I'm afraid, I still use the S-word myself now and then. It becomes an excuse for not-doing...the idea of an idea…
In the trap of strategic planning I wrote a plea on simple strategies. But, after some more thinking, I'm not so sure any longer. I've mentioned a few key success factors - most of them natural, although not applied often…Success factors and strategies are not the same.
A strategy for the climate change…get used to it? A strategy to innovate (more, better)?
A framework of actions
It's not because it is in constant overuse, it's intrinsically misleading. IMO, strategy is meant as a framework of actions to win - not the actions themselves.
Ant strategy
Is unconditioned collaboration…already a strategy? Then ants are strategizing perfectly. But wait a little, they've got the perfect intelligence level to collaborate algorithmically. What if they got a higher IQ…would they still fulfill this intrinsic (instinctive) "strategy"?
To avoid misunderstandings, military power need strategies (and tactics and plans).
But business, innovation…?
Application Frameworks
One of the arguments pro object oriented programming styles was the ability to build application frameworks. Whilst "libraries" were used to build applications the bottom up fashion, application frameworks set the standard structure of an application. The framework was completed with instantiations.
AFs were great for GUIs, database applications…
You can guide a framework what you know exactly, what you want to deliver. It is adequate, if you want performance not resilience. And this is the problem.
Strategic lies
Why do we need a strategy? Is it the belief that only things we understand now will be successful? Do we rather want a lie that everybody believes than an idea that needs radical experimentation? Are we architects of our own future?
Antistrategy
To make a system immune against prediction errors and stronger with added stress (antifragile) needs the expectation of the uncertain and consequently optionality. To learn from turbulence, you need to prototype future, abandon assumptions, provoke the imperfect…
A framework is great for work industrialization but innovation needs freedom. Innovators need to understand their innovation types, have a compass, ride the waves of market expectations….and choose themselves.
No, the antistrategy is not a strategy.
