Command responsibility can be both military or civilian and categorised as policy command, strategic command, operational command, and tactical command. It bears the capacity to issue orders, power of influence, and authority to assign tasks. Strategy tends to collapse across levels in the exercise of command responsibility. This paper discusses the basis and purpose of strategy formulation and correlates its elements in the pursuit of set vision, mission, values and strategic intent.

1. STRATEGY FORMULATION
FOR COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY
BY
TANKO AHMED fwc
Senior Fellow (Security & Strategic Studies)
Research Directorate, NIPSS, Kuru – Jos, NIGERIA

2. A Paper Presented to Participants of
the NIPSS Strategy Course for
Command Responsibility
7 – 18 May 2018
Tuesday, 8 May 2018

3. A Prologue
•Strategy formulation has vision,
mission, values and strategic intent
as its threshold.
•This paper discusses the basis and
purpose of strategy formulation and
correlates its elements in the pursuit
of set vision, mission, values and
strategic intent.

4. Strategy for Command Responsibility
•Command responsibility can be both
military or civilian and categorised as
policy command, strategic command,
operational command, and tactical
command (Bantekas, 1999; Rangeloy & Nicic, 2004).
•It bears the capacity to issue orders,
power of influence, and authority to
assign tasks.
•Strategy tends to collapse across levels in
the exercise of command responsibility

5. Some Illustrations
•“Strategic formulation will help you
fully uncover your available options,
set priorities for them, and define
the methods to achieve them”
– Robert J. McKain (n.d.)
•“Strategy formulation is an initial or
ongoing process of perceiving new
position or opportunities which
should be embedded in
organizations”.
– Harvard Business Review Blog Network (n.d.)

6. INTRODUCTION
“Strategy formulation is not the consequences of planning but its
starting point”
– Henry Mintzberg

7. Background
•Putting together or formulating a strategy
primarily requires a target, goal or objective
clearly set by vision and mission statements
(Costa, 1997; Acur, 2006; Yarger, 2006;
Theocharopoulos, 2012).
•Strategic formulation involves the
articulation, construction, conveyance,
design, devising, drawing-up, expression,
interpretation, invention, origination,
preparation, and presentation of plans.

8. Literature Review
•General literature on strategy has
advanced and spread from classical
military operations and warfare to
contemporary organizational studies and
practice (Mitchell, 2009; Acur & Englyst, 2006; Li, Guohu &
Eppler, 2008; Bordean, et al. 2010).
•Skills and philosophy of Strategy
formulation uplift, embolden and expand
the capacity and frontier of
organizational leadership (Acur & English, 2006;
Li, Guohu & Eppler, 2008; Bordean, et al. 2010).

9. Current Literature Trend
•Acur & Englyst (2006) expound on
thinking phases and generic approaches
for organizational strategy formulation
including assessment and success criteria
for organizations.
•Li, Guohu & Eppler (2008) demonstrate
and review literature on how to make
strategy formulation works for
organizations.

10. Literature Milestones
•Mitchell (2009) emphasizes on
organizational strategy formulation
as tool for corporate away from
military operational use.
•Bordean (et al. 2010) investigates
the application of strategy
formulation to organizations as part
of contemporary challenges and
opportunities to organizational
leadership.

11. Gap to Fill
This paper correlates data synthesis,
environmental scanning and SWOT
analysis as components of strategy
formulation.

12. Theorem
•Theories of strategy or theories of action
propose what to look for, what steps to
take and what to expect.
•This paper propositions the basis and
purpose of strategy formulation and
correlates its elements in the pursuit of
set vision, mission, values and strategic
intent.

13. Problem Statement
•The use of strategy for management process
involves systematic incorporation of scientific
observations and methods in formulating
plans derived from mission and vision
statements.
•Strategy formulation poses both challenges
and prospects to organizational leadership in
the strategic management process.
•There is therefore the need to be acquainted
with the nature of strategy formation process.

14. Points of Inquiry
•To conceptualize strategy formulation and its major
components;
•To itemize and correlate data synthesis,
environmental scanning, and SWOT analysis in
strategy formulation;
•To establish strategy formulation as starting point for
the strategic management process;
•To explain the conduct of strategy formulation as tool
for organizational leadership or command; and
•To draw conclusion and suggest the way forward for
success, survival and progress of organizations.

15. CONCEPTUAL
FRAMEWORK

16. Strategy
•Strategy focuses on possible courses of decisions
and action utilizing available resources
determined by environmental influence.
•It is the practice of higher level plans, leadership
or command in achieving set goals.
•It also involves patterns in streams of decisions
and actions that shape the future into desirable
ends by means of available resources (Mintzberg,
1978; Mintzberg & Quinn, 1996; Kvint, 2009; Freedman,
2013).

