Operations, Long-Term Planning, Strategy: What’s the Difference?

Regardless of your position in an organization, understanding the difference between strategy vs operations is crucial. When working with our clients, we’ve heard many managers and leaders refer to the “annual strategy meeting.”

However, upon closer inspection, we have noticed that more often than not, these “strategy” meetings aren’t truly strategic in nature. Instead, these are operationally focused, long-term planning meetings.

While operational efficiency and long-term planning are both extremely important aspects of a business’ continued success, if an organization hopes to be a true competitor in the rapidly changing world of business, the importance of strategically thinking about issues and addressing them head on simply can’t be overlooked.