Strategic planning and the resultant strategic planning blueprints are essential to every organisation, association, entity or business outfit. The tragedy however is that strategic planning more often than not yields very little results for a number of reasons which I will briefly highlight.
Lack of appreciation
The number one reason why strategic planning processes fail is due to the fact that there is lack of appreciation for strategic planning processes and outcomes.
Organisations largely view corporate strategic planning as a tick the box exercise at best or more accurately as corporate ritual or collective ceremony carried out every few years. Importantly, strategic planning must be viewed as a compass which locates and directs an organisation or entity towards fulfilling its purpose.
The starting point for effective strategic planning is organisational appreciation of the strategic planning process as a fundamental.
Exclusivity of processes
Another reason for the failure of strategic planning processes is the fact that some companies and organisations have made the process the exclusive reserve of top executives leaving out critical middle level managers and staff who are responsible for strategy implementation.
This exclusionary tendency gives birth to a strategy blueprint which is not owned by the entirety of the organisation. This leads to lack of effective budgeting and thus lack of implementation of strategic objects.
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It is thus essential to ensure that the strategic planning process is as inclusive as possible incorporating all critical stakeholders and shareholders.
The caveat to this though is that such inclusion must be value adding and not mere window dressing.
A strategic planning process that includes all critical players is likely to be implemented with enthusiasm and energy.
Conversely a strategic planning process which only involves a few top executives is likely to fail the ownership test and thereafter the implementation test.
Readability of blueprint
A lot of strategy planning blueprints a very lengthy and in this very fast paced world where people in decision making positions want to have access to documents which help them to make informed decisions swiftly this is hardly advisable.
The production of very long and complicated documents which are only read by the consultant and his editor I a major killer of most strategy processes.
Organisations are advised to have strategy documents which are not too long and which can be easily read, interpreted and implemented by the organisation.
It is also advisable to have two documents, one could be very comprehensive and an abridged version of three to four pages with clear bullet points.
- Nkomo is a CCC ward 5 councillor in Bulawayo. Nkomo is a writer and organisational development practitioner. He writes here in his personal capacity. — dumisani.nkomo@gmail.com