17. Strategy Formulation
•Strategy formulation is the task of analyzing an
organization’s internal and external environments,
and selecting or devising appropriate plans or
strategies in setting goals or objectives and ways of
achieving them.
•It involves the establishment or adjustment of
mission and vision statements, environmental
analysis or scanning, setting goals or objectives, and
the ways and means of attainment (Nabradi, n.d;
Mitchell, 2009).
•It is a living document that response to stimulus of
time or events.

18. Commanding Officer
•A Commanding Officer, or CO, is the officer
in command of a unit usually of armed
forces, police or paramilitary organizations.
•Commanding officers usually possesses and
exercise authority to decide and act
commensurate to the responsibilities of the
moment.
•Commanding officers equate to leadership
cadre of organization or organizational
leadership.

19. Organizational Leadership
Organizational Leadership provides
inspiration, objectives, operational
oversight and other administrative
services to the organization often seen in
Mission and Vision Statements
(BusinessDictionary.com).
For Example: The Participants of the
NIPSS Strategic Management Course for
Commanding Officers represent the
leadership of their various organizations
or Services.

20. Vision and Mission
•Vision is a mental picture, an image or concept in
one’s imagination often called a dream, a plan at
individual or group levels.
•Mission refers to assigned task, goal, objective set
for attainment.
• Mission statement is a formal document or
pronouncement stating aims and objectives of an
organization.
•mission and vision are associated with future plan,
intention, direction, strategy or strategic plan
often expressed as ‘mission and vision statement’.

21. Vision and Mission Statements
•Mission and Vision Statements (MVSs)
usually imply well thought-out ideas, mental
picture, far-sightedness, conceptualization,
visualization, foresight, forethought,
imagination or prescience for direction.
•MVSs are used for communicating set
objectives and direction in short, simple, but
adjustable pronouncements responding to
situational dictates.

22. Strategic Intent
•Strategic intent is a compelling statement on
where or which way to go for an
organization.
•It clearly conveys a sense of what to achieve
in specific term and how to go about getting
it.
•Examples of strategic intent are seen in
vision and mission statements of
organizations or services guided by
principles and practices.

24. Values
•Value is something held as important,
useful or worthy of well-observed
principle or practice.
•Values are principles or standards of
behaviour or yardstick for judgement in
making decision or taking action.
•Values are also important and lasting
beliefs or ideals shared by members of
a culture, outfit, service or
organization.

25. Data Synthesis
•Data is a body of factual information assembled for
use in planning, decision making or drawing
conclusions.
•Synthesis refers to result of combination, of different
ideas, influences or data for the purpose of
producing structures or relationships, known as
formulation.
•Data Synthesis combines outcomes from different
assumptions on overall effects of particular
intervention to arrive at clear pattern for decision
and action (Ellerby, 2009; Berg, 2013; Ryan 2013).

26. Environmental Scanning
•Environment is the surrounding influence, settings,
situation, atmosphere, background, conditions or
circumstances which determining the activities or
fate of any given venture.
•Scanning refers to detailed or thorough examination
of the environment for the purpose of extracting
much needed data.
•Environmental Scanning is the systematic process of
close monitoring for environmental signals for use in
strategic decision making, action or formulation of
tasks (Zhang, Majid & Foo, 2010).

28. SWOT Analysis
•SWOT analysis is a veritable instrument of evaluation
used in strategy formulation.
•It evaluates strengths or advantages over others;
weaknesses or disadvantages relative to others;
opportunities or chances for progress; and threats or
causes for concern.
•It is the work room of strategy formulation where
results of data synthesis and environmental scanning
are put together for evaluation.
•It identifies and aligns strategies with available
resources; and capabilities to realities of the
environment.

29. Strategic Management Process
•The strategic management process (SMP) is
an objective, logical, systematic and
continuous approach for making major
decisions and taking actions in an
organization (Yousuf, 2016).
•It is defined as a dynamic process of strategy
formulation, implementation, evaluation
and control (Parnell, 2005; David, 2008; Vasile & Iancu, 2009;
Vatchkova, 2010; Hill, Jones & Schilling, 2015; Yousuf, 2016).

30. STRATEGIC FORMULATION
AND
DATA SYNTHESIS

31. The Sense in Data
•Data is most crucial in the process of choosing
appropriate courses of action towards defined
goals.
•Strategy formulation relies heavily on data for
planning, decision making and action for
overall effects (Ellerby, 2009).
•Strategic control relies on data synthesis
which systematically gathers, refines, applies
and reviews information over time (Ulwick,
1999).

32. Data Synthesis in Strategic Formulation
•Data Synthesis examines and infers
relationships among sources in a clear,
obvious and definite format for use in
strategic formulation.
•It blends information and ideas to create
and develop more ideas, better focus,
wider perspective in an impending
strategic formulation cycle.

