Strategic planning deals with the futurity of present decisions.
Traditional planning asks: “What is most likely to happen?” Planning for uncertainty asks, instead “What has already happened that will create the future?”
Strategic planning is not box of tricks, bundle of techniques. It is analytical thinking and commitment of resources to action. It is the continuous process of making present entrepreneurial decisions systematically and with the greatest knowledge of their futurity, organizing systematically the efforts needed to carry out these decisions, and measuring the results of these decisions against the expectations through organized, systematic feedback. The question that faces the strategic decision-maker is not what his organization should do tomorrow. It is: “What do we have to do today to be ready for an uncertain tomorrow?” The question is not what will happen in the future. It is: “What futurity do we have to build into our present thinking and doing, what time spans do we have to consider, and how do we use this information to make rational decision now?”
Action point: Develop strategic planning process that focuses present decisions on the future welfare of your organization. Establish responsibilities for the implementation and monitoring of these strategic decisions. Perform audits of the results of each strategic decision in order to improve your effectiveness in making strategic decisions.
Managing in Time of Great Change
Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices
Extracted from Peter Drucker’s book The Daily Drucker.
