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  • Fall 2021
  • Article
  • MIT Sloan Management Review

Strategy as a Way of Life: Businesses Must Root Strategy in Moral Purpose to Thrive in a Complex, Rapidly Changing World

By: Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi
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Abstract

Doing the ordinary things in life a little bit better every day elevates individuals. All of us gained mother's wisdom by living with her, by watching her from behind her, by being scolded by her, and being told over and over again, to be honest, not to tell a lie or cheat, not to be greedy, not to be a nuisance to others, and more. Likewise, doing the ordinary things a little bit better every day in our jobs—such as working hard, making ethical choices, being kind, practicing self-reflection and self-discipline, being humble, and being thankful—elevates our work lives. This builds culture at the organizational level and character at the personal level. These behaviors have to be practiced every day so that they become a way of life. Here, Nonaka and Takeuchi discuss six daily practices that companies can adopt to elevate strategy to a way of life.

Keywords

Strategy; Moral Sensibility; Organizational Culture; Organizational Change and Adaptation

Citation

Nonaka, Ikujiro, and Hirotaka Takeuchi. "Strategy as a Way of Life: Businesses Must Root Strategy in Moral Purpose to Thrive in a Complex, Rapidly Changing World." MIT Sloan Management Review 63, no. 1 (Fall 2021): 56–63.
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More from the Authors

    • August 2021
    • Long Range Planning

    Humanizing Strategy

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    • 2020
    • Kindai Management Review

    Humanizing Management and Innovation

    By: Hirotaka Takeuchi
    • 2019
    • Faculty Research

    The Wise Company: How Companies Create Continuous Innovation

    By: Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi
More from the Authors
  • Humanizing Strategy By: Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi
  • Humanizing Management and Innovation By: Hirotaka Takeuchi
  • The Wise Company: How Companies Create Continuous Innovation By: Ikujiro Nonaka and Hirotaka Takeuchi
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