The Strategy Process in Dynamic Markets

An Analysis from the Perspective of the Complexity Theory of Strategy

Diploma Thesis from the year 2006 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,7, European Business School, 136 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: This paper is picking up a combination of three perspectives on strategy that are trying to perform a shift of paradigm towards a new way of strategic thinking serving as the basis for a strategy process in dynamic markets. The combination of these three perspectives has been termed the complexity theory of strategy by Davis and Eisenhardt. This theory combines Austrian economic thinking, the dynamic capabilities view, and complexity theory. Austrian economics perceive markets as a rapid flow of heterogeneous and surprising opportunities that need to be captured by strategic managers. The dynamic capabilities perspective perceives organizational resources as simple capabilities that enable quick, flexible, and creative improvisation to respond effectively to this rapid flow of opportunities. Complexity theory perceives organizations and the economy as simple systems, which produce complex and adaptive responses to environmental change. The complexity theory of strategy, in general, focuses on '[...] simple rules in guiding improvisational actions in the effective execution of a series of often fleeting opportunities.' The three particular theories contribute to strategic management thinking to overcome the shortcomings of traditional strategic management thinking in dynamic markets. The purpose of this paper is to create a strategy process from the perspective of the complexity theory of strategy which meets the requirements of dynamic markets. How do the three underlying theoretical approaches from this theory contribute to form a strategy process for dynamic markets? In order to answer this question, elements from the three theories will be analyzed and assembled in a new framework for creating strategy which is more adequate in dynamic markets than classical process models. The major result of this paper is that there cannot be a process model of sequenced steps for creating strategy because it would be too rigid to consider critical features for creating strategy in dynamic markets. Rather, the result is a loose framework for creating strategy in dynamic markets that is formed out of elements from the complexity theory of strategy. The framework does not rely on a single strategic process sequence nor is it completely reactive. Rather than ignoring change it helps creating a relentless pace of change and, thus, may be able to meet the requirements of dynamic markets.