Strategy Style in the Digital Age

 The article Your Strategy Needs A Strategy points out that there is a systematic way to make strategy which can prevent to make strategy not matched with the environment the company is facing. In the article, author offers a simple framework that divides strategy planning into four styles -Classical ,Adaptive ,Shaping ,Visionary .After considering predictability and malleability of the industry , strategy makers choose the according strategy by locating the industry in the predictability-malleability  matrix. According to the given matrix in the article, strategy style differs among  industries but has large similarly within the same industry. However, one company still needs to operate in many modes of strategy  considering its performance may vary in different geographic markets or may differ in different business function or change in different stage of life cycle.

The framework of choosing strategy is efficient and can give inspiration for those formulating strategy for their companies. What I am curious here is that whether the method still works well for the industry of different kinds at current data transformed world and whether the framework still apply when technology is developing at a speed faster than ever before. It seems that technology is narrowing down the difference between different industry. Technology pushes traditional industry such as banking ,pharmaceuticals  to  transform themselves to embrace high-tech . High-tech industry is ambitious to combine their newly -emerging technology and traditional consumer products to expand their business to other territories. For example, they also sell financial products which were normally sold by traditional banking. What’s more, technology such as artificial intelligence and blockchain may redefine the measurement of predictability and malleability. Take fashion retailing as example. The article states that Zara, leading retailer in the fashion retailing takes an adaptive approach for now . If data can be collected from their customers and accurate prediction of fashion trend can be achie The article Your Strategy Needs A Strategy points out that there is a systematic way to make strategy which can prevent to make strategy not matched with the environment the company is facing. In the article, author offers a simple framework that divides strategy planning into four styles -Classical ,Adaptive ,Shaping ,Visionary .After considering predictability and malleability of the industry , strategy makers choose the according strategy by locating the industry in the predictability-malleability  matrix. According to the given matrix in the article, strategy style differs among  industries but has large similarly within the same industry. However, one company still needs to operate in many modes of strategy  considering its performance may vary in different geographic markets or may differ in different business function or change in different stage of life cycle.

The framework of choosing strategy is efficient and can give inspiration for those formulating strategy for their companies. What I am curious here is that whether the method still works well for the industry of different kinds at current data transformed world and whether the framework still apply when technology is developing at a speed faster than ever before. It seems that technology is narrowing down the difference between different industry. Technology pushes traditional industry such as banking ,pharmaceuticals  to  transform themselves to embrace high-tech . High-tech industry is ambitious to combine their newly -emerging technology and traditional consumer products to expand their business to other territories. For example, they also sell financial products which were normally sold by traditional banking. What’s more, technology such as artificial intelligence and blockchain may redefine the measurement of predictability and malleability. Take fashion retailing as example. The article states that Zara, leading retailer in the fashion retailing takes an adaptive approach for now . If data can be collected from their customers and accurate prediction of fashion trend can be achieved, their approach to make strategy may be changed in the future. And also, technology also can empower the companies in those industries feels that they have less ability to change the environment.

Considering so many possibilities technology is bringing to the world, it will become harder and harder for company to simply choose a strategy style. For example , entertainment industry . Where should entertainment giants companies such as Warner Bros and Paramount in America be located on the matrix? I think it is also locates in the adaptive bucket in the matrix. But rising digital platform such as Netflix, YouTube apparently will not locate themselves at the same point on the matrix. If those companies still stick to the strategy , they will fall behind in this competition and finally will lose their current position in the entertainment industry.

Strategies are important for companies to achieve long-term success because strategy brings competitive advantage against their rivals. But strategic planning can never be rigid. Too stick to the strategic planning is a dangerous signal because it shows the lack of fast response to the keep-changing environment of the company. The real value of strategic planning is to build prepared minds that are capable of making sound decisions.