The Merlin Exercise: Creating Your Future through Strategic Anticipatory Learning

Elucidates the nature, purpose and application of the Merlin Exercise in the context of a middle manager leadership programme conducted by the authors with personnel from the Hoechst Celanese Corporation (HCC). Describes the content of three modules – “Visionary Leadership”, “Strategic Leadership” and “Tactical Leadership” – showing how the future orientation of the exercise provides the link enabling managers to build on the skills acquired in each module in order to fashion strategics to carry the organization forward. Working with a focus on the organization′s envisioned condition a decade hence, managers explore and evaluate essential leadership functions including: creating change; business decision making; new market ventures and potential for diversification; major trends analysis and its importance to securing competitive advantage. Concludes with observations concerning responses of HCC participants to the experience of the Merlin Exercise.