Mintberg’s Five Ps of Strategy

Usman Chaudhry
  Plan
 Ploy
Five Ps of  Pattern
Strategy  Position
 Perspective
  Planning is something that many people are
happy with, and it's something that comes
naturally to us. This is the default, automatic
approach that we adopt – brainstorming options
Strategy as a and planning how to deliver them.
Plan  A direction, a guide or course of action into the
future.
 A path to get from here to there.
  A specific move designed to outwit or trick
competitors.
 A maneuver to beat the competition.
Strategy as a  Plotting is to disrupt, dissuade, discourage, or
Ploy otherwise influence competitors.
 This is where the strategy can be a ploy, as well as
a plan.
  Strategic plan and ploy are both deliberate
exercises.
 Sometimes strategy emerges from past
organizational behavior.
Strategy as a  Rather than being an intentional choice, a
Pattern consistent and successful way of doing business
can develop into a strategy.
 We learn to appreciate that what was successful in
the past can lead to success in the future.
  Position" is another way to define strategy – that is,
how you decide to position yourself in the
marketplace.
 In this way, strategy helps you explore the fit
between your organization and your environment,
Strategy as a and it helps you develop a sustainable
competitive advantage.
Position  e.g., locating of particular products in a particular market.
 Or creating a unique/differentiated product

 As Michael Porter said, “Strategy is the creation of

a unique and valuable position, involving a
different set of activities”.
  The choices an organization makes about its
strategy rely heavily on its culture – just as
patterns of behavior can emerge as strategy,
patterns of thinking will shape an organization's
perspective, and the things that it is able to do
Strategy as a well.
Perspective  For instance, an organization that encourages risk-
taking and innovation from employees might
focus on coming up with innovative products as
the main thrust behind its strategy.