Managing The Unknowable

Conventional rules of management dictate that success is achieved by establishing and maintaining organizational stability and harmony. According to Ralph D. Stacey, however, just the opposite is true. In Managing the Unknowable he demonstrates how winning organizations have learned to embrace instability and benefit from its inherent tension and conflict. Stacey shows executives and managers how powerful strategic planning is based on uncovering and directing the complex, often chaotic interactions that take place daily within companies. He explains how chaos can inspire creativity and describes the vital roles contradiction and conflict play in developing strategy. He offers guidance in building the skills required to handle unknowable futures, including advice on establishing self-organizing teams, encouraging multiple cultures, and improving group learning skills. Stacey uses examples from real-life companies to illustrate his theories, showing how Sony has attained competitive advantage without a controlled plan, leaving much of its new product R&D, for example, entirely to chance; global competition has forced Kodak to embrace a management process that leverages small, chance changes into major strategic successes; and Federal Express, Amstrad, and Honda discovered their organizations' strategic missions through day-to-day operations.

It's What You Don't Know That Counts
Discover the important roles chance and uncertainty play in successful strategic planning. In this ingenious work, author Ralph D. Stacey shows managers how their companies can benefit from the unexpected developments that impact their business and how they can prepare to creatively leverage the opportunities such developments present. He explains how an appreciation of conflict and team dialogue can help managers discover and build on the innate energy of their organizations. And he illustrates his theories with real-world examples from Sony, Kodak, Federal Express and other noted market innovators.