Complex Perspective - New Ways of Thinking about Strategy - Coursework Example

Strategy as Practice Name Student Number Institution Course Code Instructor Date Introduction Evolution in strategic thinking has brought about various perspectives pertaining to strategy and the manner in which organisations develop with time. The current era of globalisation is characterised by diverse and profound aspects pertaining to organisations and organisational structure with strategy being a core aspect of business operations. The strategy does not only refer to the organisation’s position or its possessions, but also depicts an organisation in the context of what its workforce do (Jarzabkowski, Balogun and Seidl, 2007). The strategy brings out a clear analysis of the manner in which functions in an organisation are carried out, as well as the individuals involved. In the context, managers within an organisational structure strive to create effective solutions to the uncertainties arising resulting to competence within the strategy of the practitioners. Strategising managers create and implement practices incorporating strategy as core activity in the organisational structure. The emerging perspective brings about a gap between theories of strategy and the actual practices carried out within an organisation by the human resources. In context, Jarzabkowski et al. (2007) indicate that a strategy is not something that a given organisation has, but rather something that its members do. Consequently, strategy cannot be termed as a laid down aspect, but rather depicts the manner in which various actors in an organisation conduct their practices. On the same note, it addresses the way of executing a given task, as well as the individual or human capital to be utilised. This essay critically appraises the above statement through various arguments and analysis of perspectives within the organisational context. Complex Perspective: New Ways of Thinking about Strategy Strategy incorporates interventions to bring about concepts and approaches in the process of development and change within an organisation (Hitt, Haynes and Serpa, 2010). Critical thinking and divergent views brings about narrowed options for analysis and logic reasoning for attractive options to be realised. Jarzabkowski, Balogun and Seidl (2007) critically offered a new perspective on the aspect of strategy. The study does not bring out strategy as a document, but the manner in which individuals within the organisational structure behave and conduct their assigned tasks. The actions employees in their quest to achieve set goals and targets for the company, results in strategy in the sense that people’s attention is portrayed with respect to the ‘performers’ strategy (Uhl-Bien, Marion and McKelvey 2007). Generally, looking at the term strategising from a critical point of view, it refers to the action of strategy. It brings about the aspect of robust ability to pursue a goal in a potentially conflicting strategy while at the same time critically adapting to the changing situations (Beinhocker 1997). Past studies have indicated four basic ways of categorising strategy with respect to the approach perceived. The first involved the planning approach which critically looks at the techniques and tools necessary to help professionals within an organisation to undertake effective decisions pertaining to how to carry out their business activities (Whittington 2006). From this approach, a new focus emerged examining the company’s proceeds to pursue various strategic directions involving globalisation, mergers, acquisitions, diversification, as well as innovation practices within a strategic context. Further research resulted to the exploration of how organisations identify initial needs for change through strategic levels and achieve it through all possible efforts (Orndoff 2002). Consequently, approach to the practice borrows various insights of the school process, but reverts to the level of leadership taking into consideration the manner in which leaders undertake strategy or strategise in their organisations (Metcalf and Benn 2012). Through detailed literature, effective decisions and identification are done to influence the leadership process in a strategic manner. This is in the context of strategy as practice framework incorporating the knowledge and attributes of within the leadership structure (Johnson, Whittington and Scholes 2011). Complex Adaptive Systems: Modelling Complexity Organisational processes are complex and at the same time require dynamism to be embraced by its human capital to manoeuvre through challenges and competitive business environments (Chung and McLarney 1999). This brings to the aspect of the complex adaptive system (CAS) in the context of strategy as practice. Research and development in organisations involve coming up with various designs and innovations crucial for change within an organisational context (Whittington 2006). To critically accommodate the research designs to the nature of the various organisations, and the subsequent changes in the paradigm shift, adaptive systems are necessary. Complex adaptive systems are critical in respect to organisation change and help in the transitional period (Mintzberg and Lampel 1999). Research is critical for dynamic change and development of an organisation. Research studies and designs bring about adaptations to new understandings generating a dynamic aspect of complex adaptive systems (CAS) (Johnson, Whittington and Scholes 2011). From this approach, research designs fail to suggest that they move randomly or in an arbitrary manner. Complex adaptive systems allow for systematic and effective responses to changes within research settings. Organisations are unique in their different ways and consequently, generalisation can be derived to come up with ways of managing and improving their operations (Wheeler, McFarland and Kleiner 2007). These imaginations are made a reality by the strategic concept of complex adaptive system. In the organisational context, the diversity presents creativity and problem solving ability though at times can be attributed to the emergence of communication challenges. Learning is a process that is diverse and not one-dimensional in the sense that it tends to reduce uncertainties while at the same time absorbing the uncertainties for change purposes (Sanders and Davey 2011). The resultant process is a self-organised involving development of flexible, as well as stable patterns of organisations