Opening Strategy: Professional Strategists and Practice Change, 1960 to Today

by Richard Whittington Narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies

Overview

Opening Strategy recounts the origins and development of Strategy as a profession from the middle of the last century to the present day. In particular, it focuses on how strategic planning superseded long-range planning, and the more recent rise of strategic management and open strategy. Together, these practices have contributed to growing inclusiveness and transparency in contemporary organizations.



Informed by interviews with corporate strategists at leading companies around the world, eminent consultants at firms such as Bain, the Boston Consulting Group, and McKinsey & Co., and the internal archives of strategic innovators such as General Electric and Shell, this book provides vivid insights into the trials and tribulations of practice innovation in Strategy, and stresses the hard work of the little recognized and sometimes eccentric innovators within the profession. By building on a wide range of examples, covering both successes and failures, the book draws out general lessons for practice innovation in Strategy. Those studying the topic will be able to set standard strategy techniques in historical and social context and develop new areas for investigation, while practicing executives and consultants should gain a sense of how to innovate in Strategy-and how not to.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Opening Strategy is a masterful demonstration for how a frugal choice and rigorous application of theoretical concepts turn a historical narrative into a more generalized argument about practive change in professional fields." — Maximillian Heimstädt, Weizenbaum Institute

"Opening Strategy is a remarkable achievement. It's a rich, entertaining history that convincingly shows how corporate strategists and management consultants together made, transformed, and continue to transform strategy from its fragile beginnings in the mid-twentieth century to the established professional field it is today. It's a new standard for institutional approaches to strategy-as-practice. It goes beyond history and provides a trenchant analysis of the opportunities and challenges now facing strategy practitioners." —William Ocasio, Northwestern University

"There are many books on the ideas and tools of strategy, a few on the history of those ideas and the individuals who created them, but this is the first on the profession of Strategy and the forces which shaped its development. It will be of great interest to practitioners and scholars alike in putting their work in a historical and social context." —Martin Reeves, Director of the BCG Henderson Institute

"This is an important and much-needed book for both practitioners and academics. It sets the Strategy profession and the practices involved within their historical context, showing how they have evolved into what we now take for granted. The book is a most enjoyable read, with interesting and thought-provoking cases and characters. It challenges us to see and understand the Strategy profession differently and I believe it will become a key text for our field." —Pa ula Jarzabkowski, Cass Business School, City, University of London

"Opening Strategy is a milestone in the study of the century-old effort to professionalize management. Using a history cum sociology lens, Whittington documents and explains the triumphs and tribulations of Strategy's trajectory as a profession since 1960 to today. The book will serve as a valuable reference to all strategy practitioners and researchers." —Robert Burgelman, University of Stanford

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171731342
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	05/21/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos