I hear frequently that innovations fail
because of management problems or
lack of creativity, not because of timing.
Would not more management discipline
or cleverness lead to better results?
Strategic planning is one of management’s
favorite tools. Unfortunately,
it is a broken concept. It assumes
implicitly that there is a fixed
future and we can position ourselves
for maximum return when that futurearrives. But there is no such thing as
a future-that-will-happen, only a set
of possibilities for what might happen.
Unpredicted events can suddenly
change the picture, blocking our path
or opening up new and unanticipated
paths. These unpredictable events can
be almost anything such as a natural
disaster, an emergency, a new declaration
by a leader, a new technology,
or a chance meeting of a new person.
There is no fixed path—such as a plan
would have you follow—to navigate
through such uncertainty.