Evolution of Strategic management:

In the previous days, talking about the 1920’s till 1930’s, the managers used to work out
the day-to-day planning method. Till this time they do not concentrate about the future
work. However after this period, managers have tried to anticipate and predict about the
future happenings. They started using tools like preparation of Budgets and control
system like capital budgeting. However these techniques and tools also failed to
emphasize the role of future adequately.

Then long-range planning came into picture, giving the idea of planning for the long-term
future. But it was soon replaced by Strategic planning and later by Strategic management-
a term that is currently being used to describe the process of Strategic decision-making.

The first phase of the planning can be tracked in the mid of 1930’s. The planning at that
period was done on the premises of Ad Hoc policy making. The reason why the need for
planning arose at that period was that, many businesses had just about started operations
and were mostly in a single product line and the ranges of operation were in a limited
area. As these companies grew they expanded their products and also increased their
geographical coverage. The method of using informal control and coordination was not
enough and became irrelevant as these companies expanded. Thus arose a need to
integrate functional areas. Framing policies to guide managerial actions covered this task
of integration. Policies helped to have predefined set of actions, which helped the
manager to make decisions. Policy-making became the way owners managed their
business and it was considered their prime responsibility.

Thus, the increasing environment changes in the 1930’s and 1940’s planned policy
formation replaced Ad Hoc policy making, which led to the shifting of emphasis to the
integration of the functional areas in a policy changing environment, showing an
indication of the evolution of Strategic management.

The Importance of Strategic management:

Strategic management is a wide concept and encompasses all functions and thus it
seeks to integrate the knowledge and experience gained in various functional areas of
management.
It enables one to understand and make sense of the complex interaction that takes
place between different functional areas.
There are many constraints and complexities, which the Strategic management deals
with. In order to develop a theoretical structure of its own, Strategic management cuts
across the narrow functional boundaries. This in turn helps to create an understanding
of how policies are formulated and also creating a solution of the complexities of the
environment that the senior management faces in policy formulation.

Role of the Managers

Managers need to be in control and therefore begin by gaining an understanding of the
business environment. They can become more receptive to the ideas of the senior
managements. Keeping in mind today’s scenario Mr.Kamat from ICICI underlined the
following roles that are always expected from a manager:

Managing and understanding Information Technology, which is changing the face of

the business.
Mangers need to be oriented towards shareholder value, as public and common
investors own more and more companies. Managers would need to acquire skills to
maximize shareholder value.
It is essential for today’s manager to foresee the future and track changes in
customer expectations thus take a Strategic perspective.
Managers should have the capability of initiating and managing change through
leadership and personal qualities of patience, commitment and perseverance.
Managers would have to provide speedy responses to environmental changes
through information systems and organizational processes, because this
responsiveness is very important due to the rapid changes in the environment and
scenarios that the business faces.
They should be capable enough to deal with the chaotic situations and the complex
relationship between decision variables.
Managers will need courage in decision making as the situation become complex
and uncertain. They would have to develop courage to make unconventional decision.
Managers would have to maintain high ethical standards in business and focus on
social responsibility.