Porter or Mintzberg

Porter or Mintzberg? Which strategy do you think is more relevant to organizations today? Explain?

When asked which strategy is more relevant to organizations today, Porter or Mintzberg, I would probably say Henry Mintzberg because his strategy allows a much more organic approach. For an organization to be successful there must be effective management. If a manager knows how to respond to tough situations and doesn’t crack under pressure because they are adaptable I believe the organization will be successful. Mintzberg’s strategy deals with practical situations and feedback. He thinks the only way to learn and adapt is to get your feet wet and gain experience. Porter looks at a more systematic strategy to find the competitive advantages. Porter’s strategy targets lower cost, differentiated or focus. If an organization only looks at one of these principles it wouldn’t necessarily be making the best decisions of behalf of the organization. Mintzberg looks at the overall aspect of the organization where Porter focuses on a few principles. Mintzberg determines a relevant organization through emergent strategy. Emergent strategy deals with adapting and adjusting as needed. Porter’s strategy focuses on specific steps and processed and essentially set in stone and not as adaptable. From an organizational standpoint, it is more important to adapt and work on improvements and lessons learned then it is to just focus on one strategy giving the organization competitive advantages. By focusing on Mintzberg’s strategies, you get an advantage by being able to adapt; you can handle any challenge in a timely manner.