In his works, Mintzberg indicates that “strategies grow initially like weeds in a garden, they are not cultivated like tomatoes in a house.” From this quote, the reader realises that the process of identifying or formulating new action plans might overwhelm managers or become complicated. The knowledge here is that leaders can allow strategies to develop instead of pursuing premature approaches. They can begin as uncoordinated processes that lack clear guidelines, models, or plans.
With the availability of adequate assets, resources and ideas, workers and managers can create divergent concepts and approaches that will eventually become an organisational strategy. For example, a given employee might have a short discussion with a customer and conceive an idea that eventually can make a huge difference for the targeted company. In this case, the concept tends to be undecided, abrupt, or uncontrollable. This analysis reveals that usually, companies are unable to plan when revolutionary ideas or approaches might emerge. Managers should, therefore, create the best opportunities for their workers to think outside the box while considering evidence-based initiatives to improve operations.
Some procedures and actions for pursuing profits might emerge from an unanticipated department or area of a firm. For instance, some workers might begin to promote a new pattern or model in the way they complete their activities.
This argument echoes the process through which weeds tend to grow and cover an entire garden. Consequently, the planted tomatoes or crops will be unnoticeable or out of place. The message Mintzberg tries to present is that emerging strategies might be impactful and even capable of disorienting what has already been put in place in accordance with the established business model. The leaders of such an organisation would need to think deeply and identify how they can manage the identified weed without disrupting the future performance. The firm can cultivate and control emerging practices in such a way that they transform operations and make the targeted company more profitable.
The outlined development is prolific in nature and needs to be supported in a conscious manner if positive results are to be recorded. Those in managerial positions would need to consider the possibilities of the emerging practices and how they will deliver value additions to the company. The next phase will be to consider their worth and identify what needs to be reshaped or adjusted to become part of the wider model. The propagation stage needs to be pursued diligently in such a way that the emerging ideas become part of the targeted hothouse. The right people will present their incentives and create a new opportunity for ensuring that the organisation moves are performed in the right direction.
The concept of a glasshouse appears to describe the way different stakeholders will be willing to support the emerging strategies or slow them depending on their potential implications on the business.
The skill to dedifferentiate what might work or not remains a critical role of management. This process is essential since it can make a huge difference between organisational failure and success. The professionals will have to exploit the emerging ideas, consider their potential implications on performance and offer additional resources to take the entire process to the next level. The involvement of all key stakeholders throughout the process would be critical to ensure that positive results are recorded.
From this analysis, the reader realises that companies might not be on the right path when they decide to preconceive or formulate strategies that they think are appropriate or capable of transforming operations. Just like many farmers do, a destructive or unprofitable weed would need to be removed within a very short period to ensure that it does not affect the performance and growth of the planted tomatoes. However, the emergence of ideas that can deliver positive results resonates with the concept of good fruits. Managers will have to rely on such a strategy to allow flexible structures to become part of their respective companies if they have the potential to deliver results.
The provision of appropriate leadership and guidelines will make such new ideas part of the business. The leaders need to be patient with the emerging practices since they might eventually make a difference and increase profitability. The involvement of all employees and the creators of the new ideas will become an evidence-based approach for delivering positive results much faster. The best example is that of Google, whereby employees are encouraged to think widely and present new ideas that the company takes seriously. The majority of these thoughts eventually develop to become high-quality products and services that have the potential to change the experiences and outcomes of the greatest number of customers at the global level. Such practices and gains have made Google more competitive in its industry and profitable.
Businesses that ignore such developments might take long before breaking even or achieving their organisational aims. Managers can consider the importance of applying their competencies to manage the emerging ideas and plough them accordingly until they can become part of the existing business model. They will also decide what might not work in the long run and remove them accordingly. They can introduce a change model to manage the entire process and eventually ensure that more workers are willing to accept the process. The level of resistance will reduce significantly and eventually make the emerging concepts part of the company. In conclusion, Mintzberg’s thoughts are practical and can guide many companies to improve their strategies continuously, become more competitive, deliver high-quality products or services to their customers and eventually remain profitable in their respective industries.