Strategising and Organising

INTRODUCTION:

Today, companies operate in a dynamic, ever-changing world. To remain competitive, they need to move away from the traditional notions of strategy formation and rethink the way they approach the formal work of strategising and organising.

Strategy is an elusive term and is defined in various ways by a number of authors. Broadly, strategy is referred to how the goals, objectives and mission of the organisation will be achieved (Jonas 2000). In relation to this, strategising is the processes through which a company meets these goals (Jarzabkowski and Fenton 2006). Organising refers to the formation and implementation of the ‘structural practices and co-ordination processes by internal stakeholders to enact the organization’s identity, culture and interests’ (Jarzabkowski and Fenton 2006).

Whittington (2003) distinguishes between the formal and informal work of strategising and organising. He states that the formal work includes meetings, conferences and the like, which can be traced and measured. It uses the tools and techniques that are taught to people through out their educational life. Informal work is the work that is emergent from the situation and cannot be evaluated through any of these management tools.

There is only a negligible amount of research done on the formal work of strategising and organising. This research also tends to focus only on the top management. To provide a base for further research, the following essay explores the top management as well as other organisational members who are responsible for the formal work of strategising and organising. It also looks at how members can reach these positions in the firm.

WHO DOES THE FORMAL WORK OF STRATEGISING AND ORGANISING:

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