Over the course of a 20+ year career in management, I've been inculcated with the idea that every organization needs a Strategic Plan and that developing one is a Serious Undertaking preferably involving a consultant, lots of input from stakeholders, and many hours of discussion to develop clear, measurable goals and objectives.
Lately I've been wondering whether strategic planning as traditionally practiced is really a sacred cow rather than an essential tool, and it seems that I am not alone in this heresy. I've had a number of recent conversations with people from a variety of backgrounds and in a variety of organizational contexts, all of whom seem to be wondering whether it is more important for an organization to develop a shared culture and a shared vision of the desired future (whether or not that vision is documented in a traditional "vision statement") and then turn people loose to make it happen than to spend a lot of time, energy (and often money) developing a document that is pretty much out-of-date as soon as it is written.
Here at PVLD we've now been through a number of iterations of strategic planning processes, and while each has been valuable I think that is as much because they helped move our leadership team towards a shared vision of what we want to achieve together as because of the specific objectives, goals, and measures that the plans contain.
Our last Strategic Plan was written nearly three years ago, and as it nears its expiration date I am wondering what to do next...and thinking that maybe we are at the point articulated in thisquote from Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, creator of one of the great corporate cultures of our time:
Thanks Swissmiss for sharing .
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