Strategic Planning is NOT Strategy

by Francisco Santolo

What we learned in our university and years of practice is here. in check. Business theory has completely changed accompanying a complex world. Confusion abounds among executives at the world's best organizations.

Strategic Planning is NOT Strategy

I share a excellent video by Roger Martin that me will allow Illustrate the point with a concrete case:

The confusion between traditional strategic planning andstrategy.

 

Strategic planning:

  • List of initiatives, with deadlines, indicators, budget, generated by different areas.
  • Not always coherent with each other, they often do not respond to an integrated strategy.
  • Oriented to the control and application of resources (it is essential that they be measurable)
  • Control of the execution of the initiatives is in our hands (we do it well or not).

 

Strategy:

  • Coherent, actionable theory of how we will win (customers choose us) on a playing field chosen by us.
  • We aim to achieve a competitive result (it does not depend only on us but on the game between all the actors)
  • Answer where we will play, why, how will we be better for the customer? [The basis of the strategy is the choice of the differential activities that will generate and allow value to be captured]
  • Strategy anxiety: the theory implies uncertainty, there is no feeling of control or security of winning. It happens if our hypotheses are correct.
  • Flexibility: it is essential to have the ability to iterate or adjust the strategy with new information.


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