Patching: Restitiching Business Portfolios in Dynamic Markets Essay

The article â€Å"Patching: Restitiching Business Portfolios in Dynamic Markets† by Eisenhardt and Brown is awe-inspiring job, because the authors attract readers’ attention to portfolio development as a skill. Further, they have succeeded in defining patching as â€Å"adding, splitting, transferring, exiting, or combining chunks of businesses†. It is necessary to outline that the article provides general overview of patching benefits and concentration on the assertion that good portfolio development depends on several generic skills such as doing everything fast, developing options, making rough choice, etc. The author emphasizes that it is important for the company to find the right general manager, because the whole company depends on his proper decision-making abilities. It is argued in the article that good portfolio development differs from bad portfolio due to patching skills. For example, Brown and Eisenhards responds that â€Å"Andrew Campbell’s observations helped us to crystallize several thoughts† meaning that he has helped in making necessary points clearer. Campbell agrees with authors that multi-business managers should have proper knowledge of industry as it is essential for developing patching skills. Nevertheless, he emphasizes that attention should be paid to pattern recognition rather than on analysis and to intuition rather than past experience. Thus Campbell assumes that pattern recognition and intuition are the central skills to be developed in manager. The article significantly contributed management science but providing thorough examination of patching benefits. Apparently, the article aims at providing clear understanding of the concept and at persuading companies to imply patching in their performance. The finding presented by the authors contributes the idea that corporate strategy should concentrate on patching, not on strategic positions that are really enduring. The article will cause others to revise their ideas about the subject discussed. Apparently, more research is needed to develop further the concept of patching.