Abstract
This chapter focuses on the nature of strategy and how this influences the direction and behaviour of sport organisations. The chapter begins with an explanation of what we mean when we talk about strategy and how this means different things to different people. The chapter also looks at the common elements of strategy across different theories, schools and concepts in order to understand what it means to be a strategist in a sport organisation. The chapter considers three issues crucial to the development of strategy: The philosophy of strategy and whether strategy is a science or an art; The process of strategy and whether strategy is based around planning and analysis or trial, experimentation and emergence; The drivers of strategy and whether the crucial determinants of a strategy are the organisation or the environment. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the relationship between theory and practice and what this means for a strategist in a sports organisation.