Opening Strategy

Abstract

This chapter introduces the central arguments of Opening Strategy. In particular, it traces the development of three key strategic practices since the middle of the last century to today: strategic planning, strategic management, and open strategy. These practices have gradually made strategy an increasingly inclusive and transparent activity. These practices operate within Strategy as a professional field. The direction of practice change is influenced by exogenous forces upon this field, in particular organizational, cultural, and technological trends. The manner of practice change is influenced by the precarious and permeable nature of the Strategy field, granting important roles to the bottom-up initiatives of strategy consultants and corporate strategists. This chapter provides a basic theoretical orientation for the remainder of the book, extending the Strategy-as-Practice tradition in a macro direction and drawing on the work of Anthony Giddens and Alasdair MacIntyre. The chapter introduces the statistical, interview, archival, and published sources used throughout the book.