Professional Development and Organisational Learning in Corporate Strategy

Our history: A grounding in corporate strategy

The SMI was born out of an independent research arm of a consulting group in 2011. That group is still an independent consulting group known as PH Strategy and Leadership. The primary focus for the SMI has always ben the pursuit of excellence in the practice of Corporate Strategy and Leadership. Empirical research, executive education and publishing has long been its primary roll with the interests of the strategy practitioner at its core.

Action learning: CSOsandbox

Today the SMI's core purpose is the continuation of research and publication providing content for ongoing executive education delivered to clients through the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) sandbox. A summary of our publications can be found on this web site within the Resources section of this web site.

From Strategic planning to Third Wave Strategic management

Incidents such as the Global Financial Crisis, Covid-19 and modern era wars are all experiences from the last 20 years that have shown us that the risk of major disruption is a part of the normal business cycle. These disruptions lead to permanent change, or discontinuities, which exert a permanent impact on all industries. They represent a real threat to companies that are unable to adapt, but also a huge opportunity for proactive companies ready to increase market share, enter new markets and even industries through invention. Such disruptions serve to remind us of the extent of interconnectedness between primary and related industries.

Positioning the company in an industrial ecosystem can protect against the negative aspects of disruption and facilitate opportunistic outcomes from the positives. Covid 19 has shown us that the disadvantages for some industries have been balanced by the advantages provided to other industries (such as local suppliers). Industry ecosystems that span the variation in these effects enable members to turn the disruptions to their benefit.

The emerging post-Covid 19 global environment is dominated by organisations operating from robust ecosystems and communities ready to capitalise on opportunities presented by these disruptions. These organisations are able to adapt to what is and invent; transform to what 'could be'.

Our philosophy: Realising what 'could be' through critical strategic thinking

Future corporation is the embodiment of a network of corporations that combine to form organic, living systems. At the highest level, this network is referred to as a Corporate Collaborative System. This terminology and concept is discussed in some detail in our book, The Corporation of the Future (Routledge, 2022). A Corporate Collaborative System is defined in the bookas a “network of blockchain enabled transaction processing entities that deploys platform-based entities capable of hosting many and large commercial networks.”

Our Mission: the realisation of professional development

To engage in the development and dissemination of excellence in the practice of corporate strategy, leadership and management. From research to implementation the SMI adopts a collaborative approach to its work which in turn is conducted within the construct of an Integrated Value System, as illustrated below:

Research: Contribute to the development of management science in general, public opinion at large, corporate policy, contemporary strategy practice, and strategic leadership.

Understand and Evaluate: Design, develop, align, integrate and disseminate the many sources of knowledge from the program illustrated above to evolve methods, methodologies, practices and procedures from, the constructs that make a positive contribution to commercial, societal and institutional decision-making effectiveness.

Engage: Distribute and implement learnings, experiences and findings in the form of programs of strategically aligned, organisational transformation and renewal.