Strategic Management vs. Strategic Planning, what’s the difference?

In strategic circles, and both academic, we all strive for the maintaining of the highest standards of intellectual thought; especially when referring to the philosophy of strategy. In plain English – it’s all perception as it deals with philosophy, and philosophy changes constantly; or should... 

This “philosophy” both the business and strategic; dictates that BUSINESS PHYLOSPHY becomes a STRATEGY OR STRATEGIC when it conforms to basic FORMING elements of most strategy, where it should have; 

· a vision, 

· a mission, 

· goals, 

· and action plans… 

· then we refer to something as being Strategic; or STRATEGIC PLANNING. 

Strategic plans are made up of action plans; 

Where Action Planning deals with; 

Who - Responsibility 

What - Objectives

Where - Location

When - Time/ frame 

How - Goals 

How much - Quantity/ cost 

Now we get to Strategic Management, it in turn gives us a required business perspective; a business perspective is the organisation of all activities, in a structured manner. We want to or need to organise things, in order to be able to measure and gauge, things like our; performance, progress and quality, whilst these strategic plans unfold, into action plans, into finality. 

The whole purpose of management is to add structure, process, procedures, policy, resources, and organisation. All in order to connect all the resources, with systems, and get results in the form of products or services, that impacts on other initiative, activities, and plans, that then starts coinciding with the business model, and plan, and its ideology, to make all its aims happen. 

Management as a process becomes systematically inclined and also procedural, it steers these “action plans”, or “strategic plans” with intent, that are otherwise in effect just seen as dead pieces of paper, which needs to be interpreted, and given life. Management becomes this means. By combining ideas, with effort, substance starts to emerge with an expected resolve or end state, coming from some place, somewhere between practical and philosophical – dealing with all aspects between knowledge and wisdom, then when backed up with factual relevance – then we are seen to manage. 

Describing management and actually doing it becomes two worlds, as we all experience it at different angles, and levels, very differently. Never the less, it’s these words that we use, that unite us in mind and effort to perform. Therefore it’s very essential that we find the same meaning in terminology so that we may all benefit from both the knowledge and the wisdom it brings. 

Then only will we know the true distinction – or difference – between them, planning and management. It somehow never becomes a simple enough explanation, when we just take out the words strategic, and try and deduce meaning. Planning and management are two different animals. Then we are only left with, management and planning. There you have it sweet, short, and to the point. The one is all about management the other planning. 

Some will argue that these terms do not exist; People try and get way to clever for their own good. Then you get aspects arising like; Strategic management vs. strategic planning, what’s the difference? 

It’s mainly because of the relationship between words and their meanings that also become culturally significant, and extremely complicated when want to take/ taken literally. For instance; if we take the literal meaning of the words used here and translate it, then Strategic means “planned”, then that would imply that you can’t come up with something like “planned planning” what does that mean or imply anyway?... nor could you tell if it is still the same thing? Then Strategic planning should have a significant meaning, should it not? 

When in doubt, we should also look at a words connotation; thus implying – what is suggested as well as its denotation – what our intellect tells us it should imply, and then we will know what we are looking at. 

This aspect belongs to the field of semantics. For now though, what you need to know is that words do not have single or even simple meanings – they have implicit meaning. 

Traditionally, grammarians have referred to the meanings of words in two parts: 

Denotation; referring to the literal meaning of the word 

Connotation; referring to a relationship to the word either emotional or otherwise; something which the word evokes in people... 

· As a denotation; Strategic; literally means - planned. 

· As a connotation; Strategic; implies - organised or deliberate actions... 

· As a denotation; Planning; literally means - preparation 

· As a connotation; Planning; scheduling or setting up 

So if we connect the two words now; we get strategic planning; 

· As a denotation; Planned preparation 

· As a connotation; Organised / deliberate – preparation or setting up 

There we go... 

Now Strategic Management; 

· As a denotation; supervision 

· As a connotation; organised, or administration 

· Strategic Management; as a denotation; planned supervision; and levels of supervision, or hierarchy in business 

· Strategic Management; as a connotation; deliberate organisation or actions.