emerging from interactions with subjects of the firm. Further, these process may bring about co-evolution whereby the organisation responds to the surrounding altering both entities and bringing change (Northouse 2013). Change is inevitable within an organisational context, but the process of change and the results of the change are of great essence to the development process of an organisation. The impacts also bring about the competitive advantage for organisational growth (Hitt, Haynes and Serpa 2010). Through strategic adaptive systems, organisations manoeuvre challenging situations to sail through turbulence and emerge highly performing (Beinhocker 1997). This is vital as it enhances the evolution process of the organisation and grows from one level to another with strategic initiatives being the momentum necessary for pushing the systems to higher performance. In the context of Daft and Weick (1984) as cited by McLarney (1999), organizations are depicted as interpretation systems with learning processes. Through strategy and complex systems, organisations perceive and incorporate effective measures to increase performance while at the same managing to remain afloat and change with time as environments evolve. According to Uhl-Bien, Marion and McKelvey (2007), complex adaptive systems form the basic unit of analysis in the complexity of science with neutral-like networks emerging in their interactions. They contain structures that are changeable and multiple, with overlapping levels and are connected with each other in a flexible, interactive network. Through complexity adaptive leadership, organisations acquire the impetus for change and development with the competitive advantage of the prevailing circumstances (Hitt, Haynes and Serpa 2010). The greater impetus within complex adaptive systems is the fact that it fosters freshness look within the leadership. With the inclusion of modelling complexity, an organisational leadership achieves the vitality and the innovation necessary to pursue better performance. The Practice Perspective Studies touching on the perspective of strategic management have epitomised strategy as something that is owned by the organisation (Jarzabkowski and Spee 2009.). However, strategy as practice perspective emerges with a perspective whereby the strategy is taken as something that is done by people within the organisational context. The perspective dwells on the aspect of strategising, covering both the strategy formulation and implementation to bring about change (Whittington 2006). In this context, the perspective tends to ask questions like what do individuals do to come up with strategies in organisations; the manner of translating the strategies into workable action and exude change; the specific competencies necessary (Orndoff 2002); how to actualise and utilise the concepts and tools championed in strategic management; and finally the best practice in the management of strategy. Johnson, Scholes an Whittington (2011) outlines strategy as the direction and scope that an organisation undertakes over long term periods in order to realise advantage for the organisation by utilising the available diverse resources in a changing environment to meet market needs, as well as fulfil the expectations of stakeholders. Jarzabkowski, Balogun and Seidl 2007) presents the fact that increased research on the strategy-as-practice has not fully resolved the many challenges within the concept and the process of its development. The challenge arises with clarification and articulation of alternatives in the set of ontological and epistemological premises within the new approach theorising strategy. The coherent approach to clear the uncertainties in can be realised by use of an overarching conceptual framework incorporating praxis, practices and practitioners (Jarzabkowski, Balogun and Seidl 2007). The concept referred to as practice turn’ within the social theoretical framework brings out an alternative basis in the approach towards theorising strategy as practice. The manner in which strategy as practice perspective brings about further differentiation of itself from strategy process view is critical (Metcalf and Benn 2012). Perspective refers to the impression of representing figures and objects as observed in space rather than in their actual sense. From the social context, strategy practices on daily basis are discernible patterns of actions that arise from common inclinations, as well as the characters that are within instead of being from deliberate, purposeful initiatives for goal setting sake. The turn of events in the recent past has embraced strategy practice offering a genuine chance for establishing an alternative perspective that distinctively stands out from the traditional strategy process view. Organisational practices are categorised as ones related to strategy formation, organising and control (Rowe and Nejad 2009). The crucial point pertaining to the formation of practices remains in the manner in which individuals approach and perceive strategy, as well as strategic thinking attributes, and its relationship to the organisation. The process of organising practices means a clear definition of the legality of the practices in respect to the laid out organisational strategy. According to Jarzabkowski and Spee (2009), organisational practices come up in the form of either recursive or adaptive. A recursive view on the strategic goals lies in the need for stability and control while emphasising on sense-making and suggestions that utilise adaptive practices. Communication is critical in the perception and effective understanding of strategy with coping mechanisms coming out as the adaptive aspect of strategic goals (Orndoff 2002). Discussions in the various levels of the organisations create and search mutual perceptions to achieve the most effective form of strategy, as well as interpretation of strategic options to be made. With this in mind and the critical connection between communication to strategy (Northouse 2013), there is a greater need for critical evaluations for various perspectives that arise in the strategic realisation of practice. Impacts on Leadership Strategy as practice impacts directly to leadership within an organisational context. Leadership is defined as the process whereby a person influences a group of individuals to realise target goals (Northouse 2013). Leaders in an organisation play a crucial role in removing challenges to change that are part often organisational culture and bring up a new vision of the change. Leaders also play a crucial role in the shaping of an organisational culture of any given organisation. Leadership is significantly linked to knowledge sharing with leaders having the capacity to motivate, initiate visions, and manage critical knowledge sharing the process. Knowledge is critical in the overall strategic operations of organisations. Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2011) outline knowledge as awareness, consciousness or familiarity that is acquired through experience or learning. Through strategic perspectives, leaders create and implement measures towards effective organisation culture (Northouse 2013). Amid the presence of various forms of leaderships, strategy introduces transformational attributes in leadership process to effectively enhance operation and subsequently enhance operations. A focussed leadership ensures effective sharing of strategic information and networks relationships while creating avenues for knowledge sharing and management (Orndoff 2002). The purpose of strategic measures within organisational structure and leadership is to promote change in a dynamic manner thereby promoting overall performance. Effective leadership helps an organisation improve performance while in challenging and unpredictable situations (Beinhocker 1997). Nevertheless, there has been little evidence pertaining to the effects of strategic level leadership on organisational processes having distinctive strategic significance. Looking at the critical aspect of strategy in leadership, it is evident that strategic leadership can be termed as the ability to expect, envisage and uphold dynamic nature while thinking strategically and work with other individuals to make change a reality and ensure future progression for the organisation (Uhl-Bien, Marion and McKelvey 2007). Leadership offers realignment procedures producing great benefits to the organisation. Enterprises realise synergistic effects in their business activities and support units through strategic leadership. In context, organisations are keenly involved with aligning strategy in their operations, but specifically aligning the employees and management processes with the introduced strategy to promote performance (Rowe and Nejad 2009). Organisational alignment incorporates common agreement concerning goals and means. Nevertheless, motivation of employees is paramount to effective performance as organisation’s strategies alignment and integration within all organisational units cannot impact positively on their own (Sanders and Davey 2011). Strategic alignment ensures means for measuring the effectiveness of organisations. Through alignment aspect, leaders within an organisation are able to rapidly deploy a coherent business strategy and fully focus on developing the organisation to perform excellently (Wheeler, McFarland and Kleiner 2007). Thus, alignment of the organisational leadership is necessary for effectiveness and eventual higher performance brought about by strategic leadership. Through various perspectives, strategic leadership is made effective within an organisational context to initiate change and enhance performance. For effective and strategic leadership to be realised in an organisation, the management team has the obligation of bringing up critical measures to initiate change (Hitt, Haynes and Serpa 2010). The strategic measures ought to be unique to the organisational settings and be geared towards meeting the organisational goals and targets. Wheeler, McFarland and Kleiner (2007, p.4) indicates that effective management practices cannot be replicated in a recipe fashion but involves companies creating a design for achieving strategic leadership. This involves an integrated composition of practices necessary to create an organisation’s capacity for change. For effective development and maintenance of the capacity, four critical elements are crucial for integration and involve: commitment to the purpose of the organisation; composition of the top-notch management team (Rowe, and Nejad 2009); presence of capabilities and motivation of workers in the entire company and; a series of focussed, well thought out strategic initiatives to propel the company forward (Sanders and Davey 2011). These elements are made effective for the overall realisation of strategic change within an organisation, and enhance performance. Conclusion In conclusion, a strategy is critical within the organisational context and involves the manner in which human capital within an organisation utilise their intellectual capital to realise positive change and development. With strategic leadership being the ability to influence employees or followers to voluntarily make daily decisions that improve on the long-term organisations viability, the aspect is part of organisational change necessary for growth (Northouse 2013). Through effective planning and strategic management, organisational change becomes a reality through adaptive systems resulting in better and effective performance. However, the actualisation of the strategy as a practice has to be premised in the tenets that have been evaluated in this study (Jarzabkowski and Spee 2009). Effective understanding coupled with the inclusion of the various perspectives of strategy in practice results in effective organisational leadership and development of the entire organisation. The end results are effectiveness within organisational structure and subsequently enhance performance. With critical evaluation of the aspect of strategy as practice, it is worth recommending that organisations create strategic operatives to effect change and improve performance. The human capital in organisations forms the critical feature of change and development in any corporate settings. In this context, leaders or management teams within organisations should incorporate the aspects of intellectual capital promotion in their strategic perspective. Through complex adaptive systems, individuals within organisations will not only acquire the impetus to work, but will also pursue the best practices for better performance. Strategic management and alignment will create a culture of sustaining effective corporate culture of growth and development. With an effective corporate culture trend, organisations will tap the energy of employees by aligning their practices and activities with their competencies towards achieving effective and higher performance. 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