A Plan Is Not a Strategy

A Plan Is Not a Strategy

An HBR Executive Masterclass with Roger L. Martin.

May 28, 2025

Business professionals engaging in a collaborative meeting with charts and documents.
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Summary.   

Planning and strategy are two fundamentally different actions—and conflating them undermines performance. Planning is about allocating resources and setting out actions within a company’s control, like opening a new plant or hiring staff. Strategy, on the other hand, is about making a coherent set of choices that position an organization to win in a specific market.

Group of diverse men in a modern office engaged in a productive meeting over a laptop.
Photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

Read more on Strategy or related topics Strategy formulation, Corporate strategy, Competitive strategy and Strategic planning

AdvertisementDon't Outlive Your Benefits — Long-Term Care insurance with unlimited LTC funds for as long as you live. Call 1-800-317-0625

Read more on Strategy or related topics Strategy formulation, Corporate strategy, Competitive strategy and Strategic planning

AdvertisementDon't Outlive Your Benefits — Long-Term Care insurance with unlimited LTC funds for as long as you live. Call 1-800-317-0625

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AdvertisementDon't Outlive Your Benefits — Long-Term Care insurance with unlimited LTC funds for as long as you live. Call 1-800-317-0625
AdvertisementDon't Outlive Your Benefits — Long-Term Care insurance with unlimited LTC funds for as long as you live. Call 1-800-317-0625