The Use of Scenarios in Developing Strategy: An Analysis of Conversation and Video Data

Surveys of managers report that strategy tools such as scenarios are widely used in practice. However, such surveys of practice typically focus on reporting which tools are used, rather than exploring how they are actually used. This paper examines the use of scenarios as a tool to support strategy development. We highlight a number of roles (technical, analytical and social) that scenarios play in strategy exercises, and offer insights into the use of scenarios in practice, illustrating that they are used throughout the strategy development process rather than simply at the start. Our approach to data analysis, based on analyses of both audio and visual material from a strategy workshop, sheds light on enhanced approaches to coding both conversation and video data within strategy research.