CREATING STAR at WORK

The Heart of Appreciative Strategy

Written by John Sutherland and Jacqueline Stavros

The origins of strategy are deeply rooted in our warfare history. Current strategic models and thinking have a bias towards ‘killing off the competition’. Even if this was appropriate in the past, it is inappropriate now in our interconnected world, where the idea of ‘us and them’ only serves to increase conflict. We need to choose a new heart for strategy – one that is consistent with the principles and spirit of Appreciative Inquiry (AI).

This article explores the development of strategy from the battlefields of war to the boardrooms of our client organisations. It shows how the current warfare mindset has stayed in place despite many years of new thinking and writing. It considers the implication it begins to explore what an Appreciative Strategy might look like and sound like, and introduces a field book of practical tools for use in strategic consulting.