The problem with strategic planning

Posted by  Andrew Rixon —October 5, 2005
Filed in Strategy

It’s interesting how many organisations do strategic planning and yet how little value is considered to be delivered as a result. In an article called Eight problems with strategic planning a few points tweaked my interest.

  • Does our process produce a plan that’s “real?”
  • Does our plan really work for the organization?
  • Is anybody doing anything?

The danger I see with the normal model of highly facilitated (the facilitator is driving) strategic planning sessions is that the 3 points raised above are often missed. As mentioned in the article, often the facilitator is too academic (in which case a framework is used) or the facilitator is too much of a content expert for the industry and ends up taking over the meeting, when really, it should emerge from the work of the participants.

Dilbert strategic planning1

About  Andrew Rixon

Comments

  1. Column Two says:

    Eight problems with your firm’s strategic plan

    Hank M. Harris has written an article on problems with strategic planning. To quote: I have seen many planning efforts involving a facilitator who knows nothing about the industry (for example, a generic management consultant) or one who knows too…

  2. Could you let me have a copy of the best / largest electronic version you have of that particular Dilbert cartoon ?
    (It predates the on-line Dilbert resources, and I cannot find another copy. I will acknowledge copyright if I use it.)

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