Chapter 8: strategic management

In a fast moving and complex world, strategic management is recognised as one of the most vital requirements for success in contemporary organisations. This chapter explores the relevance of strategic management to defence and security. After briefly discussing the background to and major developments in strategic management, the chapter explores how strategic mangers process the duality in creative continuity and change, presenting examples drawn from the public and corporate sectors. It concludes with a summary of key takeaways and some thoughts on the challenges for strategic managers in reconciling conflicting stakeholder demands for the delivery of public goods and services in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.