Bill Gates at Microsoft did detect an emerging pattern in micro computing. However, Gates did not detect the central role that an operating system would play in defining the new industry. Microsoft became the provider of an operating system as a means of selling application software rather than as a core business. IBM refused to buy an operating system and insisted that Microsoft license MS-DOS on a per user basis. The strategy process in a dynamic world can be viewed as a confluence of tacit knowledge and complexity theories.
Strategic options reside within complex interactions among systems.
Profound knowledge of these systems and their potential for interaction with other systems is often tacitly held. Formal and informal communication among those who hold tacit knowledge can bring new insight and understanding to an organization in ways that significantly shape strategic thinking. For more on tacit knowledge, see Teambuilding for Competitive Advantage by Scott Sherman and Miriam Lacey in the Fall 1999 issue of the Graziadio Business Report .