Answer:
Strategic management involves a series of actions by leaders to direct an organization towards its goals, engage in strategic planning, and create stakeholder value. Strategic political leadership entails adjusting strategies based on opponents' moves and using incentives to garner support. Leadership styles, such as laissez-faire, impact the strategic management process.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Strategic Management in Organizations
Strategic management is a system of actions that leaders employ to pilot an organization toward its set goals and objectives. It encompasses the strategic planning process and is focused on creating value for all stakeholders. In essence, it aligns with the growth imperative which contends that organizations typically flourish by maximizing growth, development, innovation, and prosperity—often with market forces as the guiding principle.
From a political viewpoint, strategic management involves considering opponents' actions and crafting strategies accordingly, much like chess players adapt their moves based on their opponents' strategies. Successful strategic political leadership increases the chances of individuals following them by manipulating incentives and emphasizing expressive values like loyalty and patriotism. In the political realm, acting strategically often implies making decisions based on effectiveness rather than morals.
The theory that an organization is ruled by a few elites further relates to the leadership style, where laissez-faire leaders may adopt a hands-off approach allowing group members to make their own decisions. Leadership functions and styles are vital components of strategic management, as leaders play a crucial role in guiding an organization's strategic direction and utilizing their influence to steer their followers toward common goals. The McDonaldization of Society is a prime example of how leadership styles and strategies have permeated multiple social institutions, shaping them on a core business model that emphasizes efficiency and uniformity.