What is the The Design School of Strategy?

The design school envisions strategy as a process that focuses on strategy formation by key individuals in an organization. 

A strategy begins with a concept developed by an individual and is later implemented by subordinates. 

The strategy development process involves the internal and external analysis of the firm and competitive environment in which the firm operates. 

The strategy development process balances internal capabilities and external opportunities.

What are the Premises of the Design School? 

The design school is based upon seven theoretical premises: 

• Strategy formation should be a deliberate process of conscious thought;
• “Responsibility for what control and consciousness must rest with the chief executive officer: that person is the strategist”;
• The model of strategy formation must be kept simple and informal;
• Strategies should be one of a kind: the best result from a process of individualized design;
• The design process is complete when strategies appear fully formulated as perspective;
• These strategies should be explicit, so they have to be kept simple;
• Only after these unique, full-blown, explicit and simple strategies are fully formulated can they be really implemented.

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