What are the Modes of Management?  

The 4 modes of management, identified by Choo (1991), demonstrate the process for how managers analyze a company and the external environment. 

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These modes demonstrate the strategic analysis process:

• Undirected viewing: The manager observes the external (competitive) environment without a predisposition with the purpose of identifying any signs of change. This is an information gather stage carried out in an informal and unfocused manner. 
• Conditioned viewing: The manager observes the external environment with predisposition or conditioning cause by his or her beliefs, experience, exposure (heuristics). The information gathered in this phase tends to be focused on a particular issue. 
• Enacting: The manager observes the environment with the purpose of identifying any effects or results from an induced change in the environment (such as new technology, the introduction of a new product, or the entrance of a new competitor).  Information is gathered in a more organized (learning-by-doing) process. The manager tries to identify the cause-and-effect attributes of her actions.
• Formal search: The manager undertakes and organized and systematic approach to retrieve information about a particular issue or element of the external environment. This generally requires assembling and Information about the environment for analysis or comparison. This process is generally carried out without predisposition. 

Related Topics

• ***Industry Analysis to Build a Strategy***

• Strategic Analysis
• SWOT Analysis
• SPACE Analysis
• Situational Analysis - 7C
• Competition Profile Matrix
• Resources and Capabilities
• VMOST
• Core Competency
• VRIO Analysis
• Value Chain Analysis
• Internal Factor Analysis
• Value Creation Index
• PEST(LE) Analysis
• Industry Lifecycle Analysis
• Industry Lifecycle - Definition
• Porter's Five Forces
• Modes of Management
• External Factor Evaluation