Art, science, witchcraft

All 3 tend to get used in executing strategy.

• Science is the easiest to describe and explain. This includes application of learnings from books, research, models, articles, training and best practices. Techniques such as Six Sigma and Monte Carlo simulation will provide a structure the problem/opportunity like you would not believe. Those who don't understand the science will turn to the other two (see below).
  
• Art is when you can apply science to a specific situation. Clumsy application gives science a bad name. Proper application makes science look irrelevant. This is all the tribal knowledge gained through experience and instinct driven actions that are hard to explain. It points to why those who are successful using 'art' have so little patience with those advocating 'science'.
  
• Witchcraft is when you either get lucky or do borderline immoral and illegal things to get your way. Distorting and manipulating facts, withholding information, sacrificing long term stability for short term gains all fall in this area. Its called 'witchcraft' because these actions are well concealed (for a good reason) and are discovered by accident. People practicing witchcraft eventually get caught and pay the price, but in the short term there is a price to pay for their misdeeds (lost morale, lowered trust, lost productivity and talent turnover).

The worst thing to do is judge which ones are 'right' and 'wrong' or 'good' and 'bad'. Decide what the organization needs and line up incentives and dis-incentives. Behavior modification will follow as a matter of course.