The oil industry holds relatively few surprises for strategists.  Things change, of course, sometimes dramatically, but in relatively predictable ways.  On the other hand, the internet software industry would be a nightmare for an oil industry strategist.  Innovations and new companies pop up frequently, seemingly out of nowhere, and the pace at which companies can build-or lose-volume and market share is head-spinning.   And then there are hospital strategists.  With their unique competitive environment they should be planning, developing, and deploying their strategies in markedly different ways from other industries.  But researchers at Harvard have found that this is often not the case.   In short, they find that there is a need for a systematic strategy for making strategy.      

In this Harvard Business Review article, authors Reeves, Love and Tillmanns, present a simple framework that divides strategy planning into four styles according to how predictable your environment is and how much power you have to change it. Using this framework, corporate leaders can match their strategic style to the particular conditions of their industry, business function, or geographic market.   Read the article