Crisis in Strategy: Fragmentation, Integration or Synthesis

Henk Volberda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The strategy field is replete with competing prescriptions and directives with regard to successful performance. Although integration should be pursued more vigorously from an academic standpoint, in this paper it is argued that real progress in the strategy field requires synthesis. Attempts at integration often lead to theoretical frameworks that are relatively disconnected from urgent problems in strategic management. In escaping this fragmentation-integration dilemma, several avenues for strategy synthesis are provided. Synthesis does not attempt to develop a single paradigm consisting of universal concepts and laws covering the entire strategic management field. Instead it is anchored in a few clusters of strategic management problems: drawing firm boundaries, developing dynamic capabilities, and finding viable strategy configurations. They are essential future directions in strategy synthesis.
Original languageUndefined/Unknown
Pages (from-to)35-42
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Management Review
Volume1
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2004

Bibliographical note

Special Strategic Management

Research programs

  • RSM S&E

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