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The new Strategic theory

It was the summer of 2001 and in the page 672 of the book that he was finishing to write, Rafael Alberto Pérez was revealing the secret best kept in his new work “Communication Strategies”: it was not a treatise, or a book of foundings, the 671 previous pages were there to conduct us –in a laborious but inexorable way- to a breaking proposal that it surprised its own author: the need of a new strategic theory.
But, what new theory are we talking about? “ A new strategic theory less geometric and more hermeneutic, less rational and more relational .” “ A strategic theory restated from communication” .
Rafael Alberto Pérez did not give that theory in 2001, he had just a pragmatic intention, but he did give six clues about how to do it.

 

1. The new strategic theory understands that the key of all the strategic theory goes through regaining the human being, nowadays replaced by constructs such as the homo oeconomicus, the rational actor, etc.
2. In front of the conventional focus that considers strategy as a game of opposite interests, beliefs and wishes, the new theories proposes in the first place the cognitive and valuate processes,
3. The new theory ask the actors to place in other's places and give their strategies, in this way, a more dialogic, negotiative, cooperative and consensual orientation.
4. It adds to economic factors –that always will be there- relational and intangible others.
5. Instead of trying to provide paradigmatic and exact rules, the new strategic theory tries to provide hermeneutic and narrative rules, that aid the man of action to manage his discourse and conduct his behavior according to his interests and with the others
6. This is a “strategic theory restated from communication”.


Similar reflections were present in other experts, such as Sandra Massoni: “La comunicación es un espacio estratégico en la dinámica sociocultural” (the communication is a strategic space in the sociocultural dynamic)(1990); Martín Barbero (2002) when he suggested “posibilidad de que la comunicación sea un lugar estratégico desde el que pensar la sociedad” ( the possibility that communication were a strategic place from where to think society ) . And recently Marcelo Manucci (2004): “Diseñar estrategia es diseñar significados” (Designing strategy is designing meanings) . The seed was planted, and some subsequent successes came to support of what previously seemed risky proposals .


The facts:

In this context, the conclusions of the First Iberoamerican Encounter about Communication Strategies (November 25th and 26th, 2002) signed by the 14 participant experts, proceeding from 7 Iberoamerican countries, signified a meaningful backing of the “new theory”.



“ We need a new theory for the everyday life less geometric and less qualitative, less rational and more hermeneutic and relational instead (...)
The good news is that, in that new theory, communication would fulfill many important functions:

If not a new paradigm, a new reflection space was born. In fact, a few months later a non profit association, the Iberoamerican Forum about Communication Strategies would be legally constituted. But it would be the Second Encounter celebrated in the seat of the Parlament of Andalucía and with the collaboration of the Universidad de Sevilla that would finally back the project in its conclusions:
The experts agree – with the natural nuances- the necessity of innovating in the field of the strategic theory and building new maps. This necessity comes from four main causes :

This innovation must represent a break with the present paradigm, restating this way from different fields and disciplines the opportunity of this debate and to deepen in that direction.
If up to this Encounter the profile of this new theory was sketched in a negative way, the truth is that through the sessions the constitutive characters have been concreted – up to 28 changes and many research lines- that will all be part of a deeper analysis
(...) It is important to underline that experts consider that the new strategic theory might be re- thought and reformulated from communication, as this is the most axiological way of interaction that we have and that offers an unique theoric field to study human relations, and the new maps that we need are “relational maps”.
The Third Encounter was celebrated in the seat of the Universidad Iberoamericana de México D.F. (September 21st ,22nd, and 23rd 2005) receiving a new backing when the president of the Republic, Vicente Fox made the opening speech. The new theory received in this way its Latin-American baptism with the voices of 36 lecturers and 140 participants from 16 countries of the Iberoamerican Community and United States .
The conclusions of the Third Encounter were, once more, unequivocal:
- “We agree in the necessity of reincorporate the human being into a strategic discipline which has been “disincarnated”. This necessity must not be understood as an idealistic dream or as a simple humanistic aspiration, but as a requisite for the refoundation of strategy as a scientific theory. That reincorporation must be made from determined initial premises:

- The theoric and applied validity of present formulation and strategic models in use are argued, and it is agreed the necessity of new maps that allow men of action to sail on this Century and to answer its challenges and opportunities.


Conclusions:


Though the new theory does not exist in that way, and today we have simple a “Project of theory”, some members of the Iberoamerican Forum about Communication Strategies are working for its development and are running a research program that might –in a few years- lead to it.

 

 

If you want to know more about the new strategic theory, you may accede to a wide bibliography in the FISEC academic journal
www.fisec-estrategias.com.ar

 


ALBERTO PÉREZ, R.:

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