Strategic Planning [Paperback]

In today's complex business world, strategic planning is indispensable to achieving superior management. George A. Steiner's classic work, known as the bible of business planning, provides practical advice for organizing the planning system, acquiring and using information, and translating strategic plans into decisive action. An invaluable resource for top and middle-level executives,Strategic Planningcontinues to be the foremost guide to this vital area of business management.George A Steiner,Kunin Professor of Business and Society and Professor of Management at UCLA (emeritus), is the author of more than thirty books. He lives in Van Nuys, California.Chapter 1

Strategic Management and Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is inextricably interwoven into the entire fabric of management; it is not something separate and distinct from the process of management. This point is underscored in this chapter. Also discussed is the shifting focus of management from operations to strategy. Finally, attention is given to the different fundamental approaches to strategic planning that can support management decisionmaking.

The Managerial Task and Planning

Years ago when my colleagues and I were selling what at that time was called long-range planning and what I now call strategic planning, we spoke of it as a valuable new tool for management, a major new technique to help managers. I no longer speak of it this way. Strategic planning is inextricably interwoven into the entire fabric of management.

Several years ago, The Conference Board interviewed intensively fifty chief executives about their roles in planning. The first overarching frame of reference most executives articulated was that planning cannot be usefully distinguished from the rest of the management process....

The researchers summarized the view of the executives in this way: planning cannot be disentangled from such management functionlƒÁ