ABSTRACT
Strategic planning and management has been operated in the public sector, to varying standards, for many years. However, the importance of strategic management is not always appreciated in the public sector and, quite often, there is considerable lip-service and scepticism. There may be a number of reasons why this is the case:
Strategic management is often taken as synonymous with strategic planning, which it is not. Strategic management is a more all-embracing concept of which strategic planning is an essential part.
Strategic management is seen as an academic exercise of little relevance to PSOs. This is often because managers in PSOs, although having substantial experience and expertise of operational management in their organization, have little strategic perspective.
Strategic management is regarded as being impossible to undertake in the public sector, because the political dimension makes it impossible to act in a strategic manner.
The purpose of strategic planning as having a longer term perspective is often not understood. Some talk about ‘short-term strategies’ which is really, to a large extent, an oxymoron.
