The word strategy comes from a Greek word, ‘strategia’. A combination of two factors, it means to lead the army. The term and its practice originated in the military and after several years, it was adopted by the business world.
Karl von Clausewitz (KVC) was a Prussian general and a military thinker. As a head of the military academy at Berlin, he worked on his most definitive piece, “On War,” which was left unfinished due to his death in 1831 and was later published along with his historical studies by his widow. Karl von Clausewitz defined strategy as “the use of the engagement to attain the object of war.” From his writings, one can draw many lessons to be deployed in the practice of modern strategy.
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One often wonders: why is strategy necessary? It is required because we all have limited resources. You look at any realm of life or business, and one won’t need a strategy if we had unlimited resources. Then we would not need to take risks, we wouldn’t need to prioritize, and there would be no stress. But that’s not the case. Challenges and resource constraints necessitate strategy.
Eric J. Van de Steen defines strategy as the “smallest set of choices and decisions” that guide all other organizational decisions. Henry Mintzberg provides 5 P’s for strategy: plan, ploy, pattern, position, and perspective. He draws a distinction between intended strategy, which is a deliberate and consciously crafted plan, and emergent strategy, which develops organically through actions and reactions to changing circumstances.
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The real foundation of strategy is identifying the one thing on which you need to focus, relegating other aspects at a distance, and leaving out the less important ones. KVC underlines that, in order to be strategic, one needs to think strategically, which, according to him, is a system of thought.
What is the focal point? In military parlance, it’s to win, which is directly incumbent on defeating the enemy. In business, it’s to outcompete and gain an advantage over others by offering superior value to customers that no one else can provide. After shining the spotlight on the focal point, KVC talks about aligning the hearts and minds of the people on that focal point. This alignment is a critical factor for success.
If you’re ready to refocus your strategy and align your team around a common goal, contact us for tailored guidance on improving focus and alignment within your organization.
To separate the grain from the chaff, to remove the unnecessary, it comes down to making choices by choosing that one thing that is important and deselecting others. As much as it is selection, it is also the rejection of what you have decided to give up. In organizations, we often make a lot of choices but what we don’t do is remove things from our plate. The formula is to subtract first and then multiply. If done otherwise, you are just adding up and losing direction.
Moving on to the next lesson, strategy and planning are not the same thing. In military terms, they use a lot of tactics in a particular conflict, but at all times, they are aligned with the doctrine of strategy. Sequence is important: strategy followed by planning. In business, this distinction is often missed. Both are important and cannot be substituted with each other. If mixed, the results could be totally different. The question of budget often gets a lot of importance in these discussions. Many organizations start with numbers by trying to set a number and then working backward on how to achieve it. Budgets merely reflect your strategy in numerical terms and should not be the starting point.
At number three is ‘Simplicity’. I recall a letter written by the famous French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, in which he said, “I’m sorry to write you this long letter, but I didn’t have time to write you a short one.” The strength of a strategy is its simplicity. The simpler it is, the easier it becomes to get people aligned with it, for people to remember it, and for people to follow it. The more complex it becomes, the more paralyzing it is; whereas the simpler it is, the more empowering it becomes.
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Competition is interactive, not static. While fighting, a few generals think about unilateral action, but warfare is inherently a dynamic and reciprocal process, involving a constant interplay between opposing forces.
No strategy remains intact after its first encounter with the enemy. Often, we strategize under the assumption that our competitors are static, while we’re the only ones making moves. But the truth is, they’re working just as hard to gain a competitive edge, and they’re trying to do it faster than we are. In this high-stakes game of action and reaction, we must recognize that it’s a continuous race. To succeed, we need to be agile, adapt quickly, and move faster than our competitors.
In today’s fast-paced market, agility is key. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, contact us to learn how we can help you implement agile strategies for sustained success.
Morale makes all the difference. War is a trial of moral and physical forces by means of the latter. All military action is directed at the morals, not the physical strength. Morale determines the ultimate outcome. To many, war appears as a physical duel where strength determines the winner. KVC strongly puts forth the point that if you destroy the morale of the enemy, you will win the war. Adding to it, he says, the armies that win have the strongest support of the citizens of their nation.
One of the main reasons for the failure of a strategy is the failure of leadership in making the right choices, setting the right direction, or inspiring and engaging employees to rally behind the strategic vision. Another factor is motivation and inspiring ownership among the people within the organization.
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Lesson number six is that strategy is a dynamic and iterative process. In the midst of uncertainty and changing circumstances, strategy requires continuous evaluation, adaptation, and refinement to remain effective.
To thrive in today’s dynamic business environment, we need a strategic philosophy that embodies continuous renewal and adaptation. This requires a cultural shift within our organizations, where strategy is viewed as a fluid, iterative process of learning and growth.
To summarize, our approach involves two key steps: first, gather insights about your customers, competitors, and evolving environment; then, translate those insights into a compelling value proposition and clear priorities. This methodology is mirrored in the Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model, which assesses organizational performance by examining the alignment of four critical elements: work, people, structure, and culture.
Ultimately, a sustainable competitive advantage stems from an organization’s unique capabilities, rather than just its products or services. If you are ready to refine your strategy and align your organization for success, contact us for a consultation.
