By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Marty_Jacobs]Marty Jacobs
Strategic planning often gets a black eye in organizational life because it is so often a canned process that is forced to fit into a current situation. Teams of people engage in what is often characterized as navel gazing eventually producing a document that quickly gets shelved or worse, tossed. To many, it seems like a colossal waste of time and money with little relevance to the work at hand or to the strategic direction of the organization.
The problem with the typical approach to strategic planning is that it is thought of as an event that has an end point, rather than as a process that becomes part of how organizations do their work. Effective strategic planning is an emergent process that reflects current reality and adapts to a constantly changing environment ultimately resulting in an organization continually engaged in strategic thinking.
Strategic thinking is all about finding solutions to what are typically characterized as adaptive problems, as opposed to technical problems. Technical problems are well defined with known solutions that can be solved by one person or organization. These solutions can be implemented quickly and usually require change in one or a few places within the organizational boundaries. A more traditional style of command and control leadership is very effective when dealing with technical problems.
Adaptive problems, on the other hand, are ones where no one person or organization has the solution and which grow out of conflicting values. They are typical to identify and easy to ignore. Implementing change involves multiple stakeholders and requires a change in values, beliefs, or behavior. Playing the role of convener is a more effective approach to leadership when it comes to adaptive problems. Success requires bringing together the right mix of people to solve the problem.
Unfortunately, most adaptive problems are approached as though they are technical problems: if the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail. Strategic planning is often approached in the same way and as so many have discovered, throwing money or effort at adaptive problems rarely works - that's the quick fix approach.
Adaptive problems require adaptive leadership - leaders who do not impose solutions but rather help stakeholders explore their differences and discover solutions. Adaptive leaders spend a great deal of time asking questions and reflecting rather than directing. And when they conduct strategic planning, they realize that it requires the following:
Time commitment: developing an effective strategic plan takes a great deal of time assessing current reality, creating shared vision, and engaging stakeholders in dialogue.
Patience: strategic planning is a messy process and often creates greater ambiguity before moving beyond to a place of clarity.
Flexibility: the planning process, like most processes, must adapt to changing needs; moreover, the strategic plan itself must also be flexible in order to adapt to a constantly changing environment.
Evaluation: benchmarks must be built into any strategic plan to track progress - as with the plan itself, these key indicators must be flexible enough to respond to internal and external changes.
Focus: no strategic plan can be effective unless there are clearly defined outcomes and a vision for success.
Recognizing the difference between technical and adaptive problems can be a challenge. Moving from technical leadership to adaptive leadership can feel overwhelming. In the end, it is this shift that will move your strategic planning into the realm of strategic thinking.
Marty Jacobs, president of Systems In Sync, has been teaching and consulting for twenty years, applying a systems thinking approach to organizations. Marty provides strategic planning, board leadership training, Policy Governance implementation, community engagement facilitation, and staff development to nonprofits, education, and government. She has also written for The Systems Thinker, Vermont Business Magazine, American School Board Journal, Leverage Points Blog, and Confident Voices for Nurses on topics related to organizational learning, leadership, systems thinking, workplace culture, board governance, and community engagement. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Marty received her M.S. in Organization and Management from Antioch University New England in Keene, NH. http://www.systemsinsync.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Strategic-Planning:-Its-All-About-Adaptive-Leadership-and-Strategic-Thinking&id=7420959] Strategic Planning: It's All About Adaptive Leadership and Strategic Thinking
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Strategic planning often gets a black eye in organizational life because it is so often a canned process that is forced to fit into a current situation. Teams of people engage in what is often characterized as navel gazing eventually producing a document that quickly gets shelved or worse, tossed. To many, it seems like a colossal waste of time and money with little relevance to the work at hand or to the strategic direction of the organization.
The problem with the typical approach to strategic planning is that it is thought of as an event that has an end point, rather than as a process that becomes part of how organizations do their work. Effective strategic planning is an emergent process that reflects current reality and adapts to a constantly changing environment ultimately resulting in an organization continually engaged in strategic thinking.
Strategic thinking is all about finding solutions to what are typically characterized as adaptive problems, as opposed to technical problems. Technical problems are well defined with known solutions that can be solved by one person or organization. These solutions can be implemented quickly and usually require change in one or a few places within the organizational boundaries. A more traditional style of command and control leadership is very effective when dealing with technical problems.
Adaptive problems, on the other hand, are ones where no one person or organization has the solution and which grow out of conflicting values. They are typical to identify and easy to ignore. Implementing change involves multiple stakeholders and requires a change in values, beliefs, or behavior. Playing the role of convener is a more effective approach to leadership when it comes to adaptive problems. Success requires bringing together the right mix of people to solve the problem.
Unfortunately, most adaptive problems are approached as though they are technical problems: if the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail. Strategic planning is often approached in the same way and as so many have discovered, throwing money or effort at adaptive problems rarely works - that's the quick fix approach.
Adaptive problems require adaptive leadership - leaders who do not impose solutions but rather help stakeholders explore their differences and discover solutions. Adaptive leaders spend a great deal of time asking questions and reflecting rather than directing. And when they conduct strategic planning, they realize that it requires the following:
Time commitment: developing an effective strategic plan takes a great deal of time assessing current reality, creating shared vision, and engaging stakeholders in dialogue.
Patience: strategic planning is a messy process and often creates greater ambiguity before moving beyond to a place of clarity.
Flexibility: the planning process, like most processes, must adapt to changing needs; moreover, the strategic plan itself must also be flexible in order to adapt to a constantly changing environment.
Evaluation: benchmarks must be built into any strategic plan to track progress - as with the plan itself, these key indicators must be flexible enough to respond to internal and external changes.
Focus: no strategic plan can be effective unless there are clearly defined outcomes and a vision for success.
Recognizing the difference between technical and adaptive problems can be a challenge. Moving from technical leadership to adaptive leadership can feel overwhelming. In the end, it is this shift that will move your strategic planning into the realm of strategic thinking.
Marty Jacobs, president of Systems In Sync, has been teaching and consulting for twenty years, applying a systems thinking approach to organizations. Marty provides strategic planning, board leadership training, Policy Governance implementation, community engagement facilitation, and staff development to nonprofits, education, and government. She has also written for The Systems Thinker, Vermont Business Magazine, American School Board Journal, Leverage Points Blog, and Confident Voices for Nurses on topics related to organizational learning, leadership, systems thinking, workplace culture, board governance, and community engagement. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Marty received her M.S. in Organization and Management from Antioch University New England in Keene, NH. http://www.systemsinsync.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Strategic-Planning:-Its-All-About-Adaptive-Leadership-and-Strategic-Thinking&id=7420959] Strategic Planning: It's All About Adaptive Leadership and Strategic Thinking
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