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Takeaways from John C. Camillus's Wicked Strategies by Peter Lorange



This is a very important book offering advice when it comes to coping in an increasingly complex, uncertain and unpredictable world. The juxtaposition of rapidly changing technology and the need to create meaningful customer experience sets up difficult challenges for today’s companies. Some refer to these challenges as wicked problems, problems that have many stakeholders, no right single answer, and require interactive approaches to their resolutions. Setting strategic direction in companies today is a “wicked problem”, and requires companies to think in different ways. In some cases, grappling with “wicked problems” even forces companies to consider new organizational structures and discussion-making approaches.

This book is the result of several decades of research, consulting and teaching by Prof. John C. Camillus, who is the Donald R. Bent Professor for Strategic Management at the University of Pittsburg.

To make sense out of this topic is, of course, a formidable task. The author has made impressive strides. Still, the book is not easy, which is not surprising. But here are what I consider key highlights: Wicked strategies are developed to better cope with wicked problems, which seem to be found, above all, in three major areas:

  • Disruptive technologies

  • Arriving from conflicting stakeholders

  • As a consequence of an unknown future Each of these are more unpredictable than ever!

How might an organization respond/cope when it comes to these? The author suggests five major approaches:

  • Blending innovative models, i.e. “thinking out of the box”.

  • Co-creation of value through recognizing and embracing diverse stakeholders

  • Scenario planning, engaging in visioning unknowable futures, thus preparing for more robust, real options. Gloria Stoinness’ quote comes to mind, and it says it all: “Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning!”

  • Developing a clearer identity through a more articulated decision-making.

  • New types of core competences may be needed, and aspirations to develop such must be clear!

  • Modular structure: in order to better support key transformations called for to cope with wicked problems, a dynamic, modular structure is called for, with a fluid network around a central “core”, with several business units as well as entrepreneurial entities as “spokes”.

The final two chapters of the book discuss implementation in more detail for coping with wicked problems. A few quotes seem to summarize the gist of this in a good way.

  • Winston Churchill. “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us”, And, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is courage to continue that counts.”

  • George Bernard Shaw: “Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself” Key words thus are: vision, simplicity and courage.

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