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Nonlinear strategy

Posted 08.31.10 by Adrian Ho

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Image via jurvetson

Still thinking about nonlinearity in culture, presentations and in strategy. Haven’t formed a full thought here but starting to play with the idea that nonlinear strategy is about establishing a mutually beneficial direction for a company and its customers to head towards, rather than defining a fixed point or goal as is usual in traditional or linear strategy.

The difference being that traditional, linear strategy is predictive and relies upon people, companies and things playing a specific role that has been forecast in order to succeed. On the other hand, nonlinear strategy accepts that people, companies and things tend behave in erratic, and individual ways and creates a framework for those individual actions to contribute to the strategy rather than detract from it.

There are a host of other things that this idea entails, for example, linear strategy is done TO people, while nonlinear strategy is done WITH people. Linear strategy is opaque, non-linear strategy is transparent.

All a bit academic at the moment I’m afraid but I will look for examples and post those shortly. In the meantime, if any of you strategy types have waded through this, I’d love to hear what you think?

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  • Ecotton

    Do you mean “agile” strategy?

  • Ecotton

    Do you mean “agile” strategy?

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Maybe? Is that something people talk about already?

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Maybe? Is that something people talk about already?

  • http://twitter.com/fabiobuss Fabio Buss

    Makes me think about a theory of evolution for ideas/strategy. people interfere and add to strategy but somehow only the best ideias survive.

    But who defines what are the best ideas and paths? would a system like that know how to sometimes wait for the right moment, take a step backward or change directions if needed?

  • http://twitter.com/fabiobuss Fabio Buss

    Makes me think about a theory of evolution for ideas/strategy. people interfere and add to strategy but somehow only the best ideias survive.

    But who defines what are the best ideas and paths? would a system like that know how to sometimes wait for the right moment, take a step backward or change directions if needed?

  • nien

    I don’t know if it’s called “agile” strategy specifically, but people talk about being always in beta or adjusting as you go in the digital space. The beta part specifically gives you that sense of transparency and collaboration with your audience/user/consumer.

  • nien

    I don’t know if it’s called “agile” strategy specifically, but people talk about being always in beta or adjusting as you go in the digital space. The beta part specifically gives you that sense of transparency and collaboration with your audience/user/consumer.

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Well inherent in my thinking is the idea that a strategy is only good if both the company and the customer benefit from it. So rather than typical strategy which is fairly exploitative and one-sided, the “direction” is established in partnership.

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Well inherent in my thinking is the idea that a strategy is only good if both the company and the customer benefit from it. So rather than typical strategy which is fairly exploitative and one-sided, the “direction” is established in partnership.

  • http://twitter.com/fabiobuss Fabio Buss
  • http://twitter.com/MNPlanner Ryan Houts

    I imagine sound like Yoda, it would.

  • http://twitter.com/MNPlanner Ryan Houts

    I imagine sound like Yoda, it would.

  • http://twitter.com/MNPlanner Ryan Houts

    I also think of the way I play Starcraft 2. I have a goal, an idea of what I want to accomplish, but it always has to be able to quickly adapt because the other guy does a Canon rush or has a counter for my Vikings. And then there’s the Zerglings! The only way to be agile is to use your Orbital Command Center to do scans, or send an observer/SCV to watch your opponent’s movements closely. There are many lessons to learn from failure. Building order, supply, reinforcements. Experience is the best teacher. No matter what people say online, you can must learn your hotkeys and develop a good strategy through personal experience. And now, against my better judgement, I shall hit the submit button…

  • http://twitter.com/MNPlanner Ryan Houts

    I think of the way I play Starcraft 2. I have a goal, an idea of what I want to accomplish, but it always has to be able to quickly adapt because the other guy does a Canon rush or has a counter for my Vikings. And then there’s the Zerglings! The only way to be agile is to use your Orbital Command Center to do scans, or send an observer/SCV to watch your opponent’s movements closely. There are many lessons to learn from failure. Build order, supply, reinforcements. Experience is the best teacher. No matter what people say online, you must learn your hotkeys and develop a good strategy through personal experience. And now, against my better judgement, I shall hit the submit button…

  • http://www.justinpowelldesign.com/blog/ Justin Powell

    The concept of non-linear strategic planning reminds me of Forrester’s Engagement Metric intro. And the discussion and visualizatons around it:
    http://www.justinpowelldesign.com/blog/2007/09/a-new-marketing-model/

    Many marketers of the past gravitated to a simple linear model of costumer loyalty. When it’s really some kind of wild nonlinear understanding of cultural media (vs social media) and influence.

