It is not rare and yet erroneous to see the character of the strategist opposed to that of the operational. One would think while the other would execute? In other words, the first would give the direction, the procedure to follow, the second would take care of the tasks in the field? Let's take a closer look at whether this opposition makes sense. Etymologically, doesn't the word strategy come from the Greek words stratos (army) and agayn (to lead) to name the science of "commanding" troops. It is the art of coordinating actions, of skillfully maneuvering to achieve a goal. The word strategy also refers to a more distant dimension in time, medium or even long term.
The operational meanwhile is more in the action of the moment: it is a "doer" often attached to an imperative of short-term results. But a good operational, beyond his acquired or innate reflexes, has also been able to take a step back from the tasks of which he has the expertise, the way of carrying them out, of orchestrating them. He will have thought about opportunities to improve them, and most certainly considered certain risks and threats that could hinder their smooth running or their effectiveness. Finally, on closer inspection, don't the two profiles agree on their ability to develop a plan ? For a strategist, to make a plan is to contextualize, to define in an understandable way a problem and its stakes; it is a question of identifying in a few points the questions that the problem raises, of defining the deliverables and means which will make it possible to answer them as well as the methodologies and tools which will be used. It is also a question of defining the scope of actions and identifying their limits.
Planning is methodically defining the means to be implemented to achieve an objective. This is therefore the outline of a good strategist. It also happens to be one of the essential characteristics of any good project manager: beyond task planning, the project manager will have developed his roadmap to achieve defined objectives, often broken down according to cost, time and quality. He will also have assessed the risks, analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of his project, defined the means to be implemented and the resources to be requested. He will be able to ensure their perfect orchestration in time and space, coordinate all the actors making up the value chain at the service of his project - his client(s) but also his suppliers and service providers, his collaborators and any other internal function. sales, research and development, technical services, supply chain, purchasing, financial control, human resources, legal....
Planning is not the only common point between the strategist and the project manager. Both will have to seek other skills, such as :
Align stakeholders; communicate its vision, its values; give meaning to its collaborators;
Optimally define the means to be implemented to achieve the objective;
Know how to fit long-term action into short-term objectives;
Orchestrate resources, mobilize them at the right time;
Rely on key processes.
D. Norton and R. Kaplan* made no mistake about it when they developed the Balanced Scorecard tool (we will develop this concept in a future article), and more specifically the company's strategy map, a tool allowing break down the strategy into operational objectives at different levels.
In essence, the company's strategy map is based on the principle that the implementation of a strategy is based first on the motivation and skills of employees, who support the operational excellence of key processes. Mastery of this operational excellence is based on customer satisfaction and experience, conditions for the company's financial performance. In conclusion, if your job is to develop strategic recommendations, the effectiveness of their implementation will be very much conditioned by your ability to include them in operations. Similarly, if your job is to manage somewhat complex projects (we will define in a future article what constitutes a complex project), you will first need to focus on its execution strategy. "In every operational slumber a strategist; every strategist must project himself into execution." *D. Norton & R. Kaplan, Strategic Alignment Olivier Deniau Plan and Rise
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