Once upon a time, we lived in a relatively predictable world. Customers had brand loyalty, employees spent their careers at a single company, and technology evolved at a manageable pace. Businesses could rely on stable, long-lasting models, treating change as a rare event—a project with a clear beginning and end, often wrapped up in a branded transformation initiative or a competitive strategy.

Fast forward to today, and the competitive landscape could not be more different. According to the Accenture 2024 Pulse of Change Index, the rate of change affecting businesses has risen by 183% since 2019, with a 33% spike in just the past year. This accelerated pace demands that companies move from occasional change projects to a continuous reinvention process.

Our data at Reinvention Academy confirms this shift. Every two years, we conduct “speed of change” research with our clients and community. In 2018, a survey of over 2,000 managers revealed that 47% believed they needed to reinvent their businesses every three years or less to stay competitive. By 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, that number had jumped to 60%.

In 2022, one in five organizations worldwide was reinventing itself every 12 months or less—faster than the typical budget cycle. Our 2024 data is still coming in, but early results indicate that 22.5% of organizations are now reinventing at an annual rate or faster, the highest velocity we’ve ever recorded. Of these efforts, nearly 45% represent radical reinventions, compared to 33.4% in intermediate and 21.7% in incremental change.

In short, we’ve entered an era where continuous turbulence demands continuous reinvention.

But what does this mean for the way we strategize?

As 2025 planning is in full swing, with most organizations finalizing the goals and confirming budgets, what tools and approaches should we use?

What works today?

“There are two people, and only two, whose ideas must be taught to every MBA in the world: Michael Porter and Henry Mintzberg,” says McGill Desautels Faculty Professor Karl Moore. “Both have been influential in the study of strategy. Porter’s work emphasizes a deliberate strategy approach, while Mintzberg advocates for emergent strategy. Both perspectives are still widely taught—Porter’s Three Generic Strategies and Five Forces Model, for instance, were covered in a strategy course at McGill just two weeks ago.”

But in a world of constant disruption, which school of strategy is more useful today?‍

What Is Deliberate Strategy?

Deliberate strategy, most famously championed by Dr. Michael Porter of Harvard University, emphasizes careful planning before taking action. It’s built on the idea that the most important decisions are made before a single step is taken. Typically, these decisions are formed at the executive level, often in retreats far removed from the daily realities of the organization.

Once these decisions are made, implementation becomes a separate process of pure execution—no adjustments allowed. For decades, this approach worked well, providing a clear roadmap for stability and growth in a predictable environment.

But today’s environment is anything but stable. The rapid rate of change makes it difficult for companies to follow a set plan without constantly running into new obstacles that require swift adaptation.

Emergent Strategy: Built for a World of Constant Change?

Emergent strategy, led by Dr. Henry Mintzberg of McGill University, takes an entirely different approach. Instead of mapping out every step beforehand, it emphasizes trying, learning, and adapting along the way. Here, strategy emerges over time as plans collide with—and accommodate—the ever-changing reality.

With emergent strategy, the most critical decisions are made throughout the entire process and are often based on the first set of actions taken and feedback received. Rather than viewing strategy as a rigid plan, emergent strategy creates an agile process that allows for continuous reinvention.

Deliberate vs. Emergent Strategy: Which One Works Best Today?

In his 2007 book, The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb introduced the concept of the “black swan”—a rare, unpredictable event that has a massive impact. Decades ago, black swans were anomalies.

Today, one disruption follows another, making these events feel almost routine. In a world where all the swans now seem black, the rapid pace of change has fundamentally altered the way we approach strategy.

What once worked as a deliberate, step-by-step approach may no longer suffice. Companies can’t afford to set a fixed course and hope the environment will stay stable. Instead, an emergent strategy that embraces the unexpected and leverages real-time insights has become indispensable.

The deliberate school of strategy served us well in a low-volatility world, but today’s environment requires adaptability. As products, business models, and markets evolve at unprecedented rates, companies must be agile, adjusting strategies continuously to meet new challenges.

Real-World Examples of Emergent Strategy

1. Amazon – Amazon continuously reinvents itself. Starting as an online bookstore, it has evolved into a technology and retail powerhouse, adapting its strategy to changing market demands. Amazon’s willingness to experiment and shift direction in response to real-time data exemplifies emergent strategy at scale.

2. Netflix – Netflix’s journey from a DVD rental service to a streaming giant, and later a production powerhouse, highlights how an emergent approach enables companies to stay relevant. Netflix adapts to shifting consumer demands and technological advances, reinventing itself again and again to meet the changing landscape.

3. Unilever’s Agile Approach – At Unilever, teams test new products in the market, collect feedback, and make adjustments as needed. This cycle of rapid experimentation allows Unilever to innovate and respond swiftly to consumer preferences, leveraging emergent strategy to drive sustainable growth.

How to Implement Emergent Strategy in Your Business

If you’re ready to adopt an emergent approach, here are some starting points to explore:

1. Develop Trend-Watching and Scenario Planning Skills

Build a team equipped to spot trends and disruptions before they reach your doorstep. By developing trend-watching and scenario planning skills within your organization, you’ll be able to identify shifts in the market early on and create flexible responses. This proactive approach keeps your strategy dynamic and prepared for rapid change.

2. Think ‘Experiments,’ Not ‘Final Decisions’

One of the biggest obstacles in today’s fast-paced environment is the fear of making the wrong decision. People can spend endless time deliberating and calculating, hoping to reach a “perfect” solution. But in a world that changes constantly, waiting for certainty can mean missing out entirely. By changing the language to “pilots” and “experiments” instead of “final decisions,” you relieve the pressure to be perfect. This mindset shift encourages action, allowing your team to test ideas, learn quickly, and pivot if needed—without the fear of costly mistakes.

3. Use Latest Science to Add Flexibility to Your Planning and Budgeting

Most planning tools were developed in the 20th century to fit a slow-moving, predictable, low-volatility business environment. But in recent years, new tools and approaches have emerged specifically designed for a high-volatility world. These include setting goals in ranges rather than fixed targets and using shorter strategic sprints to adapt as conditions evolve. Explore what works for your organization among the 21st-century strategies, instead of staying stuck with an outdated 20th-century toolkit.

The Future of Strategy Is Emergent

The days of rigid, long-term planning are over. As we navigate an era of continuous disruption, embracing an emergent strategy mindset may be the key to staying competitive. By understanding when to apply deliberate planning and when to pivot with emergent learning, companies can build the resilience needed to thrive in an unpredictable world.

In the end, the best approach may not be choosing one strategy over the other but learning when to apply each. By understanding both schools of thought and adapting as needed, organizations can build a strategic foundation capable of riding out any storm.

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