Unity of Vision and Diversity in Strategy
Complexity and Dao Series #6
Strategic conversations answer the two key questions of strategy: Where are we going? How will we get there?
In strategy conversations, it is often difficult to find ‘true north’. Without the ‘true north’, team members working on the strategy are like sleeping in the same bed but are having very different dreams.
- Ed Morrison, founder of Strategic Doing
Strategic Doing, both as a discipline and a practice, has profoundly influenced my approach to leading change. The first question, “Where are we going?”, revolves around vision — a shared understanding of our “true north,” our collective dreams. The second, “How will we get there?”, delves into strategy. Often, the pursuit of effective strategies is hindered by the absence of a shared vision — a scenario akin to differing dreams in Morrison’s analogy.
Moreover, teams may encounter further challenges when lacking a shared comprehension of their current reality — a situation similar to individuals not sharing the same bed. To address this challenge, Peter Senge’s concept of “creative tension” proves illuminating. Creative tension represents the gap between current reality and desired future. These two points form the outline of a journey to guide strategic exploration. By…
