Strategy as Practice: Research Directions and Resources

by Gerry Johnson, Ann Langley, Leif Melin

Research in strategy has shifted significantly towards strategy as something organizations have, rather than strategy as something that managers do. The activities of the people who actually manage and develop organizational strategy have become marginalized. Strategy as Practice argues the reverse: that research on strategy needs to take seriously what strategists do and the effects of what they do.Written by a distinguished team of researchers and educators, the book sets out a research agenda, provides guidelines on theoretical perspectives and alternative methodologies for research on practice as well as commentaries on published illustrative papers that exemplify the practice perspective. Strategy as Practice will be essential reading for doctoral students, researchers and academics who wish to understand or undertake research in this important field of management research.

260 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2007

About the author

Gerry is one of Europe’s most highly regarded Professors of Strategic Management

He is Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management at Lancaster University Management School and a Senior Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management Research.

After his early management and consultancy experience he has held academic positions at leading business schools in the UK including Manchester Business School, Cranfield School of Management, Strathclyde Business School and Lancaster University Management School.

Gerry Johnson is also a founding co-author of Europe's best selling strategic management text Exploring Strategy (Prentice Hall, 9th edition, 2011) which is used in most of the UK business schools. He is also co- author of The Exceptional Manager, Strategic Change and the Management Process, the Challenge of Strategic Management, and Strategic Thinking and author of numerous papers on Strategic Management. His research work is primarily concerned with processes of strategy development and change in organizations.

As a consultant he works at a senior level with management teams on issues of strategy development and strategic change. Here he applies many of the concepts and techniques in Exploring Corporate Strategy to help those teams challenge, question and develop the strategies of their organisations.

Gerry has: BA Hons in Anthropology from University College, London and a PhD in Strategy Development and Change from Aston University.