Strategy & Tactics in brief.

1. July 10/2019
Strategy at a Glance
1. Objectives:
 Let youunderstandclearlywhatstrategyis.
 Give youoverviewof strategy&methods.
 Helpyouto developaculture of strategy.
2. Intro:
In this shortwriting,you will soon come to find that the purpose of studyingstrategyis not to provide a
comprehensive understanding of the subject matter (there aren’t any!) but to understand some issues
related to strategy better.
Mainly,thisessaydiscussessix keyquestions:Whatisstrategy?What’s the difference betweenstrategy
and tactics? How can strategy be identified? How can strategy be developed? What are the types of
strategy? What are the primary resources of strategy?
Strategy originated on the battlefield, but is now widely used in policy decision making, most of
organizations and fields of study.
Source: Google
The terms tactic and strategy are oftenconfused: tacticsare the actual meansusedto gain an objective,
while strategy isthe overall campaignplan,whichmayinvolve complex operational patterns,activity,and
decision-making that govern tactical execution.
3. Definition & Meaning:
Strategy is a term that comes from the Greek “strategia”, meaning "generalship” or leading an army.
However, the concept of strategy did not originate with the Greeks. Sun Tzu’s classic The Art of War,
written in about 500 BC, is regarded as the first systematically written on strategy.
Strategy generally involves setting goals to deal with a crisis/conflict/situation, determining actions to
achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions.
Strategy is the overall plan for deploying resources to establish a favorable position; or setting of plans
intended to achieve a goal or solution to a problem or situation, especially over a long period.
Strategy is simply ways (means) you will achieve your objectives.
T actics
Tactic is a scheme for a specific action. Whereas tactics are concerned withthe man oeuvres necessary
to win battles, strategy is concerned with winning the war.
The difference betweenstrategy and tactics is often described as strategy is long-term andtactics are
short-term

2. Difference between strategy and tactics: Examples
 Strategy is moreconcrete and long-term, but tactics can changebased on how successful your strategy is. If
your war strategy is to improve your influenceand impacton your adversary,then your tactics might be to
determine what channel trade, aid or directselectiveclash isbestfor your military establishmentand what
messages work best for your people.
 Strategy and tactics work together as means to an end. If your strategy is to climb a mountain, one key
component of your strategy might be to decide which sideof the mountain you should climb. Your tactics
would be the particular tools you’d buy, who you’d bring with you, your complete trip plan, how long it
would take to get there, what season you’d go in, and so on.
4. Types: (Selected)
o Military: Employing all the military, economic, political, and other resources of a country to achieve the objects of war..
o Example: Hitler’s strategy in WWII was to defeat France. This strategy objective was successful through attacking France
via Belgium. France surrounded to Germany in May 10/1940.
o Political: Advising an election campaign (USA) on a range of activities such as media, resourcing, opposition
research, opinion of grass root polling & their engagement..
o Economic: Creating a sustainable commercial advantage by applying innovative and quantitative ideas to sell and
achieve comparative edge in the long range
o Business: Involving high level plan by an organization's top management on behalf of owners, based on
available resources and assessment of the organization internal and external environments.
o Education: Investing a long-term action plan in individual knowledge, skills & abilities to promote tangible development.
5. Development : ( How to Develop Strategic Plan)
a) Gather facts about current situation and know where you're heading (timeline 3-5 years)
b) Develop a vision statement
c) Develop a mission statement
d) Identify strategic objectives
e) Tactical steps
f) Performance measurement
6. Measuring Success: A newstrategy or strategic change is successful when the strategic plan itself
is undoubtedly produce measurable, tangible results (achieving real and actual results).
7. Concluding Remarks:
 Be aware of the originof strategy concept
 Be familiarwiththe terminologyof strategy&tactics
 Followuponstrategy’sapproaches&challenges
8. References: (Selected)
1. Sun Tzu’s classic work ‘The Art of War (6th B.C.).
2. Carl Von Clausewitz “On War”. (1832).
3 .Lawrence Freedman “Strategy; A History”. (2013).
4. Giap, Vo Nguyen “The Military Art of People's War”. (1971).
5. Gerry Morelock “Strategy for Failure: America’s War in Vietnam” (2017).
Compiled by Mohamed Ishgi
I would appreciate it if you give some feedback on the above subject matter.