Crafting a Strategic Vision

1. MSOP 638 6.1
Scott Bohlin

2. Strategic Planning
Process
Critical thinking in
business
Vision
Scenario Planning
Contributing reasons
for success and failing
strategies
Accountability and
strategy
Strategy Execution
Getting Started

3. o Strategy is defined as “A plan of action or policy designed to
achieve a major or overall aim” Strategy is used in business by
means of a “Strategic Planning Process”.
o The strategic planning process requires the development of a
mission statement for the organization. The mission statement
incorporates the organization's purpose and vision for the future
o Dynamic business strategy needs to link to vision, mission,
strategy and business growth through products/markets. (Ref. 1).
o The mission statement should include the ultimate aims of the
firm thus providing unity of direction for managers, employee
expectations, and tells customers what the organization
represents (Ref. 2).

4. o Critical thinking in its general definition is defined as “The objective
analysis and evaluation of issues in order to form a judgement”
o The ability to have great or highly effective thought is of no use if you can’t
use them for success. The tool in which a critical thinker puts their thought
to use is the ability of strategy.
o Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored,
and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of
excellence and mindful command of it’s use.

5.  A well conceived vision consists of two major elements (Ref. 1) -
1. Core ideology
2. Envisioned future
o Vision provides guidance during strategic planning, evaluation, and
developing of proposals.
o Strategic vision must be measureable in its progress, specific enough to
decide if it is right for the organization, what it will provide, and how it
distinguishes you from the competition.

6. o Scenario planning has been defined as "a process of positing several
informed, plausible and imagined alternative future environments in which
decisions about the future may be played out, for the purpose of changing
current thinking, improving decision making, enhancing human and
organization learning and improving performance (Ref. 4)
o Scenario planning is an expensive organizational intervention and experts
have often justified their high salaries based on the assertion that expertise
in conducting the process is rare (Ref. 4).
o Rummler and Brache (1995) defined performance at the organizational level
in terms of three core variables, namely-
1) organization goals
2) organization design and
3) organization management.
o Scenario planning must produce financial benefit in order to justify its
expense.

7. The path to success-
1. An achievable plan
2. Examine all paths
3. Company alignment
4. Evaluate and adjust
5. Communicate and be
transparent
The fall can be hard-
1. Only partial commitment
2. Not understanding the
environment
3. Wrong people involved
4. Unwilling or unable to
change
5. Losing sight of the goal

8. o Accountability- “the fact or condition of being accountable;
responsibility”
o The four factors that characterize a culture of accountability (Ref. 3)
1. Expectations are clear to employees.
2. Employees perceive that those expectations are credible and
reasonable.
3. Employees anticipate that positive consequences will follow
performance.
4. Employees anticipate that negative consequences will follow
poor performance.

9. “Efforts and Courage are not enough without purpose and
direction”
JFK

10.  (Ref. 1) Dhirendra Kumar, Enterprise Growth Strategy : Vision, Planning and
Execution
 (Ref. 2) Kenneth W Green Jr., Bobby Medlin, The Strategic Planning
Process: The link Between Mission Statement and Organizational. Academy
of Strategic Management Journal 2 (2003)
 (Ref. 3) Jeff Grimshaw, Gregg Baron, Mike Barry, Neill Edwards, How to
combat a culture of excuses and promote accountability. Strategy &
Leadership 34.5 (2006)
 (Ref. 4) Thomas J Chermack, A Methodology for Assessing Performance-
Based Scenario Planning. Journal of Leadership & Organizational
Studies10.2 (Fall 2003)
 (Ref. 5) Jay Ogilvy, Scenario Planning and Strategic Forecasting, Forbes
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