Strategic Planning andVisioning For The Future

Strategic Planning is an essential activity in which organizations define a vision of where they want to be in the future and a plan for how they'll get there. It is generally based on an analysis of external realities, e.g., trends in the marketplace, internal strengths, such as key competencies and proprietary technologies, potentially vulnerable areas, and opportunities. Equally important, is a consideration of the values and purposes that underlie the organization's 'reason for being'. Taken together, these provide the basis for determining focus, measurable goals, strategies and actions. Values and Commitment Answers to the question 'why are we here?' form an essential base of shared values. For an organization to benefit from the sum of all of its human capabilities, it is critical that members be committed to ideals that are articulated throughout the organization. Discussion about the fundamental worth of the enterprise creates shared understandings and is the foundation for clarification of mission and overarching goals. Scanning The Environment: External and Internal With ideals in place, data about the current reality is gathered. Externally, the factors that affect the organization's chances for success include relationships with other organizations, i.e., customers, real and potential, other organizations doing related or similar things that can be either competitors or partners, and vendors and suppliers. Other factors, which may vary for different sorts of organizations, include forces and trends like regulation, legislation, bid processes, new technologies, demographics and purchasing patterns. Internally, considerations include concrete factors such as the organization's structure, job and work design, policies and practices as well as many more complex elements, e.g., culture, relationships, processes such as problem solving and decision-making and the flow of information. A thorough and objective scanning of all these elements is undertaken to gather as much data as possible about the current environment and to create a shared picture of the total status quo. Setting a Course The next step is to look objectively at what is going on inside the organization as it currently exists in relation to the ideals articulated at the beginning of the process. What are our current priorities?. . . .What strategies, goals, initiatives, projects are we involved in?. . . . .How are we directing our energy and using our resources?. . . . Are these consistent with the values that define our reason for being?. . . . .Are we due for a course correction or are we on the right track?. . . .If our mission is to be our 'North Star', will we get to our destination by continuing on our current course or do we need to make some adjustments? These questions lead to defining new strategies and goals that are better aligned with the mission and to which everyone can commit. With fundamental agreement about the ultimate destination, all members of the organization are more willing to place organizational goals above short term and personal concerns. The discussion itself allows differences to surface, creating a collective wisdom that is more powerful than the thinking of any one individual. Assessing Positive and Negative Forces Assessment of strengths and weaknesses is meaningless unless those evaluations are in relation to desired outcomes. In other words, the question is not simply "What are our strengths and weaknesses?" It is, rather, "What is working for us to help us achieve our goals and what is getting in our way?" Identification of the positive and negative forces, both externally and internally, clearly leads the way to determining programs and initiatives that build on strengths while minimizing the impact of deficits. It also suggests ways in which the organization can increase key competencies and advantages and overcome weaknesses. Concrete action steps can be identified at this point. It is also an appropriate time to acknowledge and celebrate the things the organization is already doing well. An Example of a Strategic Visioning Process The 12 member Board of a large service organization met for two days in an off-site retreat to re-define their organization's mission, re-vitalize the members' commitments, and prepare for the next year's budget. By beginning with a vision based on the values that attracted each member to the organization, the Board defined a pro-active strategy for meeting the considerable challenges they faced. They took stock of the obstacles and opportunities, the things that made them strong and the areas in which they needed strengthening. As a result, they were able to chart a unified course based on both objective, rational considerations and personal value orientations . TOP OF PAGE Back to Services Page HOME PAGE