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Strategy and what it means to be strategic: redefining strategic, operational, and tactical decisions

Strategy and what it means to be strategic: redefining strategic, operational, and tactical... The confusion over what counts as “strategic” is widely acknowledged to be a problem for both research and practice. The paper aims to develop a robust definition of “strategic decisions” and a classifying tool that distinguishes them from grand tactical, tactical, and other organizational decisions.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive literature review focused on the leading journals is carried out. Articles having “strategic decision” in the abstract are retrieved from EBSCO Host and ProQuest One Academic databases. Definitions of “strategic decisions” are critically assessed and classified to form the trigger and basis of the development of new definition.FindingsThe literature review identifies five approaches by which strategic decisions are defined, and their limitations are exposed. The proposed definitions of “strategic,” grand tactical, and tactical decisions, and the novel classification tree, used to distinguish those decisions, are shown to be more accurate and robust than those previously offered in the literature.Originality/valueNew definitions of “strategic,” grand tactical, and tactical decisions are offered; and a new classifying tool is developed. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Strategy and Management Emerald Publishing

Strategy and what it means to be strategic: redefining strategic, operational, and tactical decisions

Khalifa, Azaddin Salem
Journal of Strategy and Management , Volume 14 (4): 16 – Oct 20, 2021
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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
1755-425X
DOI
10.1108/jsma-12-2020-0357
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The confusion over what counts as “strategic” is widely acknowledged to be a problem for both research and practice. The paper aims to develop a robust definition of “strategic decisions” and a classifying tool that distinguishes them from grand tactical, tactical, and other organizational decisions.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive literature review focused on the leading journals is carried out. Articles having “strategic decision” in the abstract are retrieved from EBSCO Host and ProQuest One Academic databases. Definitions of “strategic decisions” are critically assessed and classified to form the trigger and basis of the development of new definition.FindingsThe literature review identifies five approaches by which strategic decisions are defined, and their limitations are exposed. The proposed definitions of “strategic,” grand tactical, and tactical decisions, and the novel classification tree, used to distinguish those decisions, are shown to be more accurate and robust than those previously offered in the literature.Originality/valueNew definitions of “strategic,” grand tactical, and tactical decisions are offered; and a new classifying tool is developed.

Journal

Journal of Strategy and Management – Emerald Publishing

Published: Oct 20, 2021

Keywords: Strategy; Strategic management; Strategic decisions; Tactics; Grand tactics; Operational decisions

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