Management, Planning & Forecasting, Systems & Planning, Strategy & Competition, Strategic Planning 

In today's complex world of business, strategic planning is indispensable to effective management. Ever since the mid-1950's, when American companies began to develop formal long-range planning systems, wise managers have understood the importance of knowing where their firm was headed and how it intended to get there. To function effectively in a modern, planned operation, every manager must have a practical understanding of how the planning process works.

That's exactly what this book offers: a step-by-step guide to strategic planning. George A. Steiner, a well-known expert in the field of management, provides a concise, jargon-free handbook that avoids abstract theory and takes you straight to the "how-to" of planning. Whether you're designing and implementing a new plan or working with a plan that's already in operation, Strategic Planning puts the information you need at your fingertips.

It takes you through every stage of the process, from idea to execution to evaluation. (And explains "Fifty Common Pitfalls" you'll need to know about.) You can plug your own data into the lucid charts, tables, and checklists for a valuable start on getting organized and evaluating your planning needs. And there's plenty of penetrating discussion about the questions and quandaries you're likely to meet along the way. For example:

* How do you identify, evaluate, and implement strategies?
* How do you design a planning system to fit the unique characteristics of you and your company?
* Can an intuitive manager do formal strategic planning?
* What are some ways to develop clear objectives?
* What human behavior factors can endanger planning and how can managers overcome them?
* How, and when, should a situation audit be made?
* What do you need to know about computer models?
* How can business planning lessons be applied to not-for-profit organizations?
* How can managers apply lessons of planning experience to the planning of their own careers?

You don't have to get an advanced degree to make strategic planning a part of your management style. All you need is the expert advice in this idea-packed handbook. (As a bonus the book includes a glossary of the terms, tools, and techniques of strategic planning.)
 

In today's complex world of business, strategic planning is indispensable to effective management. Ever since the mid-1950's, when American companies began to develop formal long-range planning systems, wise managers have understood the importance of knowing where their firm was headed and how it intended to get there. To function effectively in a modern, planned operation, every manager must have a practical understanding of how the planning process works. That's exactly what this book offers: a step-by-step guide to strategic planning. George A. Steiner, a well-known expert in the field of management, provides a concise, jargon-free handbook that avoids abstract theory and takes you straight to the "how-to" of planning. Whether you're designing and implementing a new plan or working with a plan that's already in operation, Strategic Planning puts the information you need at your fingertips. It takes you through every stage of the process, from idea to execution to evaluation. (And explains "Fifty Common Pitfalls" you'll need to know about.) You can plug your own data into the lucid charts, tables, and checklists for a valuable start on getting organized and evaluating your planning needs. And there's plenty of penetrating discussion about the questions and quandaries you're likely to meet along the way. For example: * How do you identify, evaluate, and implement strategies? * Contents

Preface

I. Nature and Importance of Strategic Planning

1. Strategic Management and Strategic Planning
2. What Is Strategic Planning?
3. Why Systematic Strategic Planning Pays Off

II. Organizing for Strategic Planning

4. Organizing the Strategic Planning Process
5. The Chief Executive Officer and Strategic Planning
6. Overcoming Antiplanning Biases

III. Key Considerations in Doing Planning

7. Alternative Planning Postures, Cognitive Styles, and Values
8. The Situation Audit
9. Developing Basic Business Purposes and Missions
10. Developing Long-Range Planning Objectives
11. Formulating Program Strategies
12. Medium-Range Functional Programming
13. Translating Strategic Plans into Current Decisions
14. Contingency Planning and Alternative Futures Explorations
15. The Executive View of Analytical Techniques for Planning

IV. Implementing Plans

16. The Nature and Design of Control Systems
17. The Human Dimension in Implementation

V. Evaluating and Reenergizing the System

18. Dangers to Avoid in Strategic Planning
19. Evaluating the Planning System and Maintaining a High Payoff

VI. Applicability of Business Planning Experience in Other Areas

20. Personal Lifetime Planning
21. What the Private Sector Can Teach the Not-for-Profit Sector

VII. Concluding Observations

22. The Current State of the Art and Future Trends

Notes
Index
 

Includes bibliographical references and index.