The New Strategic Thinking

The New Strategic Thinking, Pure & Simple by Michel Robert I have followed the published works of Michel Robert on strategic thinking for almost two decades, starting with his 'The Strategist CEO' & 'The Essence of Leadership' in the late eighties/early nineties, to subsequent 'The Power of Strategic Thinking' & 'Strategy Pure & Simple I & II', & finally 'Strategic Supremacy' & 'Strategic Thinking, Pure & Simple', in recent years. I have just finished reading his latest book, 'New Strategic Thinking'. Frankly, I just can't help feeling that he is gradually running out of steam. Michel Robert is undoubtedly the consultant who coined the term 'strategic thinking', & through his Decision Processes International, which he founded in 1980, he had developed many innovative & unique strategic thinking methodologies. Sad to say, the methodologies remain the same in the new book, with a primary case study on Caterpillar, plus some new business cases, including one in Singapore. As usual, the author takes the reader on a proactive ride through his proven strategic thinking methodologies. Judging from the client testimonials, his track record is certainly very impressive. In the new book, on page 38, under the sectional heading of 'Decoding the Future Today', he outlines his thesis which says that "the future is not one place, but a collection of five places where you can get a glimpose of the fture that lies ahead. He adds that "your future lies hidden in these five 'futures': - the future ahead; - the future beyond; - the future behind; - the future around; - the future beside; Again, I can't help feeling that this thesis of his seems to be a direct spin-off from Henry Mintzberg's article entitled 'Strategic Thinking as Seeing' which appeared in Bob Garratt's 'Developing Strategic Thought: A Collection of the Best Thinking on Business Strategy from Today's Greatest Business Minds' as Chapter 5 (published in 1995). The same article re-appeared in Henry Mintzberg's 'Strategic Safari: The Complete Guide through the Wilds of Strategic Management' (published in 1998). For the benefit of readers, Henry Mintzberg projects 'strategy formation as a visionary process' & outlines the role of 'seeing' in strategic thinking as follows: - Seeing ahead; - Seeing behind; - Seeing down; - Seeing below; - Seeing beside; - seeing beyond; - Seeing it through; Could I be wrong in my perception? I really don't know. As it stands on its own & particularly for first timers into strategic thinking, Michel Robert's new book is really great stuff. When compared with the works by other eminent consultants/authors, it can readily stand out among the crowd. I would attribute this partly to the author's - & his company's - impeccable track record of 40 partners in 15 countries & impressive list of some 400 major clients across the globe. However, the moment you compare it with the author's own previous works in the same genre, the inte

Author and consultant Michel Robert has tested his process for strategy development over the course of two decades of business experience. His method involves taking advantage of the overall knowledge of your company's executives and involving them in developing strategy, turning them into stakeholders in the company's future. His book is both a guide to the process and a collection of case studies of companies that have used this approach, ranging from insurance providers to heavy equipment manufacturers and developers of advanced weapons systems. Not surprisingly, Robert champions his proprietary process and often crosses the line into selling rather than teaching. Nevertheless, we find that this can be a valuable handbook for the CEO who is considering how to set a strategic direction for growth.