| dc.description.abstract | The long-running debate between the 'rational design ' and 'emergent process ' schools of
strategy formation has involved caricatures of firms ' strategic planning processes, but
little empirical evidence of whether and how organizations plan. Despite the presumption
that environmental turbulence renders conventional strategic planning all but impossible,
the evidence from the corporate sector suggests that reports of the demise of strategic
planning are greatly exaggerated. The goal of this paper is to fill this empirical gap by
describing the characteristics and the determinants of the strategic planning systems of
organizations faced with volatile, unpredictable business environments. In-depth a case
study of the determinants of strategic planning systems of Kenya Red Cross Society
identified fundamental changes in the nature and role of strategic planning. The findings
point to a possible reconciliation of 'design ' and 'process ' approaches to strategy
formulation. The study pointed to a process of planned emergence in which strategic
planning systems provided a mechanism for coordinating decentralized strategy
formulation within a structure of demanding performance targets and clear corporate
guidelines. The study shows that these planning systems fostered adaptation and
responsiveness, but showed limited innovation and analytical sophistication. The study
also found that the some of the determinants of strategic planning include the leadership
commitment, social-cultural climate, trends and past events and availability of resources.
Keywords: determinants of strategic planning, turbulent environments and Kenya Red
Cross Society. | en_US |
