What is Mintzberg's "strategy bridge," and what is its purpose?

It's a strategy-development method where leaders deliberately adopt seven different perspectives to examine a direction from every necessary angle.

Henry Mintzberg's Strategiebrücke (strategy bridge) visualizes strategy as a bridge spanning from the past, through the present, into the future — with strategy as the supporting arch. The method forces decision-makers to look from seven viewpoints so no blind spot drives the strategy.

The point is completeness: a strategy built from only one angle (say, only internal numbers, or only the competition) will miss critical factors. Rotating through all seven perspectives stress-tests and optimizes the direction before committing.

Tip: "Bridge" is apt — you can't build a sound bridge to the future without firm footing in the past and a clear read of the present.

Go deeper:

• Henry Mintzberg (Wikipedia) — background on the management theorist behind the method, including his "emergent strategy" critique of rigid planning.