Strategy is about making choices.
The danger of not doing so, as pointed out so eloquently by Michael Porter, is being stuck in the middle. This is where we are now in the UK, and probably in a number of other countries, with the Coronavirus crisis. The choice is between:
- A full national lockdown or
- An opening of the economy and managing the consequences of the virus.
The government’s strategy of partial local lockdowns is unlikely to be effective. Many commentators, including many of the senior medical advisors to the government, think the measures that have been instigated by the government are unlikely to be ‘strong’ enough to result in a significant reduction in the number of infections.
At present we are in danger of causing significant further damage to:
- The economy;
- the mental and physical health of the population, resulting from the inability of the health service to deal with many other conditions that people are suffering from; and
- children’s education.
The UK government, led by Boris Johnson, is running around trying to find a ‘middle ground’ that can be successful. One does not exist.
There are many articles published in recent newspaper which are increasingly expressing similar views. The links to two, including one by Allister Heath, are below.
Chris Goodwin