Organizational Strategy 2600-MSMdz2SO

1. WHAT IS STRATEGY?
Definition of strategy, its evolution and different ways of strategic thinking
- (problematic) company strategy
- evolution of understanding strategy
- specificity and challenges related to making strategic decisions
- history and milestones of the development of the strategic management discipline
- main schools and trends of strategy: planning, evolutionary, positional, resource-based and simple rules school
- different ways of understanding the strategy creation process
2. WHERE DOES THE ORGANIZATION WANT TO GO?
Constructing a strategy and making strategic choices
- step-by-step strategy model
- constructing a strategy
- the role of the mission
- defining the strategic domain and organizational boundaries
- seeking and building competitive advantage
- formulating strategic goals and priorities
- translating strategy into functional action programs
3. WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THE ORGANIZATION?
Making sense of the environment and methods of its analysis
- organizational environment as a source of opportunities, threats and uncertainty
- trends and changes in the environment
- scenarios
- PEST analysis
- Competitiveness diamond
- Stakeholder analysis
- Porter's five forces model
- strategic group analysis
4. ON WHAT CAN AN ORGANIZATION BUILD A STRATEGY?
The logic of the business model and organizational diagnosis
- theory of the firm's life cycle
- organizational diagnosis in different phases of its life
- strategic growth options
- analysis of organizational strengths and weaknesses – SWOT
- organizational resources and skills as the basis of strategy
- types of business models
- value chain
- portfolio methods
5. HOW IS STRATEGY CREATED AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Leadership, responsibility, passion and strategy discipline
- leadership and responsibility in the process of creating and implementing strategy
- strategy as a commitment to the organization and its stakeholders
- the importance of passion and experimentation in building a strategy
- building a strategic hypothesis
- basic features of a good strategy
- the most important mistakes made in building a strategy
- passion and discipline in creating and implementing strategy

Term 2025Z:

Lecture content
1. (Problem-based) Definition of corporate strategy
• evolution of the concept of strategy
• challenges in making strategic decisions
• history and key milestones of the discipline
• schools of strategy: planning, evolutionary, positioning, resource-based, simple rules
2. Step-by-step strategy model
• strategy formulation
• role of mission
• defining the strategic domain (organizational boundaries – key dimensions)
• search for competitive advantage
• setting goals and priorities – principles and limitations
• functional action programs
3. Making sense of the environment and methods of environmental analysis
• trends
• scenarios
• PEST analysis
• competitive diamond
• stakeholder analysis
• Porter’s Five Forces
• GE/McKinsey matrix
• strategic group analysis
4. Business model logic and organizational diagnosis
• theory of the company life cycle; diagnosis at different stages
• strategic growth options
• strengths and weaknesses analysis (SWOT)
• resources and capabilities
• types of business models
• value chain
• portfolio methods
5. Leadership and responsibility. Passion and discipline in strategy
• role of passion and experimentation in strategy building
• building a strategic hypothesis – passion and its foundations
• key characteristics of strategy
• main mistakes in strategy formulation

Term 2026Z:

Course coordinators

Małgorzata Kuczara

Type of course

obligatory courses

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student:
in the field of knowledge:
- correctly uses terminology from strategic management in the context of the organization (K_W01)
- recognizes definitions of company strategy, the evolution of this concept and the challenges associated with making strategic decisions, taking into account different schools of strategy and their historical context (K_W02)
- recognizes the stages of building a company strategy, including defining the mission, strategic domain and setting goals and priorities, taking into account competitive advantage and action programs (K_W02)
- distinguishes methods of analyzing the organization's environment, such as PEST analysis, Porter's 5 forces, competitiveness diamond, stakeholder and strategic group analysis (K_W02)
- distinguishes key trends and strategic scenarios (K_W02)
- recognizes key elements of an organization's business model, including the company's life cycle, SWOT analysis, resources and skills, strategic growth options, and various types of business models (K_W02)
K_W05 complex technological, social, political, legal, economic and ecological processes and phenomena, including fundamental dilemmas of modern civilization and their impact on the functioning of the organization and the entire economy.
in the field of skills:
- diagnoses strategic problems related to the functioning of organizations and their business models (K_U01)
K_K01 assessment and critical approach to complex situations and phenomena related to business finance and accounting in a social context
K_K03 initiating activities that benefit the community, society or the environment, and initiating activities for the common good.
K_K05 observing, enforcing and developing professional ethical standards in business relations and caring for the ethos of the profession.

Assessment criteria

Learning outcomes assessment
Learning outcomes from the lecture will be verified during a final exam in the form of a test.
Lecture:
• Test (100%)
Grading scale:
• 0–50% – grade 2.0 (fail)
• 51–60% – grade 3.0
• 61–70% – grade 3.5
• 71–80% – grade 4.0
• 81–90% – grade 4.5
• 91–100% – grade 5.0

Bibliography

Literatura podstawowa:
K. Obłój: Strategia organizacji, PWE, 2014

Literatura dodatkowa:
K Obłój, Myśl strategicznie!, Poltex 2022
M. Ciszewska-Mlinaric, K. Obłój, A. Wąsowska: Strategia korporacji, Wolters Kluwer, 2015
K. Obłój: Pasja i dyscyplina strategii, Poltext 2013
R. Rumelt: Dobra strategia, zła strategia, 2015
R. Grant, Współczesna analiza strategii, KLUWER 2011
M.E. Porter: Porter o konkurencji, PWE, 2001