What is Strategy and what is Strategic Management?

 The general sentiment within strategy texts, as seen in Esmaeili, (2015) and Ketchen, & Short, (2012) for instance, is that there is no single definition of strategy as it is a complex process. However, strategic management deals with the choice of plans, decisions and actions that management make in order to influence the success of an organization (Ketchen, & Short, 2012). Strategy is therefore the complex mix of the appropriate and correct decisions and actions built into the plan that an organization aims to use for its success. In trying to mitigate the complexity of defining strategy, the Canadian management scientist, Henry Mintzberg developed the 5P’s model of strategy, as a model for the effective development of strategy by considering various aspects and possible approaches from different angles and perspectives, guided by the Ps (Basin, 2018). Basin (2018) outlines the five Ps as follows: Plan - an organizational plan on how to use its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to create a competitive advantage; Ploy - the organization’s trump card to outwit its competitors; Pattern - this aspect of the strategy refers to the consistent winning actions of the organization that feature in future plans; Position - the organizations place in relation to other organizations and competitors in the industry and Perspective - how executives in the organization understand and interpret the strategic plan. Esmaeili, (2015) considers strategic management as a continuous circular process of strategy formulation using the Mintzberg’s 5Ps, execution and monitoring of developments.

Strategic management is an ancient concept, largely shaped by military strategies. In fact, the origin of the word strategy has its origins in warfare. Ketchen and Short (2012) explains that the Greek verb stratego refers to defeating an enemy. In essence, therefore it means that the purpose of a strategy is to defeat the enemy. This idea is useful in the context whereby one views success in life as the result of fighting and wining battles. When an organization enters an industry or a market it enters a battlefield and should device strategies to win each battle it faces.

The Five P’s in Shaka Zulu’s Military Strategy

 Plan – Shaka believed that the Zulu clan was superior to other clans and he instilled this belief into the minds of his troops in order to build confidence among his troops (Allen, 2014). He placed emphasis on military organization and skill. With military regiments that believed they were superior to everybody else, coupled with discipline, loyalty and order among the troops, he changed the approach to African warfare from subdue and conquer to total domination and destruction of the enemy (Allen, 2014).
Ploy – Shaka understood that when an enemy is encircled with no escape route fear will prevail. His specific military approach involved enveloping the enemy to create a psychological effect (Allen, 2014). This allowed his soldiers to apply pressure quickly from multiple directions, which eroded morale and cohesion of the enemy, resulting in a decisive victory.
Pattern – Shaka’s military tactics were based on the Bullhorn approach. This tactical approach involves dividing the troops into four different regiments, arranged in the shape of a bull’s horns, hence the Bullhorn formation (Allen, 2014). The approach is to attack the enemy using the chest formation while the horns maneuver and encircle from the sides until the enemy is fully enveloped then the loin come in and reinforces the attack. With this approach Shaka was able to defeat the British soldiers armed with articulated machinery while using only spears and cowhide shields.
Position – In responding to competition Shaka would make sure that conquered soldiers give up their clan affiliation and become fully enculturated as Zulus. This would ensure that his army grows in numbers and strength. He also had a strong intelligence network which allowed him to thoroughly assess the strength, disposition, and the intention of his enemy before embarking on an attack. Through his intelligence networks he was able to plan military operations with precision and accuracy, more often taking the enemy by surprise and out of guard (Allen, 2014).
Perspective – Perhaps the biggest success of Shaka’s strategy was that he was a dictator who often solved conflicts and misunderstanding by executions. Allen (2014) records that Shaka was the judge of his court and there would hardly a day pass without an execution. In this environment his regiment leaders would have no room for interpretation of the strategy and the environment around them but to obey and comply with Shaka’s orders and commands. There would have been no room for perspective under Shaka’s military rule.
The above discussion clearly shows that Shaka Zulu had a good understanding of strategy and used his strategic management wisely, hence the many battles his troops won and the undisputed domination of the Zulu Kingdom, which still dominates to date in South Africa. The applicability of the 5Ps in strategic management in ancient times and also in the modern era could only mean that the importance, relevance and nature of strategy has not changed over the centuries. What has changed is how and why strategy is applied in modern situation. In the modern era strategies are largely based on R&D, innovation and the use of technology and information systems. The biggest considerations are the moral and ethical issues in designing ploys for the purpose of maximizing profits, which was different in Shaka’s time.
 References
Allen, C.R. (2014). Shaka Zulu’s Linkage of Strategy and Tactics: An Early Form of Operational Art? School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Esmaeili, N. (2015). Strategic management and its application in modern organizations. International Journal of Organizational Leadership. 4. 118-126.
Ketchen, D & Short, J. (2012) Strategic Management: Evaluation and Execution. This book is licensed under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0 license.
Basin, H. (2018). The 5 P’s of Strategy explained. Retrieved from https://www.marketing91.com/the-5-ps-of-strategy-explained/