Strategy in Management – Definition & Types (Complete Guide)

Strategy in management differs from the meaning of strategy in any other field. Therefore, you need to know what strategy in management to choose and develop an effective management strategy for your company in the management field.

Strategy in management refers to selecting an appropriate management style that enables management to achieve the organization’s goals and optimize the use of the organization’s resources.

No one doubts that the impact of management on the success of companies has a big effect. Therefore, your selection of a strategy that suits your company’s conditions and works environment will determine the degree of its success. So, this article will show you this topic in more detail, and clearly, to know all its aspects. Let’s start.

💡 Helpful Statistics About Strategy:

 67% of well-formulated strategies failed due to poor execution. (HBR)

 48% of leaders spend less than a day on strategy each month. (HBS)

 61% of executives feel they are not prepared for the strategic challenges. (HBR)

 77% of successful companies translate their strategy into operational terms and evaluate it on a day-to- day basis. (Palladium)

 98% of leaders think strategy implementation takes more time than strategy formulation.

 42% of managers and 27% of employees get access to the strategic plan

 95% of employees do not understand their organization's strategy

 84% of all staff members are clear on their organization’s top priorities

Introduction: The strategy in the management

Management is undoubtedly one of the most critical jobs in the world. For example, management affects 70% of the desire and motivation of employees within the company. This large percentage of influence creates the difference between successful and unsuccessful companies.

Therefore, choosing the right strategy used in the management process is one of the most critical factors that help your company achieve its goals.

Choosing the right management style is one of the essential pillars of strategy in management. Therefore, The following paragraphs will show you the most basic management style used in different organizations:

Five Various management styles:

  1. Participative management
  2. Network management
  3. Directive management
  4. Work Pace-Setting management
  5. Autocratic management

These are the essential style used in management, which is considered one of the basics topics of strategy in management.

These management styles are also chosen based on the company’s business environment and the experience of the work team. In this article, a detailed explanation of each management style and the appropriate conditions for its use.

Often the strategy used to manage the company is a mixture of all these previous styles.

A good manager knows a time and place for everything and can switch management styles or even combine them depending on the person or situation. It comes with practice and experience, but understanding management style is the first step to developing your management strategy.

In the following paragraphs, this article will introduce the management styles in more detail. After identifying these styles, you can build a management strategy that suits your company and your field of work. let’s start

The First Strategy: The Participative Management

This strategy chooses this management style when the work team has experience in the company’s work and priorities. So they can be involved in making decisions.

Participative management means involving employees in the decision-making process. It is about gathering each person’s different ideas and opinions and then setting priorities and planning accordingly.

By getting the ideas and contributions of your employees, you can manage and distribute workloads to teams based on the suggestions submitted.

Also, This strategy in management works to encourage creativity and innovation among employees to become successful leaders in the future.

When to use the Participative management style

This management style is effective when employees fully understand the company’s priorities and goals. For example, if a company is customer-focused and employees communicate with customers directly, they may know what to prioritize.

This strategy changes the traditional top-down structure of authorities to lead to new ideas and methods.

The second strategy: The Network Management Style

This style focuses on building links and lines of communication between teams and then relying on them to work collaboratively.

The network management style is the method that relies heavily on delegating powers to other employees. The essence of the management’s role in this style is to determine the strengths and responsibilities, and the employees begin their work without stopping in them.

This management style involves a very non-intervention policy, where the first contact for employees to solve problems or obtain initial approvals is other employees, not you as their manager.

As a manager in this style, your role is to maintain the links between employees to work together effectively. 

The manager is setting up regular interactive team meetings or setting up appropriate communication channels for effective communication. You may have to try several things before finding what works for your team.

When to use the network management style

The management network is an ideal technique for a high-level manager who oversees multiple teams.

This style depends on building communication networks and developing relationships between employees based on trust.

Sometimes the manager himself is the network, acting as a sender or moderator.

Also, the management network means ensuring that the correct information is shared efficiently and effectively among the appropriate employees and teams.

