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This paper seeks to offer some unity in a new and evolving discipline. The aim is to provide clear and unambiguous foundations to aid development of operations strategy as a field of study. Using empirical evidence and theoretical reasoning, it seeks to clarify the nature of operations strategy: its lineage, composition and purpose. In so doing, it is able to asseverate that such strategies develop and evolve through both market and resource influences – they shape both the composition and architecture of such strategies. In so doing, it is possible to demonstrate that these strategies can be customised to the exigencies of the situation.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present insights into operations strategy (OS) in practice. It outlines a conceptualization and model of OS processes and, based on findings from an in‐depth and longitudinal case study, contributes to further development of extant OS models and methods which presently mainly focus on OS content, as distinct from process issues.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology combines action research and a longitudinal single site case study of OS processes in practice.FindingsThe paper conceptualises an OS process as: events of dialogue and action; taking place in five dimensions of change – technical‐rational, cultural, political, project management, and facilitation; and typically unfolding as a sequential and parallel, ordered and disordered, planned and emergent as well as top‐down and bottom‐up process. The proposed OS conceptualization provides a useful tool for describing and analyzing real‐time OS processes unfolding in practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on a single case, which limits the generalizability of the findings.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that, in order to obtain successful outcomes for an OS process in practice, change agents may need to moderate their outcome ambitions, manage process dimensions and agendas in a situational manner, balance inherent process paradoxes, strive at bridging both language and reality, as well as mobilizing key stakeholders, especially middle managers, throughout the process.Originality/valueThe paper proposes a novel conceptualization of the OS process derived from the literature in relevant areas and findings obtained through longitudinal action research of an OS formulation and implementation process.

This book aims to explain in some detail the characteristics of a war fought in narrow seas and to compare and contrast strategy and major operations in narrow seas and naval warfare in the open ocean.