What's the opposite of Good strategy? Hint it's not bad strategy.

Created on 2022-08-22 07:17

Published on 2022-08-22 08:53

Strategy formulation and the review of strategy have been given time and space in organizations' annual cycle of activities. 

Normally the strategy season opens in early September and closes late in November. 

By end of December, many organisations are ideally supposed to have employee personal scorecards for the new performance period, normally a year. 

My first question to you would be does your organisation have a strategy or it's an operational plan baptised strategy plan? 

we may first need to ask ourselves what a strategy is. Micheal Potter describes it as a set of choices that give the organisation long-term benefits in the marketplace.

operational excellence, being the best in the market are not strategy.

so what forms a good strategy? Richard Rumlet Good strategy/Bad strategy provides a basis for identifying good strategy. 

Good strategy is what gives you a competitive advantage in the marketplace in your industry. It's not just about revenue goals, operational goals, people goals, and customer goals. If you focused on these only, then you are running an operational; plan to achieve this.

The opposite of good strategy is not bad strategy, just like the absence of good leadership is not bad leadership, the opposite of good strategy is no strategy. It's difficult to imagine concept of having no strategy while you have a document in the organisation labeled strategy and work plans that support the execution of the document labeled strategy.

How close have you examined the document and dissected it? What outcome will the execution of that document give you? Operational excellence, increased profits, Best in the industry?

As you either formulate your new strategy or review the existing one, a deep dive into strategy would be recommended for all your management team. Do not expect what got you where you are to take you to new market position, new competitive advantage in the marketplace. The same thinking in old or previous strategy won't take you to new position.