Discuss the significance of Strategic Planning to organizations
Introduction
In discussing the significance of Strategic Planning it is important to clarify the process, though complex, in a definable manner.
(i) “The GUIDING MEMBERS of an organization ENVISION its future and develop the necessary PROCEDURES and OPERATIONS to achieve that future. The strategic plan sets the stage for creating the marketing plan and the financial plan. The risk analysis section of the strategic plan includes the development of a succession plan”1
(ii) A dynamic and stated force which helps drive an organization forward by coordinating and channeling resources towards achievement of pre-determined goals
Significance in a business context will
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“Without a Strategic Plan, an organization is like a ship without a rudder. Strategic planning provides direction, purpose and planning which can yield great people and financial benefits for any business.
Businesses that plan ahead are much more likely to become what they want to become than those who do not plan at all. A good manager ...plans and controls the plans, while a bad manager never plans and then tries to control people." 2
The significance to organizations can thus lead to `significant improvement in sales , profitability and productivity compared to organizations without such planning …firms with planning systems more closely resembling strategic –management planning theory generally exhibit superior long
A strategic plan is a tool that delivers guidance in achieving a mission or goal with maximum proficiency and control for an organization. Strategic planning is used to transform and revitalize organizations. The plan helps provide an inclusive understanding of opportunities and challenges both internally and externally for the organization. The plan delivers an assessment of the strengths and limitations that are realistic within the company. A well-developed strategic plan will offer a comprehensive approach and empowerment for the stakeholders involved. It is an opportunity for learning and understanding priorities that will drive the business to succeed. Jones (2010), describes how in health care organizations, strategic plans
"Strategic management is a set of managerial decisions and actions that determine the long-run performance of a corporation" (Wheelen & Hunger, 2006, p.3). The benefits of strategic management helps the firm focus on the objectives and develop the steps involved in obtaining the vision and financial wealth of the organization. An effective strategic management plan should include the following three questions: (1) Where is the organization now? (2) If no changes are
Strategic planning within a company is a tool used in companies that help mature areas in total quality management. This type of planning creates a cohesive management system for lower level employees to better adapt in. “Strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more and how it 's going to get there. Typically, the process is organization-wide, or focused on a major function such as a division, department or other major function”(McNamara, 2008). In order to plan effectively one must first make a clear assessment of the plan and have an analysis on the corporations mission statement and objective.
Strategic planning involves taking information from the environment and deciding upon an organizational mission, and upon objectives, strategies, and a strategic architecture. There are many different ways to go about deciding on your mission. Michael Porter, a researcher from Harvard, had a few ways for developing frameworks for developing an organization’s strategy.
The strategic plan is essential for the organization because it is a tool used to guide the decisions
Strategic planning is important for all businesses because this is when they set there aims and will discuss how they can achieve that aim. These aims have to be realistic and the owners will discuss this with their workers. Some aims might be hard to get but executives will want their workers to push hard so that it can be achieved. Marks and Spencer’s aim was to be the best supermarket in Britain but the recession had affected them really bad giving them losses of over 100 million pounds. Currently they are making profits of 50 million pounds but it is nowhere near what they made a few years ago.
Strategic planning can dictate the success of any organization if properly planned as well as the failure of an organization if not implemented as planned. Strategic planning is all about making choices. It is a process designed to support leaders in being intentional about their goals and methods. Simply stated, strategic planning is a management tool, and like any management tool, it is used for one purpose only—to help an organization do a better job. This portion of the strategic plan will explain why an
Strategic planning is a necessary process to ensure an organization understands its future, and emerging operational environment and issues. Strategic planning also develops measurable plans, processes, and procedures to prepare for that environment and the future.
Strategic Planning is the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organizations goals and capabilities as well as emerging market conditions and opportunities. This process begins with a clear company mission statement. However, this is only a small piece of a dynamic and perpetual process. Other activities involved with strategic planning also include setting supporting organizational objectives, designing a sound product mix as well as coordinating functional strategies. Strategic planning works to set the groundwork for the rest of the subsidiary planning functions in the company.
In his article, “The Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning,” Henry Mintzberg (1994) provides his views on the process of strategic planning. He offers that most companies and organizations start a strategic planning process with little understanding of the definition or actual purpose of planning. He tends to admonish much of the conventional understanding concerning strategic planning and proposes his interpretations. He states that “the most successful strategies are visions, not plans” (Mintzberg, 1994, p. 107).
Strategic Planning is one of the most fundamental factors in the success of an organization. This research project will discuss the importance of strategic planning as well as the different components of strategic planning. Many organizations fail to accomplish their goals and tasks due to the lacking of strategic planning. In order for their businesses to be successful, organizations need to be well informed about how the strategic planning process works.
Per John M. Bryson, strategic planning, if properly conducted, can help the leaders and managers of public and non-profit organizations think, learn and act tactically. Strategic planning enables organizational leaders and managers to first identify their organization’s mission and/or purpose. Thereafter, the planning process permits these leaders to pinpoint the actions and activities that will enable the organization to achieve its mission. Finally, the planning process requires the organizational leaders to synthesize objectives and activities into a blueprint or concrete plan of action under which the organization will conduct its business.
According to literature, strategic planning is vital for strategic management. Burgelman (1994) points that strategic planning is a process which decides how, when and who is going to plan and how the results will be implemented. Drucker (1974) identified that the planning for an organization’s future that includes setting major overall objectives, the determination of basic approaches to be used in
Strategic planning is the process of gathering information from stakeholders, market players, professional entity, and government agency. The purpose of gathering information is formulating a realistic and a workable framework that any organization can implement and work with. Evaluation of information is a key aspect in determine the kind of plans that the organization wish to a chive over certain a period. Strategic planning ensures the implementation is, crafted well, and parties involved be acquitted with it. Developing a good Strategic plan helps a company to implement its missions and visions effectively, and helps the company to evaluate
Strategic planning is the process of taking inputs (information), organizing and making sense of that information, and producing an output (the plan) that covers a long period of time, and maps out the strategies, goals, and objectives for that period of time, that are expected to keep the organization focused, unified, and likely to succeed in