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There is a syndrome in top management that strategic planning is supposed to be formulated by them alone, and for them it is a sign of power and an expression of the magnitude of the difference between them and their subordinates. Going for a retreat without their subordinates is a sign of power; year after year my MBA classes of managers I have taught from different organisations have confirmed this. They say that they will monopolise strategy formulation but they want employees to implement it. Strategic planning is done by top management far away from the organisation's premises, usually with the help of a consultant. Thus while they formulate the strategies, visions and missions of the organisation, in sum they will create the strategic plan for the organisation, which will be operationalised in the organisation. This strategic plan will be expected to guide the organisation moving forward and its components are expected to be implemented by every member of the organisation.
Previously, strategy was defined as being adopted from the military, designed to achieve goals. [9] Hubbard (2000) highlights the importance of quick responses to changing environments and asserts that planning works in controlled areas but not in changing battlefields. On the other hand, strategic management is defined as the "art and science of formulating, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional decisions that enable an organisation to achieve its objectives" ([4] David, 2003, p. 5). He went on further to say that the strategic management process refers to strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. According to [16] Thompson and Strickland (2003), strategic management is an ongoing process, nothing is final and all prior actions and decisions are subject to modification in the future. This process consists of five major, ever-present tasks:
- developing a concept of the business and forming a vision of where the organisation needs to be headed;
- converting the mission into specific performance objectives;
- crafting a strategy to achieve the targeted performance; and
- implementing and executing the chosen strategy efficiently and effectively.
Strategic planning has been defined as a process by which the leaders of an organisation determine what it intends to be in future and how it will get there. This process leads to the development of a...