Running head: STRATEGIC PLANNING 1

Strategic Planning

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation
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Strategic Planning

Definition

Strategic planning is a process of documenting and coming up with a direction of a

business by assessing the present activities of the business and where the business is going in

the future (George, Walker & Monster 2019). Strategic planning means setting up goals,

missions, values and action plans that will help an organisation reach the goals of the

business.

Summary

Through strategic planning organisations are able to deploy, build upon and make

sure there is maximum utilization of resources in the most effective and possible way.

According to (Bert George joined the faculty in the Department of Public Governance and

Management at Ghent University, Belgium, in October 2019. Previously, he was assistant

professor of public management in the Department of Public Administration and Sociology

at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Joost Monster is associate consultant at Focus

Orange in the Netherlands. He holds a research master in public administration and

organizational science from Utrecht University and sits on the board of Editors of Public

Note, a science dissemination outlet) strategic planning is a widely adapted approach of

management in most of organisations. Most of the organisation believes that strategic

planning is a successful practice in public and private sectors. The practice is believed to have

positive consequences when it comes to business performance (George, Walker & Monster

2019). However, the practice has been criticised for being rational and for exhibiting strategic

thinking. The article undertakes a Meta analysis research which shows that strategic planning

affects most of the organisations in a positive way. Most of the organisation in the Meta

analysis research suggested that strategic research is moderate and has a significant effect on
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the performance of many businesses. The Meta analysis shows that the positive effects of the

strategic planning in the performance of the organisation are strong when the performances

are measured as effectiveness. In addition, when strategic p0lan is measured as a formal

strategic planning the organisational performance is viewed to be stronger.

Discussion

The article “Does Strategic Planning Improve Organizational Performance? A Meta-

Analysis” has a clear relation with the concept of planning and decision making in an

organisation. The result from the analysis shows that strategic planning has a positive and a

moderate effect on the performance of the organisation. The concept explains how planning

and decision making should be handled in order to maximize the performance of an

organisation (George, Walker & Monster 2019). The findings also suggest that strategic

planning must be part of the managerial tools in contemporary organisation. The analysis

agrees with the concept that good strategy led to a successful organisation. The concept of

decision making and planning explains how organisations should follow the process of

strategic management and how it helps them in decision making. The article suggests that

strategic planning is special in enhancing the growth and the performance of the organisation

although managers should not necessarily undertake the hope of gaining effectiveness

through strategic planning only. The article suggests that the critiques of strategic planning

have no empirical evidence therefore making the evidence in the article in agreement with the

concept of the strategic management. The intensity in strategic planning and strategic

planning process affects an organisation performance in a positive way and in turn better

performances causes greater strategic planning and strategic process intensity. Finally,

performance is about achieving what an organisation had intended while planning is the

process of indentifying any botch that can affect the achieving of the goals set by the

organisation.
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The article “STRATEGIC PLANNING AS A COMPLEX AND ENABLING

MANAGERIAL TOOL” describes the role of the strategic planning in the day to day

activities in a business. Strategic management is as vital as a managerial tool and is helpful in

the generation of knowledge for the survival and growth of a firm (Arend et. al 2017). There

is a rapid change in innovations and technologies and therefore, it is important to have a

strategic plan to make sure the company goals are still attainable. Strategic planning helps in

decision making where managers have to make decisions on the changes that they want in

their organisation. The strategic planning is perceived by employees as enabling or coercive

depending on the characteristics that the firm shows the employees. The article explains the

relationship between managerial tools and decision making that has been enabled by strategic

planning (Arend et. al 2017). Integration of strategic planning and management is important

for the growth of a firm. Managers must put in place a good strategic plan process that will

identify any issue that may affect the organisation in reaching its goal. Strategic planning in

workplace improves the managerial tools and helps an organisation in coping up with the

dynamics in business activities.

Biblical Integration

Strategic planning is a concept that has been represented in the bible in many

occasions. For instance in the book of (Nehemiah 1:1-7:73) Nehemiah was a God appointed

leader who was clearly using strategic planning. God laid it in his heart to rebuild the walls of

Jerusalem. After the vision that God spoke to Nehemiah he began to establish and then work

through a well planned strategy to accomplish the visions that God had given him. He first

assessed the damage and then he secured the resources. He established the leaders and then

he assigned each leader with their work.

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References

George, B., Walker, R. M., & Monster, J. (2019). Does Strategic Planning Improve

Organizational Performance? A Meta‐Analysis. Public Administration Review, 79(6),

810-819. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/puar.13104

Arend, R. J., Zhao, Y. L., Song, M., & Im, S. (2017). Strategic planning as a complex and

enabling managerial tool. Strategic Management Journal, 38(8), 1741-1752.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smj.2420