The configuration school combines the best elements of the prescriptive and descriptive schools.
By this point, you’ve probably noticed that these schools seem to position themselves in opposition to other schools. There is one school, however, that aims to combine their strengths: the configuration school.For the configuration school, strategy formation is a process of transforming the organization from one strategic approach to another, and then transforming the organization itself. The school has two sides: configuration and transformation.Configurations are the stages of a company’s development. While a company might be configured in a certain way for some time, that configuration will change later on in its development, thus changing the organization itself. Naturally, different configurations lead to different operations and approaches.Transformation, in contrast, sees development in terms of time: time for cohesion and time for change. Most of a company’s time will be spent in relative stability, with dramatic changes being the exceptions.The configuration school tries to balance change and continuity. Since change is difficult to manage, this strategy is about maintaining continuity and knowing how to deal with changes as they occur.While this school delivers a clear model of strategy formation and environment, it is precisely this clarity that is its weakness.Basically, it’s impossible to divide time into neatly defined periods of change and continuity. Rarely are there periods where nothing changes or nothing stays the same. The shades of gray in between are extremely important in strategy formation.Like all the other schools, the configuration school is too simplified, and misses the nuances that define a company’s circumstances.Nevertheless, simplification often helps us understand what’s going on. For example, thinking in terms of continents is a helpful way to organize the world. While grouping Australasia as its own continent might be an oversimplification, it nonetheless helps us order the globe in a meaningful way.You’ve now reached the end of the safari, having seen all ten strategic management schools. Our final section will help you to decide how to unravel all the pros and cons to find the school that’s right for you.