The Evolution of Strategic Planning
The phrase ‘strategic planning’ evokes a lot of different emotions for nonprofit leaders. Lets face it, when you are in the weeds day-in and day out, just trying to keep your head above water, it doesn’t feel like there’s time for planning! But, the truth is, it is necessary to have a roadmap for the future. What is even more challenging is the ‘how.’ How do we create a plan that is actionable and leads to the outcomes we seek to achieve? This is an area where strategic planning has often fallen short. The concerns we hear from board members and staff are that they don’t want to spend a lot of time creating a plan that isn’t realistic or that never gets implemented.
This is not a new concern. The origin of strategic planning/business planning comes from the military, which developed a very structured approach to planning to achieve optimal outcomes. Modern strategic planning was formalized by academics in the 1920’s. Later, in the 1950’s, companies that utilized the theoretical planning concepts developed by academics, reported problems with turning plans into action.
The very practical struggles that companies encountered at the implementation phase prompted the “father of modern business management,” Peter Drucker, to generate an updated thesis. Drucker posited that strategic planning should be an ongoing, disciplined practice based on decision-making through the lens of the perceived best possible future for an organization. The identified priorities (results of the decision-making process) are carried out through action plans, with progress being measured and compared to expectations. which he called systematic feedback. The iterations thereafter, built on Drucker’s framework to learn from previous experience and to share those experiences throughout an organization. Today we still use this concept to form the basis of strategic planning.
Learn more about the roots of strategic planning from this fascinating article and historical timeline: https://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-evolution-of-strategic-planning--XtqXoff4X933J7bz1GCLVGD2
Our approach to strategic planning aligns with Drucker’s concept, that planning should be a task performed regularly, with close monitoring at the implementation phase. A strategic plan should also be a “living” document with opportunities for adjustments and regular updates. We also think it can be fun creating the plan! Looking at the strengths of an organization and its people and building on successes is rewarding, and thinking about what ‘could be’ is exciting. TNSG’s method is based on Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based approach that results in an inclusive, thoughtful roadmap to the future.
Learn more about Appreciative Inquiry here: https://positivepsychology.com/appreciative-inquiry/
TNSG initiates the strategic planning process with a focus on the organization’s core values. As you know, core values are the organization's guiding principles in which all activities are rooted. Values are not “aspirational” in nature, instead, they are the practices and beliefs we uphold every day in everything we do. Whether you need to identify and define your organization’s core values or update your current ones, we have a helpful worksheet your team can use!
Learn more about The Nonprofit Strategy Group and the strategic planning packages we offer on our website: https://www.thenonprofitstrategygroup.com/