`Cummings′ book is very interesting, refreshing and intellectually stimulating... It should be a mandatory textbook for all serious students of management′ - Management Learning `Stephen Cummings′ Recreating Strategy is currently the best book on strategy, combining a holistic and critical understanding of the issue′ -Stewart Clegg, University of Technology, Sydney `An imaginative attempt to bring together and apply the many analytical frameworks relating to the organization as a whole into strategy theory and practice. Written for students on strategy, change management and more general management and organization theory courses. Encourages students to question assumptions and think creatively about strategy and management. Stimulating and original′ - Long Range Planning `In this intriguing book [Cummings] claims to be surprised that academics critical of management theory don′t critique its history, and proposes a kind of liberation theology in response, but this is not as doctrinaire. It′s more like replacing some well-justified habits with a refreshing originality of approach. The outcome is stimulating.... The author offers a cogently argued deconstruction of some well-known frameworks in strategy, and delivers his own reinterpretation of strategic discourse. There are five longer case studies in the book and several shorter vignettes scattered throughout early chapters, as well as pedagogical aids at the end of each chapter′ - Best of Biz, The Business Information Site `Do you worry about organizations becoming slaves to markets? Do you wish that organizations had the nerve to build their own ethos rather than just grubbing for profit? Do you aspire to inspiration rather than perspiration? Why does management practice get in the way of thinking and creativity? Stephen Cummings provides insight and guidance in a book of genuine scholarship and creativity′ - John McGee, President of the Strategic Management Society, USA `Management courses need more of what Stephen is offering. He wants us to go on an `unlearning curve′, one which leads to fresh thinking about strategy and the emerging roles and responsibilities of business and companies. This book not only tells us where we are coming from but, more importantly, it inspires us to think profoundly about where we could go. It′s also a very good read′ - Josephine Green, Director of Trends and Strategy, Philips `ReCreating Strategy provides a challenging examination of the emergence of management which combines postmodern and orthodox perspectives. Stephen Cummings is able to provide not only a fresh treatment of strategy and ethics but also to engage with a variety of potential audiences. He provokes and informs in equal measure′ - Richard Whipp, Cardiff University ′A truly eclectic approach to strategy! Intellectually capturing, the book is great fun to read at the same time. A must for those who want to discuss management beyond styles, fads and fashions′ - Hubert Wagner, Qonsult ReCreating Strategy is written for students of strategy, change management and more general management and organization theory courses. It will provide a better understanding of how to bring together and apply the many analytical frameworks relating to the organization as a whole. Stephen Cummings challenges the view that there is never one best framework and shows why the latest theory is not necessarily better than earlier ones. The textbook includes short and long case studies, interesting pictorial aids and examples, and a generally more participative and rewarding approach than that offered by more mainstream texts. PowerPoint slides to accompany the book are now also available by clicking on the link to `Sample Chapters and Resources′ in the left hand margin. The book also offers more scope for individual lecturers who wish to encourage students to question assumptions and think creatively about strategy and management.

C̀ummings book is very interesting, refreshing and intellectually stimulating It should be a mandatory textbook for all serious students of management' - Management Learning. St̀ephen Cummings Recreating Strategy is currently the best book on strategy, combining a holistic and critical understanding of the issue' - Stewart Clegg, University of Technology, Sydney. Àn imaginative attempt to bring together and apply the many analytical frameworks relating to the organization as a whole into strategy theory and practice. Written for students on strategy, change management and more general managem.

You think you have a winning strategy. But do you? Executives are bombarded with bestselling ideas and best practices for achieving competitive advantage, but many of these ideas and practices contradict each other. Should you aim to be big or fast? Should you create a blue ocean, be adaptive, play to win—or forget about a sustainable competitive advantage altogether? In a business environment that is changing faster and becoming more uncertain and complex almost by the day, it’s never been more important—or more difficult—to choose the right approach to strategy. In this book, The Boston Consulting Group’s Martin Reeves, Knut Haanæs, and Janmejaya Sinha offer a proven method to determine the strategy approach that is best for your company. They start by helping you assess your business environment—how unpredictable it is, how much power you have to change it, and how harsh it is—a critical component of getting strategy right. They show how existing strategy approaches sort into five categories—Be Big, Be Fast, Be First, Be the Orchestrator, or simply Be Viable—depending on the extent of predictability, malleability, and harshness. In-depth explanations of each of these approaches will provide critical insight to help you match your approach to strategy to your environment, determine when and how to execute each one, and avoid a potentially fatal mismatch. Addressing your most pressing strategic challenges, you’ll be able to answer questions such as: • What replaces planning when the annual cycle is obsolete? • When can we—and when should we—shape the game to our advantage? • How do we simultaneously implement different strategic approaches for different business units? • How do we manage the inherent contradictions in formulating and executing different strategies across multiple businesses and geographies? Until now, no book brings it all together and offers a practical tool for understanding which strategic approach to apply. Get started today.