  • http://www.justinpowelldesign.com/blog/ Justin Powell

    The concept of non-linear strategic planning reminds me of Forrester’s Engagement Metric intro. And the discussion and visualizatons around it:
    http://www.justinpowelldesign.com/blog/2007/09/a-new-marketing-model/

    Many marketers of the past gravitated to a simple linear model of costumer loyalty. When it’s really some kind of wild nonlinear understanding of cultural media (vs social media) and influence.

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Yes, maybe this is not new, I am particularly guilty of rediscovering stuff that people have already talked about before. I think the difference is I am talking about how strategy plays out in the marketplace rather than at the specific campaign level. I will try to clarify my thinking

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Yes, maybe this is not new, I am particularly guilty of rediscovering stuff that people have already talked about before. I think the difference is I am talking about how strategy plays out in the marketplace rather than at the specific campaign level. I will try to clarify my thinking

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Yes that’s interesting, although it feels like they just gave up at “it’s complicated”

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Yes that’s interesting, although it feels like they just gave up at “it’s complicated”

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Actually it is very similar to playing a game, have a goal in mind but adapt tactics to meet the challenges.

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Actually it is very similar to playing a game, have a goal in mind but adapt tactics to meet the challenges.

  • http://leighhimel.blogspot.com leigh

    I’m not sure I would call it non-linear strategy – i like to think of it more as networked marketing.

    I think there are a variety of places we can find inspiration to create some new models.

    Agile is for sure one of them (but I would say Agile as I’ve seen it work on UX projects is often miss-applied and can translate into a lack of strategy which is a recipe for disaster).

    Design thinking principles have some great inspirations we can look too.

    Transmedia storytelling. Totally non-linear in its purist form.

    My personal favorite (which I did a presentation on) is Ecosystem marketing – taking models from Environmental management and in particular Ecosystem Planning models (there are some benefits to Strategic and/or Social Impact Assessment methodologies as well). http://www.slideshare.net/leighhimel/greenman-marketing

    Net net, i don’t think it’s one school of thought or model. It’s going to be taking bits and pieces – different frameworks, building and testing different types of paradigms and see what ones work best to solve specific types of challenges.

  • http://leighhimel.blogspot.com leigh

    I’m not sure I would call it non-linear strategy – i like to think of it more as networked marketing.

    I think there are a variety of places we can find inspiration to create some new models.

    Agile is for sure one of them (but I would say Agile as I’ve seen it work on UX projects is often miss-applied and can translate into a lack of strategy which is a recipe for disaster).

    Design thinking principles have some great inspirations we can look too.

    Transmedia storytelling. Totally non-linear in its purist form.

    My personal favorite (which I did a presentation on) is Ecosystem marketing – taking models from Environmental management and in particular Ecosystem Planning models (there are some benefits to Strategic and/or Social Impact Assessment methodologies as well). http://www.slideshare.net/leighhimel/greenman-marketing

    Net net, i don’t think it’s one school of thought or model. It’s going to be taking bits and pieces – different frameworks, building and testing different types of paradigms and see what ones work best to solve specific types of challenges.

  • blaiq

    I don’t usually flog my own posts when commenting but I believe the following post will make an interesting read in this context. I talk about prediction but the same could apply to strategising.

    http://bit.ly/ak2nUr

  • blaiq

    I don’t usually flog my own posts when commenting but I believe the following post will make an interesting read in this context. I talk about prediction but the same could apply to strategising.

    http://bit.ly/ak2nUr

  • http://twitter.com/Polledemaagt Polle de Maagt

    Intersting thought.

    Would it mean defining a purpose (what are we, the company and customer trying to really achieve and change in people’s lives) and translating this in some general strategic principles?

    And eventually managing coherence between tactics and execution, based on the defined purpose and strategic principles?

  • http://www.polledemaagt.com Polle de Maagt

    Intersting thought.

    Would it mean defining a purpose (what are we, the company and customer trying to really achieve and change in people’s lives) and translating this in some general strategic principles?

    And eventually managing coherence between tactics and execution, based on the defined purpose and strategic principles?

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Yes, that is one way to think about it, but it could also be even more open. For example, the strategy could be to aggregate and the collective intelligence of your customers and deliver it back to them (in fact I wrote about this last year: http://www.zeusjones.com/blog/2009/new-marketing-strategies-turning-your-customers-into-your-product/ ) This is an example of a completely open-ended strategy where a process rather than an end-point is defined.

    I think this is the point I was originally trying to make about nonlinear strategy. It seems that goals cannot be predicted accurately in many cases and therefore it’s better to define a process which can deliver multiple benefits rather than a goal which delivers one.

    Thanks for helping me think this through!

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    Yes, that is one way to think about it, but it could also be even more open. For example, the strategy could be to aggregate and the collective intelligence of your customers and deliver it back to them (in fact I wrote about this last year: http://www.zeusjones.com/blog/2009/new-marketing-strategies-turning-your-customers-into-your-product/ ) This is an example of a completely open-ended strategy where a process rather than an end-point is defined.

