Gerencia estrategica

Academy of Management Executive, 2005, Vol. 19, No. 4

Reprinted from 1999, Vol. 13, No. 1

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Achieving and maintaining strategic competitiveness in the 21st century: The role of strategic leadership
R. Duane Ireland andMichael A. Hitt Executive Overview

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It is possible—and fruitful—to identify major events that have already happened, irrevocably, and that will have predictable effects in the next decade or two. It is possible, in other words, toidentify and prepare for the future that has already happened. Peter Drucker, 1997. Grounded in the insights and understanding that experience provides, conventional wisdom holds that it is very difficult to predict the future with high degrees of accuracy. In fact, Peter Drucker goes so far as to suggest that “In human affairs— political, social, economic, or business—it is pointless to try topredict the future, let alone attempt to look ahead 75 years.”1 Notwithstanding this difficulty, the capability implied by Drucker’s comment above is encouraging. It is both possible and productive for firms to identify and prepare for a future that has already happened. Thus, although it is difficult for organizations to predict their future accurately, examining events that have already takenplace allows them to know how to prepare for a future whose state has been influenced. Based on this approach, we present a description of the strategic leadership practices that will contribute to corporate success during the 21st century. More precisely, our position is that the global
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Competition in the 21st century’s global economy will be complex, challenging, and filled with competitiveopportunities and threats. Effective strategic leadership practices can help firms enhance performance while competing in turbulent and unpredictable environments. The purpose of this paper is to describe six components of effective strategic leadership. When the activities called for by these components are completed successfully, the firm’s strategic leadership practices can become a source ofcompetitive advantage. In turn, use of this advantage can contribute significantly to achieving strategic competitiveness and earning above-average returns in the next century.

economy is a major irrevocable event whose existence has already had a major influence on today’s strategic leadership practices and offers insights about practices that should be used in the future. By examiningappropriate and often innovative strategic leadership practices currently being used successfully by visionary organizations, it is possible to identify and understand practices that will be effective in the next century. This analysis is important, because strategic leadership may prove to be one of the most critical issues facing organizations. Without effective strategic leadership, the probability thata firm can achieve superior or even satisfactory performance when confronting the challenges of the global economy will be greatly reduced.2 Strategic leadership is defined as a person’s ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, think strategically, and work with others to initiate changes that will create a viable future for the organization.3 When strategic leadership processes aredifficult for competitors to understand and, hence, to imitate, the firm has created a competitive advantage.4 Because the creation of sustainable competitive advantage is the universal objective of all companies,5 being able to exercise strategic leadership in a competitively superior

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Academy of Management Executive

November

manner facilitates the firm’s efforts to earn...