33. Data Synthesis as Tool of Analysis
•Output of data synthesis is useful for core
insight, critical thinking and testing of ideas
in making next moves.
•These turn out good analysis as well as what
to do next in strategy formulation towards
set objectives.

34. STRATEGIC FORMULATION
AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
SCANNING

35. The Keen Eyes of Strategy
•Strategy requires keen sense, balanced mind,
fast thinking, quick response and accurate
moves.
•Visual-thinking improves mental-attention
skills associated with environmental scanning
(Bohannon, 2009).
•A corresponding example of the keen eyes of
strategy is seen in the sharp sense and high
aptitude of expert computer players.

36. Environmental Scanning in Strategic Formulation
•Environmental scanning enables organizations to
detect change and adjust strategies (Zhang, Majid &
Foo, 2010).
•In strategic sense, environmental scanning is also
about mastering the immediate locality to the larger
surroundings within which the organization
operates.
•It includes scanning strategies, internal factors and
perceived change leading to purposive strategy
formulation.

37. STRATEGIC FORMULATION
AND
SWOT ANALYSIS

38. SWOT Analysis in Strategic Formulation
•Taking stock of activities requires thorough
examination of internal status and external
context of organizations (Keeley, n.d.).
•SWOT analysis allows organizations to
recognize themselves and their surrounding
environments in order to plan, implement
and monitor their strategies (Hashemi, et al.
2012).
•Strategy formulation particularly focuses on
areas of strengths and opportunities; as well
as weaknesses and threats.

39. Outline of SWOT Analysis in
Strategic Formulation

40. STRATEGY FORMULATION AS
STRATEGIC TOOL OF
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

41. Strategy Formulation as Instrument of Organizational
Leadership
•Strategy is “the match an organization makes
between its internal resources and skills; and
the opportunities and risks created by its
external environment” (Grant, 2001 p. 114).
•The strategic formulation cycle consists of
data synthesis, environmental scanning and
SWOT analysis; and submits to continuous
review.
•It is an instrument of organizational leadership
for effective and efficient attainment of
mission and vision.

42. Strategy Formulation and Organizational
Performance
•Consensus on objectives or methods, and
collaboration amongst management team
members positively relates to organizational
performance (Dess, 2006).
•Leadership has great influence on
organizational performance particularly as
relate to strategy formulation and day to day
decision making actions.
•These form the cycle of vision, mission and
strategy formulation leading to action plan.

43. ARTICULATING VISION, MISSION,
VALUES AND STRATEGIC INTENT

44. The Commanding Officers’ Mind
•A tacit placement of vision, mission values and
strategic intent would spell the complex workings
of strategy formulation typical of commanding
officers’ minds.
•The knowledge and understanding of the
environment in which they operate, and the ability
to utilize information in forging forward is
prerequisite to being a successful commanding
officer.
•The use of strategy is therefore avail in the
systematic incorporation of scientific observations
and methods in formulating plans derived from
mission and vision statements.

45. Articulation of Vision, Mission, Values and
Strategic Intent
•Strategy formulation bears prospects as much as
challenges to leadership in the strategic
management process.
•There is the need for leadership or commanding
officers to be acquainted with the demanding
standards of conducting the strategy formation
process.
•These opportunities are seen through the
employment of data synthesis, environmental
scanning, and SWOT Analysis.
•This tool-kit provides what to look for, what steps
to take and what to expect.

46. Strategy Intent as Innovation Tool
•For the Commanding Officer, strategy intent
is an ‘innovation driver’ linking strategy
formulation to vision and mission.
•It is a tool for radical idea generation in the
quest for new opportunities towards
attainment of set goals and objectives.
•Within the content of strategy intent is also
the unique values that shape principles and
practices of making decisions and taking
actions guided and shared by service rules
and personnel.

48. CONCLUSION

49. Summary
•The paper conceptualizes, discusses and
correlates major components of strategy
formulation in articulating vision,
mission, values and strategy intent.
•It establishes strategy formulation as
starting point of the strategic
management process; and explains its
value as tool for organizational command
or leadership.

50. Conclusion
The paper draws conclusions on
the foundational value and
contributions of strategy
formulation as tool-kit for
command and leadership.

51. Recommendations
•The paper strongly recommends knowledge
and skills on strategy formulation for all
command or organizational leadership.
•A simulation exercise is designed to practice
on the application of strategy formulation in
real world situations.

52. SIMULATION EXERCISE
Groups of Course Participants are to
prepare Strategy Formulation Schedule
for any Inter-Agency Internal Security
Operation of their choice and present to
the whole house.

53. GENERAL GUIDE

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