Agile Strategy

spent an evening with a friend who believes that business strategy as an exercise and as a direction setting device is dead -- cold and gone in this ever changing world.

i can understand this opinion since i have come to be very uncomfortable with the words "strategy" and "strategic" -- they are much overused and often combined with shallow thinking to produce a binder for the book shelf.

yet, as much as i dislike the words themselves, strategic thinking about the direction of the business is still critical to business survival; the necessary thinking just occurs in a different way.

today i practice what i call "agile strategy", still composed of critical thinking about the business, its products/services, and environment; but not conducted as a rote yearly business group grope.

the agile strategy process is living, year round.  it is not a monolithic study addressing the whole business at once and it only tries to see a short distance into the future.

each business unit maintains and updates their component of the strategy (within the corporate framework);  maintains it as a living document with updates in whatever frequency is needed

the business unit components fit into a company-wide strategy framework (not a rigid strategy); based upon core competencies, core processes and capabilities, and the overall environment in which the company operates

both at the company and business unit levels inflection points (potential changes in the market, customer preferences, and competition) are identified indicating the need for changes in the framework or business unit modules. these inflection points are under constant monitoring by the company and business unit.  when one is encountered (activated by the market or competition), previously discussed changes in the corporate framework and business unit strategy modules are exercised.

business strategy today is not a process, but a living, breathing force field of insight and agreement within the company; much like the much discussed Higgs field of particle physics.  again like the Higgs field, the corporate strategic framework should pervasively and positively impact the market presence of every business unit within the company.