Planning actually given you a structure on what you should do and how should you do. Someone need to know what is going to happen and how much, thus releasing them from the feeling of being out of control or having too much to do. A structured planning can help eliminate mental energy required constantly on deciding what to do next.
Eventhough life is full of interruptions, mostly unpleasant one, but at least planning would ease the burden of handling the distractions. This is why it is important to do not just planning but it has to a strategic planning. Traditionally strategic planning has been recognized as an essential activity to the effective management of all organizations. Strategic planning refers to the structure and context by which organizational knowledge is developed, frequently through group collaboration. Strategic planning specifically involves developing a plan to respond quickly to market changes.
To face the market changes today is more hyper-competitive than ever before. Advances in technology have enabled more players in the market. Trends and market shifts happen quickly. Knowledge is also more readily available to companies. Today's consumers may have different bases for company choice than traditionally common (e.g. fair-trade, socially responsible, eco-friendly) and etc.
There is an argument of the failure of this strategic planning. But is strategic planning the guilty party? Or is it the way in which strategic planning has been used in those so-called “well-run” organizations? Yet in spite of all its weaknesses many organizations still go through the periodic strategic cycle. Change is a constant factor in the market. As such strategies that work today may not work tomorrow.
Therefore, two things need to happen as a part of the continuous strategy management and analysis process. Firstly the organization needs to ensure that its strategy analysis encompasses not only products, pricing, promotion and channels of today but also those of tomorrow.
Secondly, the organization needs to have in placed not only the structure and systems for today’s environment but also for tomorrow’s environment. Strategic planning frequently brings to light gaps in knowledge that limit people to pursue something. This is one of the many reasons that strategic planning uses group collaboration.
Understanding how members of the group contribute to planning, their individual assumptions and perceived constraints, will greatly improve market response, both today and in the future. This underlines the importance of diversity in knowledge gathering, group participants and approaches to the market-at-large. Strategic planning can work when it is considered as a part of a much wider planning activity which involves a continuous strategy improvement process. Managers of organizations have to realize that it’s a fundamental part of their duties to plan, and to plan continuously. Just as they manage their business so too must they manage strategy. Analysis is they key. It is the only way in which managers can master the rapid change that is endemic throughout every market and adapt quickly to those market changes.
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