“Context is king” is a familiar line in strategy, and it holds up to a point. A strategy designed without considering context can quickly prove unworkable. Executing it without monitoring changes is like walking in the dark towards a light without seeing where you put your feet.
But a king rules, and leaders still choose the direction and take responsibility for it. Context therefore doesn’t decide everything, but does tell them how to adjust their course. When it changes substantially, even the destination may need to be reconsidered.
This article reads context through three interacting cogwheels: the macro environment (PESTEL), the sector (Porter’s five forces) and the organisation’s internal conditions. For the latter, it proposes the Internal Context Map, built on four dimensions: governance, resources and capabilities, culture, and leadership and power.
Context is often the trigger of a decision, and it keeps changing during execution. The article therefore suggests a regular review, brought forward by any significant change in one of the cogwheels or by a disruption.