A comparative study of public and private high schools’ implementation of strategy maps to achieve strategic goals in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era in Indonesia

Purpose This article demonstrates the application of Kaplan and Norton’s Strategy Map framework to analyze principals’ strategies for preparing students for the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era in Indonesian secondary education. Design/methodology/approach Building on two prior studies, this research applied Kaplan and Norton’s Strategy Map framework to analyze principals’ strategies for the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era. Data from 25 participants in one private and one public high school in Malang, Indonesia, were analyzed using Miles and Huberman’s approach. Strategy Maps were developed for each school, followed by cross-case analysis to identify strategic patterns and differences. Findings The Strategy Map process begins with the definition of the school’s mission, values, and vision, leading to the identification of critical customer aspects and the school product. The study revealed different strategic approaches between private and public schools. Private schools adopted a product leader strategy focusing on student development, while public schools adopted a system lock-in strategy with innovative programmes. The basis differs between public schools (financial perspective) and private schools (learning and growth perspective), reflecting each school type’s unique constraints and goals in preparing for Industrial Revolution 4.0. Originality/value This study innovatively applies the Strategy Map framework to compare private and public secondary school strategies in Indonesia in facing the challenges of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, offering a new perspective on adapting business strategic management tools to the education sector.