For many people and organizations I have come across with a strategy is a detailed plan to achieve a goal, conquer new markets and win customers. Every single step is prep-planned and everybody involved is briefed thoroughly. It all falls into place like a well designed machine in which one gear teethes into the other and the only principle that needs to be applied is to follow the plan. 

Well it is not and never will be.

The way I have learned strategy and ever since applied it as an military operator as well as a leader in the aviation industry is that a strategy is there to allow decision making without continuous alignments between those involved and particularly those up in the hierarchy.  Strategy allows those in the field to make decisions which are aligned with the big picture and hence are fast, focused and prepare the ground for flexibility and adaptability for those things which are unpredictable in a high dynamic environment as the ones we operated in.

A strategy is not a plan which predetermines every single step and decision that needs to be made to accomplish the mission.

A strategy is an open space for action

Same goes for industry. As today's markets have become enormously dynamic with a high level of market pressure, it has become more and more unpredictable. Plans however, require predictability in order to work. If you cannot predict the market's next move you cannot be sure that the plan will work, hence you likely end up planning for the wrong market move and thus lose market share and increase inefficiencies. You simply waste time and money. In order to survive in this high dynamic environment, companies need to change their way of reacting to market demands. Faster, flexible and with the power of adaptability.

In order to retain the required speed in decision making to ensure adaptability and flexibility everybody in the organization is required to make decisions which are gearing into each other. That is why strategy work is everybody's business. If strategy is reserved to those in the upper level of the organization every decision will have to be checked with the hierarchy to ensure alignment of that decision and its implications with the strategy. The time needed for this alignment is simply not available and would above all imply an administrative burden to the organization. That is why strategy is everybody's business and not reserved for the upper hierarchy and require everyone to think.

A strategy does not relieve anyone from thinking

As predictability is absent and planning fails in high dynamic environments the strategy cannot make out steps to reach the goal or mission objective.  The strategy is the space in which the tactics can function and it demands a high level of preparation from all involved. Operational decisions require the space of action to take place, which in turn places preparation over planning.

Strategy requires preparation and is allergic to planning

A good strategy increases the probability of decision making in the presence of a high dynamic and absence of predictability. Decision making which is done by everybody in the organization without continuous alignment with the hierarchy as the room of maneuver is clearly set and transported to everyone by the strategy. Hence the strategy can be seen as the pattern in the decisions made.

Strategy is the pattern that can be seen in the decisions

Formulating a strategy has to be done by excluding or explicite including formulations i.e. “ we are not xyz” or “ we are abc” and it is done in a way which prevents triviality like “ we want to play in the champions league….” or ..” we want to provide best quality we can…”

Strategy formulation is not to be trivial

As strategy work is not something that is exclusive to the upper hierarchy the strategy must be compatible with everybody in the organization, it has to resonate and make people want to follow. It has to resonate in order to let everyone swing into it. Strategy work is daily entrepreneurship by everyone in the organization. 

In a nutshell

A strategy is an open space, a room to maneuver, limited by clear and tangible boundaries which allow daily decisions made by everyone involved in the organization to maintain speed, adaptability and flexibility in order to increase the probability of company success in the high dynamic of the market environment.