Strategic Management: Sustainable and Revolutionary Approaches

This report delves into the realm of strategic management, exploring two distinct approaches: sustainable and revolutionary strategies. It begins by defining strategic management and its significance in modern organizations, emphasizing the role of sustainability in shaping organizational missions and values. The report then examines the history, limitations, and benefits of sustainable strategic management, using Unilever as a case study to illustrate its practical application. Subsequently, the report shifts focus to the revolutionary approach, highlighting its importance in navigating competitive challenges and external disruptions. It analyzes the history, limitations, and benefits of this approach, providing Santander as a case study to demonstrate how organizations can implement revolutionary changes. The report also touches upon the challenges faced by business leaders in today's dynamic environment. The report concludes by providing references to support the arguments and findings.

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Sustainable approach to strategic management
Sustainability is able to play a key role in the process of strategic management of
modern organizations that operate in different industries. Strategic management process can
be defined in an effective manner by participants who are involved in process of strategy
development of the organizations. The mission statement and the values of the organizations
have been developed with the help of proper strategic management process. Sustainability is
considered to be an important part of the strategic management process that is developed by
the organizations (Daspit et al. 2017).
History, limitations and suggested benefits
The importance of sustainability has grown in a huge manner in the last few years and
development of business operations are based on sustainable operations. The major principle
of strategic management is related to the participants in the process of management of the
strategies in a sustainable manner. The organizations who have implemented sustainable
strategic management have opened up to the levels of diversity of the ideas, the attitudes and
experiences as well. A sustainable organization aims at involving the employees or members
of the organization in the strategic management process (Doz 2017).
The sustainable organizations are considered to be participative in nature and are able
to adapt to the changing environment. The participation in strategic management based
process is related to the ways by which effectiveness of the market can be increased. The
strategic work process within a sustainable organization is able to affect the levels of
flexibility in a huge manner. The culture of an organization is also able to play a major role in
the development of sustainable strategies (Ethiraj, Gambardella and Helfat 2017).

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The mission statements that are developed by the sustainable organizations are based
on the high levels of sustainability in the organizational operations. The goals which are set
by the organization are based on the levels of sustainability required in the operations. Long
term operations of the company are thereby related to the sustainability of the strategic
management process. The major limitations of this approach are based on the effects that
sustainable approach can have on the profits of the organizations (Hanson et al. 2016).
Example of an organization
Sustainable strategic management is provided huge importance by Unilever that is
able to ensure the levels of sustainable growth in an effective way. The long term value is
developed by the organization for the stakeholders. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan or
USLP has been placed at the centre of the business based model that is developed and
implemented by Unilever. The sustainable operations of Unilever are mainly driven by the
vision and the purpose of the organization. The environmental footprint that has been
developed by the organization is based on the levels of growth of the organization in the
industry that has led to the positive social impact (Unilever.com 2019).
The organization aims at creating a world in which everyone is able to live well in the
natural limits that are provided by the planet. Sustainable living is considered to be an
important part of the operations of Unilever in the industry. The sustainability based activities
of the organization are performed with the help of different products and brands that are
offered to the customers. The partnerships that have been developed by the organization are
also related to the levels of sustainability that are maintained by Unilever. The strategic
management based process that has been implemented by Unilever is totally based on the
sustainability based vision of the company (Unilever.com 2019).

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The organization has implemented changes in the entire value chain in order to ensure
sustainability in the operations. The long term based operations of Unilever will be
maintained in an effective manner with the help of sustainable strategies that are developed
and implemented by Unilever in the operations. The organization has been successful in
ensuring the sustainable growth in the industry (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2015).
Revolutionary approach to strategic management
The business leaders have started facing major challenges based on the
competitiveness of the firms and the disruption and turbulence that has occurred in the
external environment. The failures that are faced by the organizations based on strategic
change lead to major transformations in the strategies that are implemented by the
organizations (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2015). The process of transformation that is
implemented within the organization is considered to be a part of the revolutionary approach
to strategic management process. The managers in the organizations need to deal with the
challenging situations that have are developed due to changes that have taken place in the
external environment (Michael, Storey and Thomas 2017).
History, limitations and suggested benefits
The revolutionary strategic management approach is based on the challenges that are
provided by the changes which have taken place in the external environment. The strategic
change that has been adopted by the organizations are related to the proper development of
competitive advantage for long term operations. Revolutionary approach to strategic
management is considered to be an insightful process that is related to change that is
implemented in an intuitive manner. The revolutionary process is based on the unforeseeable
perspectives of business that need to be considered by the managers (Morschett, Schramm-
Klein and Zentes 2015).

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A transformational change is based on the complete renovation of the business
process and the strategies that have been implemented by the organizations. Revolutionary
change is able to restore new alignment with the vision, mission and the objectives that have
been developed by the organization. The internal and external environment of the
organization and the organizational behaviours are affected by the revolutionary changes that
have taken place in the organizations (Wheelen et al. 2017).
The opportunity based costs based on implementation of revolutionary approach are
quite high. The high costs based on implementation is considered to be a major limitation
based on the organizational operations. The organizations are thereby able to adapt to the
bigger chances that have taken place in the environment of the organization. The
revolutionary approach is considered to be an effective process of strategic management for
the middle size organizations (Morschett, Schramm-Klein and Zentes 2015).
Example of an organization
A major example of an organization that has been able to implement the process of
revolutionary approach to strategic management is Santander. Santander aimed at
establishing a strong hold in the banking based sector of the United Kingdom. The
organization thereby aims at acquiring the portfolio of UK based financial institutions that are
heritage-centric in nature, which include, Bradford and Bingley, Abbey National and Alliance
Leicester. The chairman of the organization Emilio Botin had decided to implement changes
in the organization in order to improve its position in the banking and financial sector of the
UK (Managers.org.uk 2019).
The chairman thereby aimed at buying the traditional UK based financial institutions
in order to unify the organizations under the brand of Santander. This revolutionary strategic
approach is aimed at increasing the revenue levels of brand in the country of its operations.

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The management of the organization has also implemented fast track based systems-led
model of banking. The major focus of the CEO is based on the ways by which the
shareholders are able to shred the old ways of working, so that they are able to accept the new
ways in an effective manner (Managers.org.uk 2019).
The opportunities are provided to the organization based on effective change based
programme that are related to different cultural misunderstandings. The revolutionary
approach top strategic management has been able to play a key role in the ways by which the
organization has planned to acquire different organizations that operate in the financial sector
of the United Kingdom (Managers.org.uk 2019).

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References
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Management Perspective of the Family Firm: Past Trends, New Insights, and Future
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Ethiraj, S.K., Gambardella, A. and Helfat, C.E., 2017. Reviews of strategic management
research. Strategic Management Journal, 38(1), pp.3-3.
Hanson, D., Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D. and Hoskisson, R.E., 2016. Strategic management:
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Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2015. Strategic management theory. Cengage
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Managers.org.uk 2019. The 5 Greatest Examples of Change Management in Business
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management-in-business-history [Accessed 28 Jan. 2019].
Michael, S., Storey, D. and Thomas, H., 2017. Discovery and coordination in strategic
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Morschett, D., Schramm-Klein, H. and Zentes, J., 2015. Strategic international
management (pp. 978-3658078836). Springer.

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Unilever.com 2019. About our strategy. [online] Unilever global company website. Available
at: https://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/our-strategy/about-our-strategy/ [Accessed
28 Jan. 2019].
Wheelen, T.L., Hunger, J.D., Hoffman, A.N. and Bamford, C.E., 2017. Strategic
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