Authentic Strategy – Calling for More than Just Good Strategy

Abstract

The rate of strategic failure reported in the literature has been alarming. Many authors attribute strategic failures to the challenge of implementation. One may, however, wonder whether strategizing is done in a genuine way or just in compliance with certain expectations. This paper argues that many organizations are not serious enough about strategy and do it mainly as a signal of good management or in response to institutional requirements. As a result, these organizations do not have authentic strategies. The paper builds on the strategy literature to argue for the need for more authenticity. It aims to contribute both to theory and practice. First, it introduces and develops the new concept of authentic strategy, presents its components, and distinguishes it from the concept of good strategy. Second, it proposes a self-assessment tool that executives can use to assess the authenticity of their strategy. This tool includes authentic mission, authentic vision, authentic values, core of authentic strategy, and implementation. The paper calls for further empirical research to validate and improve on the self-assessment tool. It also encourages addressing the impact of authentic strategy on organizational performance as an interesting subject for future research.