ACCA Strategic Professional · Strategic Business Leader · Concepts of strategy
At Marlowe Engineering, the CEO uses terms such as 'transformation journey' and 'customer-first' in every town hall, and managers adopt this vocabulary when bidding for budgets. Analysts note that managers who master this language gain influence over which initiatives are funded. Which lens best explains the importance of this language to strategy, and what does it imply for the CEO?
The discourse lens explains it. Strategy is shaped and legitimised by the language managers use, so mastering the vocabulary brings influence. The CEO should recognise that word choices affect power, acceptance and resource allocation, and use language deliberately to build support for strategy.
- ADiscourse; language shapes and legitimises strategy, so the CEO should consider how word choices influence power and acceptance of strategyCorrect
- BDesign; strategy is a rational plan, so language is irrelevant to outcomes
- CExperience; strategy results from past routines, so the CEO should ignore vocabulary changes
- DVariety; strategy arises from random innovation, so language should be left unmanaged
Explanation
The discourse lens treats strategy as constructed through language, which confers legitimacy and power on those who use it. Design ignores this, experience focuses on routines and history, and variety focuses on diversity and innovation.
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