Images of Strategy

Steve Cummings is Professor of Strategic Management at Victoria Management School and a visiting lecturer at MIB, Ecole National Center de Paris and Vlerick Business School, University of Ghent, Belgium. David Wilson in Professor of Strategy at the Warwick Business School, head of the Centre for Corporate Strategy and Creativity, and author of many previous books and journal articles. The contributing authors include well-known and respected scholars in organization and management theory with many years experience of teaching MBAs, undergraduates and executives at one of the leading business schools in Europe:

“An excellent book that will have a major impact on the strategy/organisation field/discourse. A 'must buy' for those researching, teaching and studying in the strategy/organisation field. A book that raises fundamental questions about and provides highly provocative responses to the paradoxes of crafting strategy in a highly uncertain and ambiguous world. It rips strategy free from the contorting embrace of rational, linear thinking and relocates it in a real world where history, politics, power and culture are the driving forces of change.” Michael Reed, Lancaster University "Images of Strategy breaks new ground. It takes us away from the stale bureaucratic metaphors of strategy towards a dynamic field that is much more useful to the real world of business. Images of Strategy is a must read for all who call themselves "strategic thinkers. The academic field of strategy won't be the same." R Edward Freeman, Darden University of Virginia "This is one of the most refreshing books in strategy that I have seen for a long time. It blends smoothly Porter's rigour, Mintzberg's playfulness and Morgan's multi-perspectivism. Cummings and Wilson have brought together a number of fascinating papers and have done so within an eclectic yet insightful framework that stretches from the ancient Greeks to postmodern philosophers. A wonderfully refreshing book!" Haridimos Tsoukas, University of Strathclyde “Images of Strategy…puts forward a way of looking at strategy development that seeks to acknowledge, combine and network ideas from a variety of perspectives. Practiced in this spirit, the approach is a refreshing, challenging, and energizing one that can potentially stimulate significant breakthroughs in theory and practice. Images of Strategy is a fascinating book to read. It is targeted to managers interested in strategy. Will it help them become better strategists? I believe so!” William D. Guth, Academy of Management Review, July 2004

• Notes on Contributors. Preface: Stephen Cummings, David Wilson and Robin Wensley.1. Images of Strategy: Stephen Cummings and David Wilson.2. Strategy as Ethos: Stephen Cummings.3. Strategy as Organizing: Karen Legge.4. Strategy as Intention and Anticipation: Robin Wensley.5. Strategy as Orchestrating Knowledge: John McGee.6. Strategy as Data + Sense Making: Bob Galliers and Sue Newell.7. Strategy as Creativity: Chris Bilton, Stephen Cummings and David Wilson.8. Strategy as Exploration and Interconnection: Duncan Angwin.9. Strategy as Systems Thinking: John Brocklesby and Stephen Cummings.10. Strategy as Process, Power and Change: Andrew Pettigrew.11. Strategy as Marketing: Peter Doyle.12. Strategy as Numbers: Chris Smith.13. Strategy as Decision Making: David Wilson.Afterword: Gibson Burrell.Index.