The Need for Organisational Resilience - Chapter 2
One of the distinguishing features of a Linear Strategy is its dissociation from the wider
environment. In essence, a Linear Strategy is inward-looking, defining a long-term outlook
that ‘shapes’ the wider environment. It is for other competitors to adapt their own
organisational strategies. In contrast, an Adaptive Strategy aims not only to align with an
external environment, but also to be ahead of the adaptive challenges it will pose.
Following a linear or adaptive strategy involves distinctive benefits, as shown in Table
2.2.
Linear Strategy
Adaptive Strategy
Enables greater internal foresight to the
Promotes greater sensitivity to the
organisation
environment
Efficient in providing and maintaining
Effective in adapting to a changing
capabilities and resources
environment
Establishes robustness
Establishes adaptiveness, and robustness
Table 2.2: Advantages of Linear and Adaptive Strategies
A Linear Strategy has the benefit of providing foresight in environments that remain
relatively stable and thus predictable. The organisational resources and capabilities
necessary to accomplish the set long-term goal can be defined early on and procured
efficiently. These resources do not have to be dynamic in nature as changes to the goal are
not envisaged. This makes planning straightforward. Plans are defined by top-management,
broken down into tasks and channelled down the hierarchy of an organisation. Progress
towards goal accomplishment is transparent and easily measured. As changes in the
environment are discouraged or not expected, a Linear Strategy produces robustness in the
sense that the organisational goal’s viability and the means to achieve it are not susceptible
to possible changes in the environment.
Contrary to a Linear Strategy, an Adaptive Strategy is not insulated from the
environment in which it is enacted. It provides greater sensitivity to changes in the
environment, and allows changes to be made after initial planning. Hence, a change in
stakeholders’ expectations, often only visible in the form of trends and patterns in needs and
wants, can be accommodated and satisfied. But such sensitivity and the resulting
adaptability require dynamic resources and capabilities that allow an organisation to
implement an Adaptive Strategy; such as
• the ability of employees to learn quickly and build new strategic assets;
• the integration of these new strategic assets, including capability, technology and
customer feedback, into company processes;
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