Insights into the development of strategy from a complexity perspective

Abstract

This paper provides an account of an ongoing project with an independent school in the UK. The project focuses on a strategy development intervention which, from the start, was systemic in orientation. The intention was to integrate simple systems concepts and approaches into the strategy development process to: address power relations in actively engaging a wide range of stakeholders with the school’s strategy-making process; generate a range of good ideas; and make the strategy-making process transparent in order to inspire stakeholder confidence in, and commitment to, it and its outcomes. This paper describes how seeking to meet these aims entailed a series of workshops during the course of which an awareness of the relevance, in our interpretation, of Complex Adaptive Systems concepts grew.

Keywords:

• strategic development process
• strategic planning
• Complex Adaptive Systems
• systems
• social constructivism
• schools

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Jennifer Wilby who helped facilitate the workshops and Gerald Midgley who commented on a draft of this paper.