    I think this is the point I was originally trying to make about nonlinear strategy. It seems that goals cannot be predicted accurately in many cases and therefore it’s better to define a process which can deliver multiple benefits rather than a goal which delivers one.

    Thanks for helping me think this through!

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    That’s a great post but I think it’s a slightly different interpretation of what I was aiming for. I would call what Saffo talks about strategic prototyping. It’s about trying a variety of different end-points and being quick to adjust on the fly. I think there is an outcome of strategy where no goal is ever defined. See my response to Polle.

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    That’s a great post but I think it’s a slightly different interpretation of what I was aiming for. I would call what Saffo talks about strategic prototyping. It’s about trying a variety of different end-points and being quick to adjust on the fly. I think there is an outcome of strategy where no goal is ever defined. See my response to Polle.

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    What a fantastic presentation! That is very much what I am talking about. Slide 17 in particular points out what some of the goals of this kind if strategy might be e.g. to form specific kinds of relationships or in your words to allow for emergent structures.

    So where is part 2?

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    What a fantastic presentation! That is very much what I am talking about. Slide 17 in particular points out what some of the goals of this kind if strategy might be e.g. to form specific kinds of relationships or in your words to allow for emergent structures.

    So where is part 2?

  • http://www.justinpowelldesign.com/blog/ Justin Powell

    HA, it is complicated! and I believe because it was 2007 we were just starting to understand (or admit ) that a linear approach was (is) broken. It looks like the eco-systems model / analogy explains how things relate and work together. A systems-thinking model of sorts.

  • http://www.justinpowelldesign.com/blog/ Justin Powell

    HA, it is complicated! and I believe because it was 2007 we were just starting to understand (or admit ) that a linear approach was (is) broken. It looks like the eco-systems model / analogy explains how things relate and work together. A systems-thinking model of sorts.

  • http://leighhimel.blogspot.com leigh

    ha. i was also noticing that I wrote that almost 3 yrs ago so probably any excuses for phase II are pretty lame (although i did have a baby and all). I’ll plop it on my to do list for sure. :)

  • http://leighhimel.blogspot.com leigh

    ha. i was also noticing that I wrote that almost 3 yrs ago so probably any excuses for phase II are pretty lame (although i did have a baby and all). I’ll plop it on my to do list for sure. :)

  • Chris Smith

    There’s a book you’ll probably find very interesting called Strategic Intuition by William Duggan: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14268-7/strategic-intuition
    He goes through human acheivements and uses them as examples of an alternative idea of strategy based on intuition rather than planning that is very close to what you are getting into.

  • Chris Smith

    There’s a book you’ll probably find very interesting called Strategic Intuition by William Duggan: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14268-7/strategic-intuition
    He goes through human acheivements and uses them as examples of an alternative idea of strategy based on intuition rather than planning that is very close to what you are getting into.

  • blaiq

    I see the difference between the ‘eddy’ idea and true non-linearity. I would say ‘emergent strategy’ is what you’re getting at. Leigh in one of the earlier comments detailed this out without actually calling it that.

    This is the 2nd time I’m flogging another of my pieces (you have my word that I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it was relevant.) The piece I’m point to is this whitepaper: http://bit.ly/4Deab

    In particular, Page 22 which is the epilogue. Though I don’t mention the word emergence, Stephen Wolfram’s work on Rule 30 wasn’t too far behind in my mind when I wrote it. The acknowledgement and reference sections point to the relevant links.

    In fact, post writing the paper I have been working on the framework of how emergence can be nurtured in advertising. The discussion in this thread has been very informative towards that end.

  • blaiq

    I see the difference between the ‘eddy’ idea and true non-linearity. I would say ‘emergent strategy’ is what you’re getting at. Leigh in one of the earlier comments detailed this out without actually calling it that.

    This is the 2nd time I’m flogging another of my pieces (you have my word that I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it was relevant.) The piece I’m point to is this whitepaper: http://bit.ly/4Deab

    In particular, Page 22 which is the epilogue. Though I don’t mention the word emergence, Stephen Wolfram’s work on Rule 30 wasn’t too far behind in my mind when I wrote it. The acknowledgement and reference sections point to the relevant links.

    In fact, post writing the paper I have been working on the framework of how emergence can be nurtured in advertising. The discussion in this thread has been very informative towards that end.

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    I had read you paper a while ago – in fact very soon after starting ZJ and liked it very much. I agree with you though, I do think the idea of emergence is right (and new) especially in strategy. In science, a variety of processes have emergent properties which aren’t apparent initially. Most recently (at least for me) Douglas Hofstadter in his book “I am a strange loop,” proposed that consciousness is an emergent property within our brains.Very interesting and also agree, this thread has been very helpful to me too!

