ORGANISATIONAL DIRECTION

Organisational Direction

Organisational Direction

Determine the Organisational Strategic Aims and Objectives

Identifying the current strategic aims and objectives

The analysis of current strategic aims and objectives of an organization may be defined as a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization (or other entity) is, what it does, and why it does it. (Bryson, 2000, pp: 206) While many authors have suggested generic strategic planning processes, this definition implies that strategic planning is not a single thing, but is instead a set of concepts, procedures and tools that must be tailored carefully to situations if desirable outcomes are to be achieved. Poister and Streib (1999), in a review summarizing the field of strategic planning and management, assert that strategic planning:

Is concerned with identifying and responding to the most fundamental issues facing an organization

Addresses the subjective question of purpose and the often competing values that influence mission and strategies

Emphasizes the importance of external trends and forces as they are likely to affect the organization and its mission

Attempts to be politically realistic by taking into account the concerns and preferences of internal, and especially external, stakeholders (Bryson, 2000, pp: 208)

Relies heavily on the active involvement of senior level managers, and sometimes elected officials, assisted by staff support where needed

Requires the candid confrontation of critical issues by key participants in order to build commitment to plans

Is action-oriented and stresses the importance of developing plans for implementing strategies, and

Focuses on implementing decisions now in order to position the organization favorably for the future.

Strategic aims and objectives for organizations has developed primarily in the private sector. This history has been amply documented by others. In the past twenty years, however, public and nonprofit use of strategic objectives has skyrocketed. This experience, and a growing body of literature, have indicated that strategic planning approaches either developed in the private sector, or else strongly influenced by them, can help public organizations, as well as communities or other entities, deal in effective ways with their dramatically changing environments (Bryson, 2003, pp: 111).

When done well, strategic planning offers a number of benefits. Advocates usually point to four main potential benefits. The first is the promotion of strategic thought and action. The second is improved decision making, while the third is enhanced organizational responsiveness and improved performance. Finally, strategic planning can directly benefit the organization's people by helping them better perform their roles, meet their responsibilities and enhance teamwork and expertise. There is no guarantee, however, that these benefits will be achieved. For one thing, strategic planning is simply a set of concepts, procedures and tools that must be applied wisely to specific situations. For another, even when they are applied wisely, there is no guarantee of success (Bryson, 2000, pp: 216).

1.2) Undertake an evaluation of the component parts of a strategic plan

The diagram below shows how these different components relate to each other with the strategic plan as their core:

Strategic planning is a disciplined process for producing key decisions and agreeing on actions ...