ABSTRACT
Strategic management is about deciding and refining organisational objectives and working persistently and consistently to translate them into actions and results. Strategy provides boundaries, direction and guidance for operational management, but success in the contemporary environment also requires flexibility. Strategic planning can be further defined as the continuous development of objectives and strategies through an interactive and selfrenewing process that ensures the flexibility and capability to change in time. People are often reluctant to spend time thinking and planning, but decisions and actions at every level benefit from upfront mental investment, a culture that encourages reflection and questions, and a structure that enables crossfertilisation of ideas. Having a plan makes it easier to focus activity, monitor developments and modify or change the strategy as necessary. This chapter offers further perspectives on the planning process including comments on operational aspects and then concludes by suggesting a few ‘content’ and ‘process’ issues for future attention.
