Emerging and deliberate strategies: the process of strategy formation under the prism of case study method

Resumen

This paper reports a scientific research which main objective is to identify the use of deliberately formed strategies within large industrial companies. In the first part, it is presented a brief description of the reasons that lead to the research problem and a theoretical frame related to the variables involved in the study. The research was an exploratory type, using a single case study, focused on “Petrobras”, the biggest oil company in the country. In depth interview were conducted with high level managers who are involved in the process of strategies formulation and implementation. The objectives of the interviews were to understand the perspectives of the interviewees about the strategies formation adopted by the company as part of its strategic planning. The analysis of the data allowed to achieve the conclusion that adopted strategies emerged from a formal and intentional planning process as well as from the collection and analysis of spontaneous suggestions from the employees in different administrative levels in the organization. These spontaneous contributions represent a clear intention to collaborate to achieve a better organization performance.