John C. Camillus

Durante los últimos 15 años, he estado estudiando cómo las empresas crean la estrategia, la responsabilidad más importante de los altos ejecutivos. Me parece que muchas empresas han sustituido el ritual anual de planificación descendente, basado en las previsiones macroeconómicas, por procesos más sofisticados. Procesan enormes cantidades de datos de los consumidores, organizan sesiones de planificación con frecuencia y utilizan técnicas como la modelización de competencias y el análisis de opciones reales para desarrollar la estrategia. Este tipo de enfoque supone una mejora porque se centra en los clientes y las capacidades y permite a las empresas modificar sus estrategias rápidamente, pero aun así no da en el blanco muchas veces.

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Reprint: R0805G
In today&#8217;s complex world, companies often find themselves facing confounding strategy problems. These issues are not just tough or persistent; they&#8217;re &#8220;wicked&#8221;&#8212;a label used by urban planners for problems that cannot be definitively resolved. Poverty and terrorism are classic examples. A wicked problem has innumerable causes, morphs constantly, and has no correct answer. It can be tamed, however, with the right approach.
In this article, Camillus, a professor at the Katz Graduate School of Business, explains how executives can tell if they&#8217;re dealing with a wicked strategy problem. In a 15-year study involving 22 companies, he identified five key criteria. If a problem involves many stakeholders with conflicting priorities; if its roots are tangled; if it changes with every attempt to address it; if you&#8217;ve never faced it before; and if there&#8217;s no way to evaluate whether a remedy will work, chances are good that it&#8217;s wicked. According to the author, the need for faster growth is, in all likelihood, a wicked issue for Wal-Mart.
Traditional linear processes&#8212;identifying the issue, gathering data, studying all the options, choosing one strategy&#8212;don&#8217;t work with wicked problems. They instead demand social processes that constantly engage stakeholders, explore related issues, reevaluate the problem&#8217;s definition, and reconsider the assumptions of stakeholders. A strong corporate identity is essential: It serves as a rudder that helps the enterprise navigate a sea of choices. Because it&#8217;s impossible to tell which options are appropriate, executives should stop analyzing them and start experimenting with actions. Eventually they will make progress by muddling through. Envisioning possible futures and identifying moves that will realize the one the company hopes for will uncover promising remedies. That&#8217;s how PPG Industries, a 100-year-old manufacturer, has successfully coped with its wicked strategy issues.

Strategy as a Wicked Problem

Reimpresión: R0805G En el complejo mundo actual, las empresas suelen enfrentarse a confusos problemas de estrategia. Estos temas no son solo difíciles o persistentes, sino que son «perversos», una etiqueta que utilizan los planificadores urbanos para los problemas que no se pueden resolver definitivamente. La pobreza y el terrorismo son ejemplos clásicos. Un problema grave tiene innumerables causas, se transforma constantemente y no tiene una respuesta correcta. Sin embargo, se puede domar con el enfoque correcto. En este artículo, Camillus, profesor de la Escuela de Posgrado de Negocios de Katz, explica cómo los ejecutivos pueden saber si se enfrentan a un grave problema de estrategia. En un estudio de 15 años en el que participaron 22 empresas, identificó cinco criterios clave. Si un problema involucra a muchas partes interesadas con prioridades contradictorias; si sus raíces están enredadas; si cambia con cada intento de abordarlo; si nunca lo ha enfrentado antes; y si no hay forma de evaluar si una solución funcionará, es muy probable que sea perverso. Según el autor, la necesidad de un crecimiento más rápido es, con toda probabilidad, un tema perverso para Wal-Mart. Los procesos lineales tradicionales (identificar el problema, recopilar datos, estudiar todas las opciones, elegir una estrategia) no funcionan con problemas complejos. En cambio, exigen procesos sociales que involucren constantemente a las partes interesadas, exploren temas relacionados, reevalúen la definición del problema y reconsideren las suposiciones de las partes interesadas. Una identidad corporativa sólida es esencial: sirve de timón que ayuda a la empresa a navegar por un mar de opciones. Como es imposible saber qué opciones son las adecuadas, los ejecutivos deberían dejar de analizarlas y empezar a experimentar con las acciones. Con el tiempo, progresarán si se las arreglan. Imaginar posibles futuros e identificar las medidas que hagan realidad lo que la empresa espera descubrirá soluciones prometedoras. Así es como PPG Industries, un fabricante con 100 años de antigüedad, ha hecho frente con éxito a sus perversos problemas de estrategia.

La estrategia como un problema perverso

Reprint: R0805G In today’s complex world, companies often find themselves facing confounding strategy problems. These issues are not just tough or persistent; they’re “wicked”—a label used by urban planners for problems that cannot be definitively resolved. Poverty and terrorism are classic examples. A wicked problem has innumerable causes, morphs constantly, and has no correct answer. It can be tamed, however, with the right approach. In this article, Camillus, a professor at the Katz Graduate School of Business, explains how executives can tell if they’re dealing with a wicked strategy problem. In a 15-year study involving 22 companies, he identified five key criteria. If a problem involves many stakeholders with conflicting priorities; if its roots are tangled; if it changes with every attempt to address it; if you’ve never faced it before; and if there’s no way to evaluate whether a remedy will work, chances are good that it’s wicked. According to the author, the need for faster growth is, in all likelihood, a wicked issue for Wal-Mart. Traditional linear processes—identifying the issue, gathering data, studying all the options, choosing one strategy—don’t work with wicked problems. They instead demand social processes that constantly engage stakeholders, explore related issues, reevaluate the problem’s definition, and reconsider the assumptions of stakeholders. A strong corporate identity is essential: It serves as a rudder that helps the enterprise navigate a sea of choices. Because it’s impossible to tell which options are appropriate, executives should stop analyzing them and start experimenting with actions. Eventually they will make progress by muddling through. Envisioning possible futures and identifying moves that will realize the one the company hopes for will uncover promising remedies. That’s how PPG Industries, a 100-year-old manufacturer, has successfully coped with its wicked strategy issues.

La estrategia como un problema perverso

Resumen.

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