The ICRC (Red Cross) doesn’t run all its strategy processes all the time. Some are activated only when specific needs arise.

Design strategy that survives complex environments: a HSG case study reveals how to work without a master plan.

⚡ STORY SUMMARY: STRATEGY UNDER FIRE

Business strategy was borrowed from war, yet today’s strategy models are rigid (think quarterly KPIs and 5 year plans).

But life, like war, is unpredictable.

Curious how strategy functions amid unpredictability, strategy professor Günter Müller-Stewens joined forces with Joachim Stonig to study the ICRC (Red Cross)—an organisation facing chaos daily. Their aim: understand strategy where conditions change by the hour.

Rather than finding one planning system, they uncovered a repertoire of loosely coupled processes. Each was tailored to a different kind of time: emergency, annual, generational. Rather than being tightly controlled, these were coordinated by principles and trust. Often they were activated just in time, as the need arose.

This “strategy process repertoire” allowed the ICRC to operate across multiple time horizons—achieving “temporal fit” and “ambitemporality“. The ICRC could respond fast but still think long-term.

Strategy doesn’t have to be linear or singular.

To thrive in complexity, organisations must design for it—like the ICRC, who didn’t simplify time but built the internal capacity to dance with it.

Making this work requires narrative leadership, the ability to articulate a strategic story (strategy storytelling work).

Strategy in complex environments: Designing Strategy Systems That Bend Without Breaking

How the ICRC Offers a Masterclass in Strategic Agility

When Peter Drucker brought the concept of strategy into business, many scoffed. Strategy was for war, not work. Decades later, strategy is everywhere: quarterly goals, annual plans, five-year visions. But despite the ubiquity, most strategy still clings to a rigid form—rarely designed for contradiction, chaos, or crisis.

What happens when the world refuses to cooperate with your strategy?

That question led strategy professor Günter Müller-Stewens into a multi-year study with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

What they found wasn’t a single strategic playbook.

They found a strategy process repertoire.

One Organisation, Multiple Strategy Processes

Rather than rely on a single strategy model, the ICRC runs multiple processes in parallel:

A crisis process for immediate emergencies
An annual planning process aligned with donor expectations
A long-term transformation process for institutional change

Each has its own rhythm, rules, and activation triggers. And none of them dominate. Instead of one master plan cascading through the organisation, the ICRC coordinates through shared principles, trust, and just-in-time decisions.

This decentralised yet coherent approach is what Stonig and Müller-Stewens call a strategy process repertoire.

The Power of Loosely Coupled Systems

Whether the environment is stable, coherent or volatile and complex: Most organisations attempt tight alignment across time horizons. But that can create brittleness. One disruption cascades through the whole system. The ICRC does the opposite. It builds in loose coupling between processes. That way, an emergency doesn’t derail long-term strategy—and a ten-year water project doesn’t block immediate response.

This structural flexibility allows the ICRC to be both fast and slow.

Reactive and deliberate.

Responsive and visionary.

Strategy as Episodic Activation

One key insight into successful strategy work in complex environments: not all processes are active all the time.

The ICRC operates with episodic activation. Strategy modes are switched on and off based on environmental signals or internal cues. Conflict erupts? Emergency mode kicks in. Annual funding cycle begins? Donor planning takes precedence. Major reform initiative launches? Long-term transformation gets airtime.

The strategy system behaves more like an orchestra than a machine—different instruments come in at different times, depending on the piece being played.

Designing for Complexity, Not Against It

The ICRC didn’t simplify complexity. It became more sophisticated internally to match the complexity externally.

That’s the core lesson for any organisation operating in dynamic or high-stakes environments: rather than forcing linear plans onto non-linear realities, build a system that can stretch, switch, and self-organise across timeframes.

Design strategy systems that bend without breaking.

Key Takeaways for Leaders:

Don’t rely on a single strategy process—build a repertoire.
Loosely couple processes to allow parallel movement.
Use episodic activation to stay responsive.
Prioritise coherence over control.
Match internal design to external complexity.

Real strategy isn’t about eliminating chaos. It’s about making sure your organisation can dance with it—without falling over.

But what does strategy in complex environments have to do with storytelling and narrative leadership?

Strategic Storytelling: Where Story Meets Strategy

There’s another reason the ICRC’s approach works: it’s not just structurally agile—it’s narratively coherent.

In a system of multiple strategy processes, what holds everything together isn’t hierarchy. It’s shared story.

A high level of trust is established through common experiences in extreme situations that create bonds between decision-makers. Even though the ICRC is a large organization, employees in the field form strong relationships with each other.

The ICRC doesn’t rely on cascading directives—it aligns through identity, mission, and the stories people tell themselves and each other about why they do what they do.

This is narrative leadership in action: using story to create clarity in complexity.

When timeframes diverge and plans shift, story keeps people anchored. It provides continuity across discontinuity. It helps leaders frame decisions, motivate teams, and adapt without losing their sense of purpose.

For leaders navigating complex environments, the question isn’t just “What’s the plan?”—it’s also “What’s the story we’re living into?”

Strategy systems that bend without breaking need stories that bind without constraining. The ICRC offers both.

Source: When Lives Are at Stake: Managing Temporal Complexity with a Strategy Process Repertoire | Organization Science (Organization Science, 2025, Joachim Stonig, Günter Müller-Stewens)

Jyoti Guptara is a bestselling author and story strategist. His Story-based consulting and training programs help leaders successfully implement strategy and experience more success with less stress.