Strategic Planning Main Characteristics

Solution Preview

The solution is provided in the attached document.

The Foundation for Community Research Association (nd). Report 3: Strategic planning. Best Practices. Retrieved from http://www.cairf.org/research/bpstrategic.pdf.
The Foundation for Community Association Research highlights some common features of best practices in community planning. Among those key features, are the focus on team work and team productivity, as well as the development of benchmarks, in which the community organization can measure its success. The foundation presents a comparison of three different models, with a summary of how each model applies to community planning. The first model is designed for smaller, non-profit organizations and involves the input of all members. This model fails to make provisions for feedback, which may be more crucial in larger non-profit organizations, with more formal structures and means of communications among members. The second model focuses on applied strategic planning, for a business or military organization, which uses a top down hierarchy. The process involves focusing on available data for decision making and involves environmental scan, brainstorming and establishing long term goals. It also requires evaluation of competitors, to assess where the organization may gain a competitive advantage. The third model, ICMA strategic development, is narrowly focused on economic development. This model evaluates specific community activities and agencies, to determine effectiveness and the economic value each brings to the community.

While each model may be useful, many organizations want to incorporate all members of the organization in the strategic planning process. The second model is not designed to include input from all stakeholders, including all workers and managers. The first model values input from all members, but does not allow for evaluation. Therefore, a combination of the two models may be most suitable for business and community organizations that are focused on improving functioning and services. The third model is designed to look specifically at economic aspects of an organization's value. By itself, it may not be useful for strategic planning that involves every process within the organization. It may also be incorporated into strategic planning processes, so the organization can develop goals or objectives related to profits or revenues or in the development of more cost effective processes.

Explain the main characteristics of MBO and when it ...