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Critique of Henry Mintzberg's ‘The design school: Reconsidering the basic premises of strategic management’

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  • H. Igor Ansoff

Abstract

Mintzberg's (1990) critique of the ‘design school’ of strategic management is evaluated on two criteria: methodological soundness and factual veracity. The critique is found to be deficient on both criteria. Mintzberg's own proposal for the basic principles of strategic management is critiqued using the same criteria. It is found that the exposition is deficient methodologically and that Mintzberg's descriptive and prescriptive assertions are at variance with facts observable in the current practice of strategic management. The variance is found to be due to several factors: lack of coherence in Mintzberg's presentation; his use of a definition of strategy which is at variance with the current practice of management, his failure to differentiate between prescriptive and descriptive statements; and his failure to define the context for his prescriptions. Using recent empirical research results on strategic success behaviors, Mintzberg's model is placed in a limited but important context in which it is a valid prescription for successful strategic behavior.

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  • H. Igor Ansoff, 1991. "Critique of Henry Mintzberg's ‘The design school: Reconsidering the basic premises of strategic management’," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(6), pages 449-461, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:12:y:1991:i:6:p:449-461
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.4250120605
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    Cited by:

    1. Rhys Andrews & George A. Boyne & Jennifer Law & Richard M. Walker, 2012. "Strategic Management and Public Service Performance," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-34943-8.
    2. Alexey Bereznoy, 2019. "Corporate Foresight In The Strategy Of Multinationals," HSE Working papers WP BRP 97/STI/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    3. Ayesha Amjad & Muqqadas Rehman, 2018. "Resistance to Change in Public Organization: Reasons and How to Overcome It," European Journal of Business Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics, vol. 4(1), pages 56-68.
    4. Grégory Jemine & François Pichault & Christophe Dubois, 2021. "The politics behind design projects: when space, organization, and technology collide," Post-Print hal-03043335, HAL.
    5. Wayland, Rebecca, 2019. "Three senses of paradigm in scenario methodology: A preliminary framework and systematic approach for using intuitive logics scenarios to change mental models and improve strategic decision-making in ," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 504-516.
    6. Riccardo Vecchiato & Giampiero Favato & Francesco di Maddaloni & Hang Do, 2020. "Foresight, cognition, and long‐term performance: Insights from the automotive industry and opportunities for future research," Futures & Foresight Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 2(1), March.
    7. Jeffrey G. Covin & Robert P. Garrett Jr. & Jyoti P. Gupta & Donald F. Kuratko & Dean A. Shepherd, 2018. "The Interdependence of Planning and Learning among Internal Corporate Ventures," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(4), pages 537-570, July.
    8. Subeika Rizvi & Shahid Querishi & ErumZaidi & Muhammad Ali Saeed, 2018. "The Entrepreneurial Decision Making: Use Of Effectuation And Relation With Perceived Financial Performanceand Innovation In The Firm," IBT Journal of Business Studies (JBS), Ilma University, Faculty of Management Science, vol. 14(1), pages 14-12.

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