Strategy and Self-renewal Patrick Reinmoeller

Session 1  Porter, What is Strategy, HBR, November- December 1996  Prahalad and Hamel, The core competence of the corporation, HBR, May-June 1990  Mintzberg, The Pitfalls of Strategic Planning, CMR, 1993  Nonaka, Organizational Knowledge Creation, OS, 1994

Questions Competitive advantage is viewed differently according to the perspectives (I/O, RBV, KBV). What is different? What are the different bases for strategy making according to Porter, Prahalad&Hamel, Mintzberg, and Nonaka? What are the business implications for strategists?

Key words Sustaining vs recreating competitive advantage Outside-in vs inside-out perspectives Static vs dynamic perspectives Control illusion vs improvisation Product portfolio vs competence portfolio ecc.

Session 2  Eisenhardt, Has strategy changed, SMR  Weitzel and Ellen Jonsson, Decline in Organizations, ASQ, 1989  Robbins, Pearce Turnaround: Retrenchment and Recovery, SMJ, 1992  NBER Business Cycle Dating Procedure 2003

Key words Mintzberg says that turbulence is illusory; Eisenhardt argues that strategy has changed. What do you think? Hypercompetitve markets vs globalization Changes trigger self-renewal, e.g. recession Organizational decline: external vs internal causes Different phases require different actions Combining cut backs and growth strategy

Questions What changed? What changes influence organizations? What is organizational decline? What causes it? What is needed to reverse it? What are the phases of turnaround? How does turnaround mean if we accept that strategy has changed (Eisenhardt)?

Session 3  Von Krogh and Kameny, Leap before you layoff, EMJ, 2002  Amabile, Creativity under the gun, HBR, 2003  Ghoshal and Bartlett, Rebuilding Behavioral Context, 1996  Coutu, Sense and Reliability, HBR, 2003

Key words Knowledge, e.g. human capital is key for strategic renewal Retrenchment without layoffs? Creating organizational contexts Crises and breakdowns and sensemaking

Questions Retrenchment often includes lay offs; what are possible drawbacks of layoffs? What enables and what does impede creativity? What do Ghoshal and Bartlett understand when under behavioral context? How is it possible to rebuild it? What are the advantages and the disadvantages? How do crisis reveal? How can crisis help self renewal?

Thank you