  • http://zeusjones.com/blog adrianho

    I had read you paper a while ago – in fact very soon after starting ZJ and liked it very much. I agree with you though, I do think the idea of emergence is right (and new) especially in strategy. In science, a variety of processes have emergent properties which aren’t apparent initially. Most recently (at least for me) Douglas Hofstadter in his book “I am a strange loop,” proposed that consciousness is an emergent property within our brains.Very interesting and also agree, this thread has been very helpful to me too!

  • Anonymous

    I think your presentation perfectly illustrates why transparency is no longer a choice. A company can get out ahead of it or have it forced upon them.

    But this kind of thinking also creates a crisis. What is the role for marketing if we relinquish the idea of control?

  • Anonymous

    I think your presentation perfectly illustrates why transparency is no longer a choice. A company can get out ahead of it or have it forced upon them.

    But this kind of thinking also creates a crisis. What is the role for marketing if we relinquish the idea of control?

  • Anonymous

    It’s this kind of thinking that explains why transparency is no longer a choice. Companies can choose to get out ahead of it or have it forced upon them.

    But it also creates a crisis. What is the role of marketing if not to control?

  • Anonymous

    It’s this kind of thinking that explains why transparency is no longer a choice. Companies can choose to get out ahead of it or have it forced upon them.

    But it also creates a crisis. What is the role of marketing if not to control?

  • Paul B.

    I think maybe a good term for it would be: “Sandbox Strategy.” This comes partly from the genre of strategy computer games called sandbox games, where there is no endgame, but you are given a canvass, a bunch of tools to use on the canvass, and a framework for how tools might interact which other.

    The other part is from the idea of child’s sandbox. Companies create a sandbox, they setup the dimensions (their market?), fill it with their favorite sand (Their products?), put down some buckets or shovels to use (operations as marketing?) and invite their friends (clients and employees) to play around in it and see what happens.

  • Paul B.

    I think maybe a good term for it would be: “Sandbox Strategy.” This comes partly from the genre of strategy computer games called sandbox games, where there is no endgame, but you are given a canvass, a bunch of tools to use on the canvass, and a framework for how tools might interact which other.

    The other part is from the idea of child’s sandbox. Companies create a sandbox, they setup the dimensions (their market?), fill it with their favorite sand (Their products?), put down some buckets or shovels to use (operations as marketing?) and invite their friends (clients and employees) to play around in it and see what happens.

  • http://twitter.com/adamronich Adam Ronich

    I too have problems with linear strategies, a couple which are highlighted in the post. First, linear strategies would be based on the idea that the process is controlled and that people move through them in the same ways/sequence. Second, they rely on predictive assumptions. If everything was held constant, this would be relevant, but we know things change faster than ever now.

    Pace and lack of control are the primary drivers of the need for non-linear strategies. Defining the process and not the end-point allows the actions to play our in concert with the changing environment, helping ensure things are more tied to the moment. The mutually beneficial nature keeps those engaged involved and committed. The open nature allows for many ideas (Dandelion Theory) where naturally the good ones will be supported and the bad ones will die a quiet death. It would also allow for the creation of solutions both simple and quick as well as those complex and enduring.

    The scary bit is that it doesn’t fit with corporate culture because there isn’t a “plan”. Instead it’s a more intuitive and doing whats right in the moment. I’ll argue that the later is how we behave as humans and that organizations should model their behavior more closely to human behavior if they want to succeed in the post-digital world.

    Thanks for the inspiration, and the opportunity to share.

  • http://twitter.com/adamronich Adam Ronich

    I too have problems with linear strategies, a couple which are highlighted in the post. First, linear strategies would be based on the idea that the process is controlled and that people move through them in the same ways/sequence. Second, they rely on predictive assumptions. If everything was held constant, this would be relevant, but we know things change faster than ever now.

    Pace and lack of control are the primary drivers of the need for non-linear strategies. Defining the process and not the end-point allows the actions to play our in concert with the changing environment, helping ensure things are more tied to the moment. The mutually beneficial nature keeps those engaged involved and committed. The open nature allows for many ideas (Dandelion Theory) where naturally the good ones will be supported and the bad ones will die a quiet death. It would also allow for the creation of solutions both simple and quick as well as those complex and enduring.

    The scary bit is that it doesn’t fit with corporate culture because there isn’t a “plan”. Instead it’s a more intuitive and doing whats right in the moment. I’ll argue that the later is how we behave as humans and that organizations should model their behavior more closely to human behavior if they want to succeed in the post-digital world.

    Thanks for the inspiration, and the opportunity to share.

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