What is the Difference Between Deliberate and Emergent Strategy?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between deliberate and emergent strategy lies in their approach, flexibility, and how they are formulated within an organization. Here are the key differences:
Deliberate Strategy:
- A deliberate strategy is a top-down, planned, and intentional course of action that an organization takes to achieve its goals.
- It involves many stakeholders, data analysis, and leadership teams.
- This approach is more rigid and less flexible compared to an emergent strategy.
- Deliberate strategies work best when everyone in the organization understands how the company plans to achieve its goals.
- Examples of companies using deliberate strategies include large consumer goods companies like Procter & Gamble.
Emergent Strategy:
- An emergent strategy is a more flexible approach that often comes from the individual ideas of mid-level supervisors, team leaders, or employees.
- This strategy is favored by many business practitioners due to its high flexibility.
- Emergent strategies are advantageous during the early phases of a company's life, helping with product launches or responding to changing competitive landscapes.
- For an emergent strategy to work well, employees and managers should constantly look for new opportunities and be open to adjusting goals and pursuing other priorities as needed.
In summary, deliberate strategies are planned and intentional, while emergent strategies are more flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances. Both approaches have their advantages, and the choice between them depends on the organization's specific needs and context.
Comparative Table: Deliberate vs Emergent Strategy
Here is a table comparing deliberate and emergent strategies:
| Feature | Deliberate Strategy | Emergent Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Inception | Introduced by Michael Porter | Introduced by Henry Mintzberg as an alternative approach |
| Approach to Management | Top-down | Bottom-up |
| Flexibility | Less flexible | More flexible |
| Internal & External Strategic Drivers | Focus on internal drivers | Focus on external drivers |
| Goal Setting | Clear, deliberate goals | Goals emerge from the process |
| Decision Making | Conscious, thoughtful, and organized action | Decisions arise from the implementation of the strategy |
| Best Use | When the future is certain and the right long-term strategy is clear | When the future is uncertain and it isn't clear what the right long-term strategy should be |
Deliberate strategy arises from conscious, thoughtful, and organized action on the part of a business and its leadership, with a focus on internal drivers and clear, deliberate goals. It is best used when the future is certain and the right long-term strategy is clear.
Emergent strategy is more flexible and focuses on external drivers, allowing for adjustments as more data becomes available. It is most useful during the early phases of a company's life, after a product launch, or when the competitive landscape is substantially changing.
- Intended vs Emergent Strategies
- Strategic vs Operational Planning
- Tactic vs Strategy
- Business Model vs Strategy
- Corporate Strategy vs Business Strategy
- Action Plan vs Strategy
- Strategic Marketing vs Strategic Management
- Corporate Planning vs Strategic Planning
- Corporate Strategy vs Marketing Strategy
- Strategy vs Policy
- Proactive vs Reactive Strategies
- Marketing Strategy vs Marketing Plan
- Germination vs Emergence
- Strategic vs Financial Planning
- Transformational vs Situational Leadership
- Policy Making vs Decision Making
- Innovation vs Entrepreneurship
- Contingency vs Situational Leadership
- Emergency vs Disaster