This book has been on my list to write a review about for some time. I read it after the Strategy Safari – which was a great entry into Mintzberg’s view of strategy. Although it clearly goes beyond that, for me it is some sort extended, more detailed and more formal version of a chapter from the Strategy Safari.
The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning
by Henry Mintzberg
I decided that I can save the time for writing a review. Since Henry Mintzberg received the Thinkers50 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award, they wrote a great post about exactly that book. This article is the best summary I can think about. So if you want to know what you get from The rise and fall of strategic planning, I strongly recommend reading Mintzberg On Strategic Planning on the Thinkers50 blog.
However, I don’t want to make it too easy for me. Hence, here are some additional comments from me:
The first issue of this book is from 1994. I have the 2000 issue; the latest is from 2013. Naturally, there may be more recent examples and references by now. However, the message and the line of argumentation in this book are still relevant.
Mintzberg critiques the formalized and analysis-driven strategic planning process. This approach to strategic planning is even more inadequate today than it was in 1994. Managers who still rely on such a planning-based strategy process should first read this book before they grab one of the newer ones that offer more timely approaches.
The rise and fall of strategic planning is grounded in solid research. It is full of quotations and references. Despite that, it is not hard to read. Much like in the Strategy Safari I could virtually sense Mintzberg’s pleasure to identify and highlight all the weaknesses of strategic planning.
Get this book at amazon.com
The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning