Implanting Strategic Management

This is one of the best books written by Dr. Igor Ansoff, known worldwide as the "Father of Strategic Management". This book, in addition to its theoritical content, provides managers with a step-by-step guide to pilot their firms through the turbulent environments in the 21st century. This is one of the best books available on the topic of strategic management.

Implanting Strategic Management is a compilation of a life-timework that organizes the major contributions in the field under oneumbrella, as Ansoff ingeniously develops a model that divides the competitive environment into five levels of turbulence: 1) repetitive, 2) expanding, 3) changing, 4) discontinuous and 5) unforeseen. His strategic success theorem states: For optimal success of an organization, the strategic aggressiveness (both technological and marketing) and the components of capability (both managers and organizational climate, competence and capacity) must match the level of environmental turbulence in which the organization competes. Ansoff uses a five-point integral scale to also measure the corresponding five levels of strategy: 1) stable, 2) reactive, 3) anticipatory, 4) entrepreneurial and 5) creative and the corresponding five levels of capability: 1) custodial, 2) production, 3) marketing, 4) strategic and 5) flexible, as he develops a strategic diagnostic questionnaire to obtain the perceptions of the general managers of any organization. When there is alignment or minimal gap between the average level of competitive environment and each of the components of strategy and capability, then the organization should have optimal success, which has been validated by several doctoral dissertations under Ansoff. This book is a comprehensive integration of several of Ansoff's scholarly articles, enhanced with each edition. Well thought out concepts involving strategic segmentation, resistance to change, optimizing strategic portfolio, strategic dimensions of technology, societal strategy issues, real-time strategic response to managing surprising changes, strategic issue management,and environmental surveillance for strong signals and weak signals in anticipating environmental change. Ansoff's theory says that at levels 1 to 3, a firm can extrapolate the future from the past. However, at level 4 (discontinuous) and level 5 (surpriseful), strategic management must be used by an organization to realistically plan for future successes in a highly turbulent competitive environment. Ansoff's theory applies to all types of organizations, and he explains how industries can have unexpected shifts from one level of turbulence to another, as in the case of Apple Computer Corp. When Apple created the personal computer, it also created a whole new marketplace with new customers at an initial turbulence level of 5, which shifted to a level 3 of marketing mentality, which seemed to be why Steve Jobs, a creative visionary, was replaced by Scully, a marketing guru, as the Board wanted to milk their "cash cow" and not be continuously creating new dimensions. However, when the environment shifted up to level 4, Apple almost went out of business when they did not respond fast enough. Level 4 is discontinuous, where the future is only partially predictable from the past, and it requires 4) entrepreneurial strategy and 4) strategic capability of t

Implanting Strategic Management is a compilation of a life-timework that organizes the major contributions in the field under oneumbrella, as Ansoff ingeniously develops a model that divides the competitive environment into five levels of turbulence: 1) repetitive, 2) expanding, 3) changing, 4) discontinuous and 5) unforeseen. His strategic success theorem states: For optimal success of an organization, the strategic aggressiveness (both technological and marketing) and the components of capability (both managers and organizational climate, competence and capacity) must match the level of environmental turbulence in which the organization competes. Ansoff uses a five-point integral scale to also measure the corresponding five levels of strategy: 1) stable, 2) reactive, 3) anticipatory, 4) entrepreneurial and 5) creative and the corresponding five levels of capability: 1) custodial, 2) production, 3) marketing, 4) strategic and 5) flexible, as he develops a strategic diagnostic questionnaire to obtain the perceptions of the general managers of an any organization. When there is alignment or minimal gap between the average level of competitive environment and each of the components of strategy and capability, then the organization should have optimal success, which has been validated by several doctoral dissertations under Ansoff. This book is a comprehensive integration of several of Ansoff's scholarly articles, enhanced with each edition. Well thought out concepts involving strategic segmentation, resistance to change, optimizing strategic portfolio, strategic dimensions of technology, societal strategy issues, real-time strategic response to managing surprising changes, strategic issue management,and environmental surveillance for strong signals and weak signals in anticipating environmental change. Ansoff's theory says that at levels 1 to 3, a firm can extrapolate the future from the past. However, at level 4 (discontinuous) and level 5 (surpriseful), strategic management must be used by an organization to realistically plan for future successes in a highly turbulent competitive environment. Ansoff's theory applies to all types of organizations, and he explains how industries can have unexpected shifts from one level of turbulence to another, as in the case of Apple Computer Corp. When Apple created the personal computer, it also created a whole new marketplace with new customers at an initial turbulence level of 5, which shifted to a level 3 of marketing mentality, which seemed to be why Steve Jobs, a creative visionary, was replaced by Scully, a marketing guru, as the Board wanted to milk their "cash cow" and not be continuously creating new dimensions. However, when the envirnoment shifted up to level 4, Apple almost went out of business when they did not respond fast enough. Level 4 is discontinuous, where the future is only partially predictable from the past, and it requires 4) entrepreneurial strategy and 4) strategic capability o

I'm doing my MBA in Strategic Management and I have found this book to have ideas that helps me tremendously. I have also found another book written by Igor titled Corporate Strategy published by Penguin. I think it is equally a must read!

Many books are available about strategic managment. Authors such as Michael Porter and Peter F. Drucker, etc. provide the reader with an insight of many business problems. However, their solutions to solve complex problems in the business world seem to be simplistic, therefore, not sufficient. Ansoff's approach is different. Complex business problems occurring in a global and especially volatile environment require specified or customized solutions. A business consultant or a graduate student will find a detailed roadmap to solve strategic management problems while reading the book.