Strategy and Geopolitics: Understanding Global Complexity in a Turbulent World

Large western companies are accelerating their expansion into emerging economies, while relying on oversimplified frameworks to make decisions and complex matrix organizations to make things happen. When critical events do happen (such as terrorist attacks or civil wars), senior executives and the companies they lead are often taken by surprise. As the world shifts to a less stable geopolitical structure, only firms that can acquire a better capability to foresee and prepare for change will prevail over the long term. Strategy and Geopolitics provides a strategic framework that can help senior business executives address the challenges of globalization in this evolving geopolitical landscape. This book underlines the need to go beyond a simplistic understanding of different countries and territories: it discusses the geopolitical issues that can be the cause of success or failure in different markets; and it explores strategies for dealing with global and local complexity, as well as introducing innovative ideas on recruitment and organization.

Mike Rosenberg is an Assistant Professor at IESE Business School, joining the faculty after working for more than 15 years as a Management Consultant for companies such as Arthur D. Little, A.T. Kearney, and Heidrich & Struggles, working in Europe, North America, and Asia. Mike teaches long-term strategy, scenario planning and analysis of business problems in IESE’s MBA, Global Executive MBA and Executive Education programmes. In addition to his academic work, Professor Rosenberg routinely consults with leading international companies and is asked to speak on topics relating to strategy, sustainability, and managing global firms. He is author of Strategy and Sustainability: A Hard Nosed Approach to Environmental Sustainability for Business (2014) and co-Editor of Managing Media Businesses: A Game Plan to Navigate Disruption and Uncertainty (2017).