Strategy is becoming more 'open' - more transparent and more inclusive. Opening Strategy tells the story of how corporate strategists and strategy consultants have worked since the middle of the last century to open up the strategy process. First strategic planning, then strategic management, and now 'open strategy' have all brought more people into the strategy process and provided more strategic information, for the benefit of both business and society at large.
Informed by interviews with corporate strategists and consultants at leading firms such as General Electric and McKinsey & Co, and drawing on the historical archives of strategy's pioneers, this book provides vivid insights into the trials and tribulations of practice change in the strategy profession. Above all, it stresses the hard work of the little recognized and sometimes eccentric individuals who have been leaders in practice change. By building on a wide range of illustrations, 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 practising executives and consultants should gain a sense of how to innovate in strategy - and how not to.
Industry Reviews
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 Heimstaedt, 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. Its 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. * Paula 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 Strategys 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 Sanford *
