preparation take a huge role. I also base my knowledge on transparency and integrity when communicating as it enables people to listen to me (Rouleau and Balogun 962). From where I stand, I can truly say that I have become a better communicator in strategic work than I was before. I have been able to carry effective strategic work through effective communication. Additionally, I have been influenced by this course positively when it comes to issues relating to learning techniques. Also, I have developed a number of learning techniques and I have learnt how to talk to different people effectively. Generally, I have learned that communication is very important in strategic work as it reshapes how things take place in the workplace and day-to-day life. Therefore, in my opinion, people should be trained to use effective communication models in order to ensure success in any strategic work. To sum it up, at the end of the course, I learnt what strategy is and what it entails. I learnt how organizations utilize strategy in order to gain a competitive advantage and also to achieve the objectives and goals of the organization. I also understood how strategy can be related to aspects such as an organization, the environment and a client. In addition, I learnt about strategic participation and how it is implemented in different organizations. I have also learnt the benefits that come with strategic participation for example, time management, and spread of new and fresh ideas. I also realized the importance of communication in strategic work because it is a key factor that influences organizational change. Communication enable a person have an influence over others. Without effective communication and correct use of language, it is impossible to achieve effective strategic work. For effective strategic work, communication cannot stand alone since other factors such as socializing in the context of an action also plays a major role. Also, coalition with relevant party is important in enforcing communication needed in strategic work. Finally, I learnt the benefits that come with learning the course and came up with methods that can help me utilize this knowledge effectively. Works Cited David Barry and Michael Elmes, Strategy Retold: Towards a Narrative View of Strategic Discourse. Academy of Management Review 22:2, 1997, 429-452. Print. Earner, E, Jack. My little book of strategy. Helsinki: Talentum, 2014. Print. Linda Rouleau and Julia Balogun. Middle Managers, Strategic Sensemaking, and Discursive Competence. Journal of Management Studies 48:5, July 2011. Print. Mantere, Saku, and Vaara, Eero. On the Problem of Participation in Strategy: A Critical Discursive Perspective. Organization Science 19.2, 2008, 341–358. Print Mintzberg, Henry. "The Strategy Concept I: Five Ps for Strategy." California Management Review 1:1, 2001, 11-24 Read More