How to close the gap between strategy and execution Two-thirds of executives say their organizations don’t have the capabilities to support their strategy. In Strategy That Works, Paul Leinwand and Cesare Mainardi explain why. They identify conventional business practices that unintentionally create a gap between strategy and execution. And they show how some of the best companies in the world consistently leap ahead of their competitors. Based on new research, the authors reveal five practices for connecting strategy and execution used by highly successful enterprises such as IKEA, Natura, Danaher, Haier, and Lego. These companies: • Commit to what they do best instead of chasing multiple opportunities • Build their own unique winning capabilities instead of copying others • Put their culture to work instead of struggling to change it • Invest where it matters instead of going lean across the board • Shape the future instead of reacting to it Packed with tools you can use for building these five practices into your organization and supported by in-depth profiles of companies that are known for making their strategy work, this is your guide for reconnecting strategy to execution.

′This is a fantastically well written text which incorporates the latest thinking on strategic management. Striking a balance between theory and application, it is extremely readable and loaded with a wide range of case studies. An essential source for undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses on strategic management.′ - Dr Tahir Rashid, Lecturer in Strategy and Marketing, Salford Business School, University of Salford This exciting new textbook is built on the belief that strategic management principles are more straightforward than they seem. Unlike other textbooks, it does not overcomplicate the discussion with enigmatic layers of theory or irrelevant perspectives from other disciplines. Instead you will find focused, clearly articulated coverage of the key topics of strategic management, encouraging critical reflection and deeper exploration on your own terms. Fully developed to cover the essentials of any strategic management course, this textbook not only creates understanding of the principles of strategy, but shows you how to apply them constructively in the face of real-world practicalities. Throughout the text, these principles are put into context with illustrations and examples drawn from all over the world and from all kinds of organization - from Shell, Airbus and Tesco to small and non-profit enterprises. With an emphasis on topical, distinctive and engaging features, this text offers: Over 120 short, topical case studies drawn from every type of organization across more than 20 countries Worksheets for strategy analysis that can be used to tackle real-world situations Learning outcomes, key points and summaries to focus your reading on what matters Chapter-by-chapter exercises for further study and discussion Suggestions for further reading to deepen your understanding of the theories underpinning the chapters The book is complemented by a companion website featuring a range of tools and resources for lecturers and students, including PowerPoint slides, teaching notes, links to journal articles and an interactive glossary.

Making Use of Deleuze in Planning translates and re-creates some of Gilles Deleuze’s most abstract philosophical concepts to form a new, practicable planning assessment tool. It shows what his philosophy can do for planning theory as well as planning assessment practice and, in doing so, sets out a pragmatic approach to Deleuzian studies: one that helps form bridges between ontological problems and the problems found in professional practice. It also breaks new ground in assessment methodology by challenging the essentialist ideas underpinning assessment methods like BREEAM and setting out and testing a new form of non-essentialist assessment named SIAM. The book argues that Deleuze’s philosophy can be made useful to planning as long as one is prepared to adapt and re-create his key ontological concepts to respond to the specific demands of the field.

Describing the field, spanning individual, organisation societal and cultural perspectives in a cross-disciplinary manner, this is the premier reference tool for students lecturers, academics and practitioners to gather knowledge about a range of important topics from the perspective of organisation studies.

"This question leads to many others, which form the basis for the chapters of the book. Each inquiry is illustrated by case excerpts that show where this approach diverges from strategic and solution-focused questioning. Healthcare Institute and an organizational consultant within Culture Change Consultants."--BOOK JACKET.

A resource for industry professionals and consultants, this book on corporate strategy lays down the theories and models for revitalizing companies in the face of global recession. It discusses cutting-edge concepts, constructs, paradigms, theories, models, and cases of corporate strategic leadership for bringing about transformation and innovation in companies. Each chapter in the book is appended with transformation exercises that further explicate the concepts.