Sentient Strategy

Introduction

Ask five people for a definition of “strategy” and you’ll receive seven different responses.

The dictionary defines it as “a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.” That's not exactly helpful, either. In fact, it confuses tactics with strategy, which is a mortal business sin. A “plan of action to achieve a major aim” might include raising prices or decreasing expenses, both of which are tactics, not strategies.

We hear of the term in grandiose pronouncements, such as “our new human resources strategy,” but that intent had better be in support of the corporate strategy or it's useless. What's really meant is the steps human resources will take to help implement the organizational strategy.

And then there ...