If you
don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.
-
Lewis
Carroll
This paraphrase
from Alice in Wonderland is an often-cited quote, and originates from a
conversation between Alice and the Cat. It has resonance, because it is true
for many aspects of life: agency requires informed choices. It all comes down
to a sense of direction. You need to know where you’re going, in order to take
the necessary steps to get there. Strategic planning is the process that will
enable you to do this.
First of
all strategic planning forces a nonprofit, or any other organization for that
matter, to explicitly frame the most important issues and thereby take a stand
and act on it. Initiating a strategic planning process will help illuminate and
attend to possible disagreements concerning mission, vision, or shorter term
goals within the organization. If kept in the dark, these will only lead to
friction and fractions possibly moving in different directions, resulting in
the nonprofit getting nowhere.
The first
step is to revisit the mission. This part can be left out if it is the first
time a nonprofit takes on strategic planning. This process should include
stakeholders and will ideally spark a dialogue that will enhance the feeling of
inclusion (Bryson, 235). Strategic planning ensures that everyone is heard and
facilitates commitment and continued support to the process. Different
techniques such as the Implications Wheel or Nominal Group Technique can facilitate this.
Considering
the mission, which could be translated into a particular nonprofits unique
reason for existence, an analysis of the external environment, in which the
nonprofit is situated, and its internal capabilities should be conducted before
establishing a vision (United Way, 2). The vision should provide everyone with
a sense of where the nonprofit is going and sets the direction for more
concrete goals and objectives, that will be set later in the process.
Next up
SWOT’s is an excellent
tool to for an overall assessment of the nonprofit. This will provide the
framework for formulation of strategic issues the nonprofit should develop a
strategy for its response to (United Way, 3). It is important to highlight the
fact that even though this seems as a step-by-step process, it is often
necessary to work iteratively and especially to ensure feedback to every step
of the strategic planning, so adjustments can be made when revisiting each
step.
Finally concrete,
measureable goals should be a result of the strategic planning. This will
enable everyone to monitor the progress and create the sense of direction
needed in order to map out the path to completion of established goals. It
should be considered how to create reward systems that will support this in a
constructive way. As such this will “make the challenge inescapable for
everyone in the company” (Hamel & Prahalad, 68).
Another
benefit of strategic planning is that it increases effectiveness in the
organization. With an increasing
pressure for efficiency, accountability, and results, strategic planning is a
necessary tool to ensure future viability of the nonprofit (Ebrahim, 101). This
will get rid of unnecessary processes and engage the leadership. Keeping it
simple is key to effectiveness, and strategic planning will support this.
As many
benefits as there are to strategic planning, you can be sure that the
environment is going to change (Brown, 214). Whether it is legislation, a
crisis, shift in attitudes and support, turnover, or that you learn underway
that what you are doing isn’t working as planned. One element that should be
included in the planning process is to visualize what could go wrong and how
the organization would respond to adopt. Hopefully this will enable the
organization to act faster and adjust to a changing environment.
References:
Brown, William A. "Strategic Management." Robert D. Herman & Associates. The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management 3. Ed. David Renz. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. 206-229.
Bryson, John M. 2010. Strategic Planning and the Strategy Planning Circle. In: Renz, David O. The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco, CA
Ebrahim, Alnoor (2010). The Many Faces of Nonprofit Accountability. In: Renz, David O, ed. 2010. The Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco, CA.
Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K., “Strategic Intent,” Harvard Business Review, May-June 1989, page 66.
United Way. Strategic Planning Process, page 1-7.
