Configuration School of Strategy

Henry Mintzberg's configuration school explains how strategy arises through a transformation process in response to environmental pressures. Organizations seek stability, and their strategy evolves as they reconfigure to meet external demands. Managers play a crucial role in sustaining this stability. Mintzberg's Five Ps—plan, pattern, position, perspective, and ploy—are key elements in strategic formation, reflecting different approaches to achieving organizational goals.

What is the primary focus of Mintzberg's configuration school?

• Developing a fixed strategy

• Understanding strategy through transformation processes

• Focusing on financial stability

• Creating a competitive advantage

How does an organization respond to external pressures according to the configuration school?

• By ignoring them

• By transforming and reconfiguring itself

• By maintaining the status quo

• By outsourcing its operations

What is a key responsibility of managers in the configuration school?

• To focus solely on profit maximization

• To maintain organizational stability

• To ensure constant innovation

• To eliminate all external pressures

Which of the following is NOT one of Mintzberg's Five Ps?

• Ploy

• Profit

• Pattern

• Plan

What does the 'Plan' in Mintzberg's Five Ps refer to?

• A marketing strategy

• A formal approach to transformation

• A financial forecast

• A spontaneous decision

How can a 'Perspective' shift influence an organization's strategy?

• By changing its financial goals

• By focusing on short-term gains

• By ignoring external pressures

• By altering its view on mission and objectives

What is the purpose of a 'Ploy' in Mintzberg's Five Ps?

• To establish long-term stability

• To respond to a competitive situation

• To create a new organizational structure

• To develop a new product line