Operational effectiveness and strategy are both essential, says this article from Harvard Business Review, to compete in today's market. At the same time, explains author Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School, they work in different ways. He provides examples of companies that have good operational effectiveness but little strategy (such as the majority of Japanese organizations) and explains why companies with effective strategies will always take the lead. He then explains the essentials of strategy, such as strategic fit and sustainability. This article originally appeared in print in the November-December 1996 Harvard Business Review and is now available in audio format exclusively through Audible.