Strategic Versus Tactical (Operational) Thinking
| I. Thinking/Planning Factors |
II. Strategic Thinking |
III. Tactical (Operational) Thinking |
| Time Period | Longest Period Worth Considering | Shortest Period Worth Considering |
| Reversability | Harder | Easier |
| Scope | Broad | Narrow |
| Affected Areas | Many Functional Areas | Few Functional Areas |
| Goals | Means and Ends | Means Only |
The Strategy/Operations Relationship – Be a Strategic Thinker
The relationship between strategy and operations can be illustrated in the following way:
| Clear Strategy | Unclear Strategy | |
| Effective Operations |
I. Strategic Thinker Clear strategy and effective operations have equaled success in the past and will in the future. |
II. Operational Thinker Unclear strategy but effective operations have equaled success in the past, but success is doubtful in the future. |
| Ineffective Operations |
III. Day Dreamer Clear strategy but ineffective operations have sometimes worked in the past in the short run, but increasing competition makes success doubtful in the future. |
IV. Crisis Thinker Unclear strategy and ineffective operations have equaled failure in the past and will in the future. |
QUESTION: Which box (I-IV) is your organization in today? Why?
The Critical Difference:
|
Strategy
|
vs.
|
Tactics
|
| Central organizing statement. | Day to day actions. | |
| Spin put on things. | Things or tools spun. | |
| Road map for marketing plan. | Vehicles for the trip. | |
| Doing the right thing. | Doing things right. | |
| Concept. | Tools of execution. | |
| Organizing glue. | What gets glued. | |
| Focused. | Typically, many things. | |
| Mental, intangible. | Physical, sensory. | |
| An “action” statement: verb. | Things: nouns. |