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16 Strategy
STRATEGY – THE DEFINITIONS Strategy is the pattern of activities followed by an organization in pursuit of its long-term purposes. Strategic issues can be characterized as developments inside or outside the school that are likely to have an important impact on its ability to meet or determine its purposes and objectives. Strategy-making is concerned with the determination of the nature, domain and scope of the school’s activities and the evaluation of their success. The pattern of activities in strategy arises from the acquisition, allocation and commitment of a distinctive set of resources and capabilities to match the challenges of the environment, and from the management of the network of relationships with and between its stakeholders. Strategy concerns the whole school interaction with the environment and is integrative and cross-functional. This requires those managing strategy to retain a balanced vision of the functions of all parts of the school in overall planning. At the same time there will be a concentration on those areas within the school which have strategic priority. Strategy has a long time horizon, perhaps three to five years, and is concerned with projection into and the prediction of an uncertain future. The past determines the resources and capabilities available at a particular time but the main focus of strategy is in predicting and interacting with the future. The uncertainty involved comes from the unpredictability of the actions of other actors in the environment, in particular for schools the government at the macro level but also within the local community, and wider social change. Making strategy requires the assessment and integration of information about both the internal features of the school and those of its environment. STRATEGIC FIT The goal of strategic fit is setting and managing the school’s distinctive resources and capabilities. A sophisticated approach needs to take account of the following factors: ● The fit between the school and its environment is dynamic and interactive. The quality will depend on how the school develops its strategic resources and capabilities to meet the challenge of change. 161
