A Strategy Focused Outlook on Pre-revolutionary Modernization Processes in Iran (1906-1979)

Strategy mapping, as developed by Kaplan and Norton (1993) through the “Balanced Scorecard” methodology, explicitly defines the cause and effect relationships between objectives, measures, and initiatives through all levels of an organization. Since two decades, this strategic outlook on organization management has been implemented for reforms in many public administrations and local governments (the Spanish Health Care, Municipalities in South Africa, etc.).
This paper uses the map strategy methodology in order to assess different phases of pre-revolutionary modernization processes in Iran from 1906 to 1979. In dialogue with Foran’s work on social transformation in Iran (1993), I propose a modelization of main reform processes in the 20th century through four dimensions: structure of social relation, governance, production system and strategic objectives. The paper discusses how the strategic mapping methodology applied to the assessment of governement and public services management help us understand the processes and failures of pre-revolutionary reform movement, and which lessons can be drawn.