A number of the fundamental premises of strategic management are put into question in a study that tracks the realized strategies of a prominent university over a century and an half. Amidst continual change in detail, there was remarkable stability in the aggregate, and nothing resembling quantum or revolutionary change in strategy ever occurred. This may be explained in some of the terms most popular in business today: “empowerment”, “venturing”, and especially “knowledge work”. Thus, while the typical university may seem very different from the typical corporation, its behaviour may in fact contain sobering messages for the strategic management of businesses.
Resume
Le present article suit, sur une periode de plus d'un siecle et demi, I'evolution des strategies d'une universite bien connue et remet en question un certain nombre de premisses elementaires de la gestion strategique. Au caeur d'incessants changements qui affectent les details, on note dans l'ensemble une remarquable stabilite et l'absence de tout changement global ou revolutionnaire dans la strategie. Cette situation peut s'expliquer par les termes les plus en vogue, de nos jours, dans le milieu d'affaires, a savoir: « autonomisation », « developpement commercial », et tout particulierement « travail intellectuel ». Donc, bien que l'universite type puisse paraitre bien distincte de la compagnie type, son comportement peut en fait contenir d'importants messages pour la gestion strategique des entreprises.
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