Previous research focused either on the relationship between strategic planning and performance or coordination mechanisms and performance. Therefore, a conceptually and empirically validated understanding of the interaction between these three factors is limited. This study addresses this gap in the literature by delivering three contributions to theory and empirical research: firstly, by clarifying and proposing the influences of strategic planning and strategic organization on the performance; secondly, by developing a model and associated hypotheses on both direct and interaction effects of strategic planning and coordination mechanisms; and thirdly, by testing the hypotheses. Findings regarding strategic planning suggest the coexistence of formal and informal strategic planning activities. Furthermore, results show that the relationship between strategic planning and performance is moderated by coordination mechanisms.

In this definitive and revealing history, Henry Mintzberg, the iconoclastic former president of the Strategic Management Society, unmasks the press that has mesmerized so many organizations since 1965: strategic planning. One of our most brilliant and original management thinkers, Mintzberg concludes that the term is an oxymoron -- that strategy cannot be planned because planning is about analysis and strategy is about synthesis. That is why, he asserts, the process has failed so often and so dramatically. Mintzberg traces the origins and history of strategic planning through its prominence and subsequent fall. He argues that we must reconceive the process by which strategies are created -- by emphasizing informal learning and personal vision -- and the roles that can be played by planners. Mintzberg proposes new and unusual definitions of planning and strategy, and examines in novel and insightful ways the various models of strategic planning and the evidence of why they failed. Reviewing the so-called "pitfalls" of planning, he shows how the process itself can destroy commitment, narrow a company's vision, discourage change, and breed an atmosphere of politics. In a harsh critique of many sacred cows, he describes three basic fallacies of the process -- that discontinuities can be predicted, that strategists can be detached from the operations of the organization, and that the process of strategy-making itself can be formalized. Mintzberg devotes a substantial section to the new role for planning, plans, and planners, not inside the strategy-making process, but in support of it, providing some of its inputs and sometimes programming its outputs as well as encouraging strategic thinking in general. This book is required reading for anyone in an organization who is influenced by the planning or the strategy-making processes.

More and more places across the world are confronted with demographic shrinkage. This edited volume discusses how local communities in city and countryside have responded to the challenge of population decline. It is argued that formal strategies based on political and public sector decisions are only one way to deal with shrinkage. Informal adaptation strategies developed by civil society play an important role as well. To illustrate this, the book brings together a variety of theoretical perspectives, case studies and policy lessons from both urban and rural areas. Gert-Jan Hospers is researcher at the University of Twente and Radboud University, the Netherlands. Josefina Syssner is researcher at the Centre for Municipality Studies at Linkoeping University, Sweden.

Creating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan is the companion workbook to Bryson's landmark book, Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, a step-by-step guide to putting strategic planning into effect. Using revised, easy-to-understand worksheets, the authors provide clear instructions for creating a strategic plan tailored to the needs of the individual organization. With more material on stakeholder analysis, visioning, strategic issue identification, and implementation, this new edition is the best resource for taking leaders, managers, and students through every step of the strategic planning process.

Scenario planning helps organization leaders, executives and decision-makers envision and develop strategies for multiple possible futures instead of just one. It enables organizations to become resilient and agile, carefully calibrating their responses and adapting quickly to new circumstances in a fast-changing environment. This book is the most comprehensive treatment to date of the scenario planning process. Unlike existing books it offers a thorough discussion of the evolution and theoretical foundations of scenario planning, examining its connections to learning theory, decision-making theory, mental model theory and more. Chermack emphasizes that scenario planning is far more than a simple set of steps to follow, as so many other practice-focused books do—he addresses the subtleties and complexities of planning. And, unique among scenario planning books, he deals not just with developing different scenarios but also with applying scenarios once they have been constructed, and assessing the impact of the scenario project. Using a case study based on a real scenario project Chermack lays out a comprehensive five phase scenario planning system—project preparation, scenario exploration, scenario development, scenario implementation and project assessment. Each chapter describes specific techniques for gathering and analyzing relevant data with a particular emphasis on the use of workshops to encourage dialogue. He offers a scenario project worksheet to help readers structure and manage scenario projects as well as avoid common pitfalls, and a discussion, based in recent neurological findings, of how scenario planning helps people to overcome barriers to creative thinking. “This book is about action and performance. Compelling and thoroughly researched, it offers every business executive a playbook for including uncertainty in the organizational change process and driving competitive advantage”. -- Tim Reynolds, Vice President, Talent and Organization Effectiveness, Whirlpool Corporation

​Research-based spin-off companies are a special subgroup of new technology-based ventures and play an important role for innovation and economic development. Executive teams of academic spin-offs face several challenges in building up sustainable and profitable ventures, because they often lack managerial and entrepreneurial skills. Based on a quantitative analysis of 193 German spin-offs RigoTietz examines the relationships between executive team characteristics, strategic decision making, and firm performance. The study contributes to the entrepreneurship and strategic management literature and has practical implications for entrepreneurs and managers, policymakers and practitioners of start-up initiatives and technology transfer organisations.