Leadership in the Strategic Planning Process

In your opinion, how can leaders ensure proper working of the strategic planning process? Support your explanation with reasoning and examples.

Whichever planning process is used ( SMEAC, SARA, the strategic-change cycle), it is the leader's responsibility to ensure that the process works properly. “Organisation leaders are generally given responsibility for overall design of the planning system” (Drago & Clements, 1999, Abstract). Leaders must first keep in mind the basic levels of information;Welsh and Harris distill the planning process into it's simplest expression; “we must answer the following questions as specifically as possible: Who does what to whom, where, in what order, how much, and how often?” (2012, p.105). To ensure that these questions are answered at every step of the process, leaders must evaluate each step of the process. “Assessing the current position requires measurement, monitoring and evaluation of outputs and outcomes from the previous planning cycle to determine whether policy objectives are being achieved” (“Leadership, strategic thinking and planning drive good government, JAKARTA POST,” 2004, para. 11). An important element in ensuring that the process works is communication., in “the strategic planning process there was a commitment to share valid information with all staff” (McClamroch, Byrd, & Sowell, 2001)

How should leaders and leadership be evaluated regarding the proper working of the strategic planning process? Provide an analysis supporting your response.

Drago and Clements asser that leadership characteristics have an effect on the planning process (Drago & Clements, 1999, p.11). One way to evaluate leadership characteristics is through the level of enpowerment leaders assign to followers (Brumm & Drury, 2013, p.17). While “those in the higher levels of the organization have the most experience” (Welsh & Harris, 2012, p.84) input from the bottom may provide an up to date view of the situation, and counter the danger that “goals handed down from above may be unrealistic” (Welsh & Harris, 2012, p.84). Ultimately, the leadership responsible for the strategic planning process will be evaluated upon the success of the policy or program that is being planned for.

Brumm, C. A., & Drury, S. (2013). Leadership that empowers: How Strategic planning relates to followership. Engineering Management Journal, 25(4), 17–32. Retrieved February 19, 2015 from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1503771908?pq-origsite=summon

Drago, W. A., & Clements, C. (1999). Leadership characteristics and strategic planning. Management Research News, 22(1), 11–18. Retrieved February 19, 2015 from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/223548645?pq-origsite=summon

Leadership, strategic thinking and planning drive good government, JAKARTA POST. (2004, October 12). WorldSources Online. Retrieved February 19, 2015 from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/340564046?pq-origsite=summon

McClamroch, J., Byrd, J. J., & Sowell, S. L. (2001). Strategic planning: Politics, leadership, and learning. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27(5), 372–378. doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(01)00222-1

Welsh, W. and Harris, P. (2012). Criminal Justice Policy and Planning [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9781437735000 





In your opinion, what are the challenges to the leaders and leadership regarding the proper implementation of the strategic planning process? Provide an explanation supporting your response.
Leaders in the strategic planning process face many challenges. “Strategic planning can be time-consuming and cost extra human capital and monetary resources” (Hu, Kapucu, & O’Byrne, 2014, p.83). In addition, “Strategic planning is inherently prone to break down” (Bryson, 2011, p.363). Hoskin and Wood attribute the failure to implement strategically planned change to “inadequate thinking; and incomplete organizational acceptance” (1993, para. 3). Many failures can be linked to a breakdown in communication, which is critical in the planning process. For successful planning, “the strategic planning process there was a commitment to share valid information with all staff” (McClamroch, Byrd, & Sowell, 2001)



How can the leaders make certain the strategic planning process is properly implemented and effectively maintained? Provide an analysis supporting your response.

Bryson maintains that leaders must champion and sponsor the change (2011, p. 363-364). To be an effective leader, one will choose the best method of leadership at any given time; “That is the way one leads a group of people will depend on whom one is working with, and what one is doing. A person will lead a group making sandwiches differently than one will lead a group making nuclear bombs. According to this theory, the effectiveness of the style depends on the specific situation” (Morreale, n.d., p.26). This comes down to recognizing the specific challenge to implementation and choosing the best leadership or management tool to overcome that challenge.

References

Bryson, J. M. (2011). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Strengthening and Sustaining Organizational Achievement, 4th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved February 19, 2015 from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9781118281161/Root/0

Hoskin, R., & Wood, S. (1993). Overcoming strategic planning disconnects. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 16(4), 50. Retrieved February 19, 2015 from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/219116713?pq-origsite=summon

Hu, Q., Kapucu, N., & O’Byrne, L. (2014). Strategic Planning for Community-Based Small Nonprofit Organizations: Implementation, Benefits, and Challenges. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 19(1), 83–101. Retrieved February 19, 2015 from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/1503078628?pq-origsite=summon

McClamroch, J., Byrd, J. J., & Sowell, S. L. (2001). Strategic planning: Politics, leadership, and learning. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27(5), 372–378. doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(01)00222-1

Morreale, S. (n.d.). Law enforcement leadership:Literature and practice. New England Community-Police Partnership. Retrieved August 17, 2014 from http://www.fstopltd.com/Police_Leadership.pdf