Complexity, strategic thinking and organisational change

Comparative considerations of strategy from complexity paradigm and Newtonian paradigm perspectives are discussed in the light of three ideological dispositions towards the future. We term them defensive, opportunist, and goal oriented. Over the years, the strategy literature has identified a number of strategic archetypes (e.g. Miller and Freisen, 1978). What is interesting from our point of view is the patterns of reasoning that underpin them. The study of ideology has identified qualitative patterns of reasoning which underpin different types of strategic decision in both the fields of politics and strategic management. This paper considers three patterns of reasoning and considers how they relate to the complexity and Newtonian paradigms

Operationalizing the circular city model for naples' city-port: A hybrid development strategy

The city-port context involves a decisive reality for the economic development of territories and nations, capable of significantly influencing the conditions of well-being and quality of life, and of making the Circular City Model (CCM) operational, preserving and enhancing seas and marine resources in a sustainable way. This can be achieved through the construction of appropriate production and consumption models, with attention to relations with the urban and territorial system. This paper presents an adaptive decision-making process for Naples (Italy) commercial port's development strategies, aimed at re-establishing a sustainable city-port relationship and making Circular Economy (CE) principles operative. The approach has aimed at implementing a CCM by operationalizing European recommendations provided within both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework-specifically focusing on goals 9, 11 and 12-and the Maritime Spatial Planning European Directive 2014/89, to face conflicts about the overlapping areas of the city-port through multidimensional evaluations' principles and tools. In this perspective, a four-step methodological framework has been structured applying a place-based approach with mixed evaluation methods, eliciting soft and hard knowledge domains, which have been expressed and assessed by a core set of Sustainability Indicators (SI), linked to SDGs. The contribution outcomes have been centred on the assessment of three design alternatives for the East Naples port and the development of a hybrid regeneration scenario consistent with CE and sustainability principles. The structured decision-making process has allowed us to test how an adaptive approach can expand the knowledge base underpinning policy design and decisions to achieve better outcomes and cultivate a broad civic and technical engagement, that can enhance the legitimacy and transparency of policies

The i* framework for goal-oriented modeling

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39417-6i* is a widespread framework in the software engineering field that supports goal-oriented modeling of socio-technical systems and organizations. At its heart lies a language offering concepts such as actor, dependency, goal and decomposition. i* models resemble a network of interconnected, autonomous, collaborative and dependable strategic actors. Around this language, several analysis techniques have emerged, e.g. goal satisfaction analysis and metrics computation. In this work, we present a consolidated version of the i* language based on the most adopted versions of the language. We define the main constructs of the language and we articulate them in the form of a metamodel. Then, we implement this version and a concrete technique, goal satisfaction analys is based on goal propagation, using ADOxx. Throughout the chapter, we used an example based on open source software adoption to illustrate the concepts and test the implementation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

A culturally synergetic approach to international Human Resource Management: implementing an integrated approach.

An integrated approach to IHRM tries to create a HRM system with substantial global integration combined with local differentiation. How to successfully implement such an integrated IHRM approach is the focus of this paper. The literature indicates three issues that need to be addressed: finding the balance between global integration and local responsiveness, understanding the cultural embeddedness of HRM practices and assessing the underlying power dynamics. Our suggestion is a culturally synergistic approach to IHRM. This approach is being presented by identifying the crucial steps in the decision making process and discussing guidelines on when and how to intervene.Human resource management; Resource management; Management; International; Integration; Decision making; Processes;

Sequence of thinking and acting in strategy making

This paper gives an answer to the continuing emergent-deliberate debate. Thinking and acting are two outstanding features of this controversy. What is needed in the field is a framework that can explain under what circumstances each of these two features takes place along the strategy-making process. The focus of the paper is on the sequence of thinking and acting in the strategy-making process. A framework is developed to show how thinking co-evolves with action in a succession of strategic activities. Within boundaries, strategic activities are carried forward by social automatic behaviour, following a set pattern. Yet, when an action crosses a certain threshold, a different condition of awareness is achieved. Similarly, thought can cross an equivalent threshold, giving rise to consciousness. Either condition enhances the organization's ability to make changes in the direction of its strategic activity.strategy-making process; strategic activities;

Building the System: Follow-up, monitoring & adaptive management

Does impact assessment (IA) end when the license has been granted? While societal resources tend to focus on rigorous project approvals, what happens to the project, to the public and to the environment once approval is granted? Follow up and monitoring are often an afterthought for legislators, public servants and proponents. But they are critical to public confidence and to ensuring that proponents live up to their commitments in a rapidly changing world."This report draws from research funded by the Impact Assessment Agency as part of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Knowledge Mobilization Grant on Informing Best Practice in Environmental and Impact Assessment.

Issues Affecting Women Programme's New Strategy and Strategic Learning and Evaluation System

The Issues Affecting Women Programme (IAWP) developed a new strategic plan over the course of 2011 with two pillars: building women's rights movements and combating violence against women. These pillars branch out into four core Programme Areas: movement building; intra-familial violence; trafficking & exploitation; and violence in situations of crisis. Our Programme strives for impact at the individual, community and systemic levels. As illustrated in Figure 1, we do so by applying a comprehensive social change model to our work through three levers of change: promoting a human rights-based framework; creating networks and building/strengthening movements, and striving to transform individuals and systems. In order to affect change, we will leverage a variety of instruments grantmaking, including advocacy, learning, donor "education" and engagement, networking, coalition building, and gender mainstreaming across the Oak Foundation. This includes collaborating with peer donors and funding sectors to inform philanthropic practice in particular gender mainstreaming and to mobilize increasing resources for women and girls. 2012 will be the first year of implementation of the new strategy. A critical aspect of the implementation plan will be a strategic learning and evaluation system which will allow us to track our progress and evolve our strategy based on what the Programme and our learning. This is especially critical as the strategy calls for an experimental approach, hoping to determine tactics and interventions that work. Further, as our Programme works very closely with a community of partners in a cluster-approach, it is vital that key partners understand and support our learning and impact goals and work in partnership with us to answer key learning questions.A cluster approach refers to either a geographic or thematic group of grants and partners whose work is inter-related and iterative. Thus, the learning and evaluation from one grant is relevant to the work of the other organisations that form the cluster