The Third Strategy: The Directive Management Style

This strategy in management depends on two types of behavior: the manager takes decisions sometimes or guides and helps employees to make the decisions themselves at other times, according to different cases.

Directive management refers to switching between an interventionist and non-interventional method. This management style helps your employees to develop their skillset and make them more independent. In this way, you act as a coach. With this strategy, you can work on developing the expertise of your employees, even individually.

This method helps employees become proficient in their work by conducting a regular interaction in which you set goals, generate development plans, and track progress.

When to use The Directive Management Style

Directive management is an ideal technique for managers who are experts in their employee roles. If you are outstanding in your field and promoted to management, you are all set to become a managing director.

The essence of this approach is to transfer expertise, develop your employees to become experts, and then get out of their way.

Sometimes you can become a directed manager even if you don’t have the specific experience that the employee develops. Connecting the employee with a coach or appropriate sources is a form of mentoring as well.

Fourth Strategy: The Work Pace-Setting Management Style

This management strategy depends on determining the speed of achievement and not paying much attention to the method and method of achievement.

The Work Pace-Setting management style concerns intervention and direction to determine the work pace and not interfere with the completed work. It is a management style related to setting deadlines and checkpoints for projects, leaving methods, and implementation determined by the staff.

In this case, your team knows how to do their job in the best possible way, but you are interested in setting a schedule to get things moving at an appropriate pace.

When you can use the Work Pace-Setting management style

If you have good leadership skills, and your employees are self-motivated and cooperate with specific actions, it may just need to set the pace.

In some cases, the team does a masterful job when employees are left to independently and only need a deadline to complete the work.

Your team may reach a point where this approach is practical for them, but if you follow it, make sure you follow up often to step in and re-evaluate the situation with the team if things start to get out of hand.

The Fifth Strategy: The Autocratic Management Style

The autocratic Management Style is the traditional method of management. In this approach, you dictate what, where, who, and how the work will be done without employees contributing.

The Autocratic management style is the traditional style of management. In this way, the administration inherits the minor details. In this way, the administration has all the powers and decisions authorities and takes the appropriate decision.

Autocratic management is not in keeping with modern non-hierarchical workforces, but it can be an extreme style in exceptional cases.

When to use Autocratic Management Style

The best time to use Autocratic management, When everything is stable, and there are rules for every job detail.

Also, an autocratic style helps take the pressure off the team. It is a way to take the burden off them. 

Additionally, The manager maybe use style as a temporary method of management in specific cases.

Autocratic management can also be effective in stimulating cooperation in firms.

This management style is acceptable to employees when working with a team with no work experience, as new employees.

For this method to work, your employees must have confidence in your skill at work, and you are as keen on their interests as you are at work.

It’s preferred to use another management style to communicate with employees, build trust day in and day out, and only use this method when necessary.

How to create your Strategy in Management

The first step in crafting your management style is understanding how these styles work in practice and theory.

Then, you can begin to implement and take advantage of all the above management techniques, looking for the best combination of techniques for your team. It is all about finding a balance between interventionist and non-interventionist approaches.

Finding the right balance can take some time and practice. Also, you need to involve some learning through trial and error. Still, don’t worry. A commitment to experimenting with different approaches, being open to education is the best starting point, and continuous growth and development is the secret to being a successful manager and a great leader.

Observe the result of the style you try and the reasons for their success or failure, and in this way, you will quickly begin to use each method effectively and with confidence.

Conclusion

Choosing the right strategy used in the administrative process is one of the most critical factors that help the administration achieve its goals.

One of the essential pillars of strategy in management is choosing the right management style for managing the company or organization. The following are some of the administrative methods used in different companies of different types:

  1. Participative management
  2. Network management
  3. Directive management
  4. Work Pace-Setting management
  5. Autocratic management

One of these administrative methods is chosen based on the circumstances surrounding the company and the experience of the work team.

Often the strategy used to manage the administrative work of creative managers is a mixture of all these previous methods.

The first step in crafting your management style is understanding how these styles work in practice and theory. It is all about finding a balance between interventionist and non-interventionist approaches.