Assignment:
Respond to the following discussion in one of the following ways:
- Share additional potential challenges within the strategic planning process.
- Offer alternative ways to overcome the challenges your colleagues discussed.
Be sure to support your posting and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources and/or current literature. Use APA formatting to cite references in your posting and responses.
Strategic planning is “a deliberative, disciplined approach to producing fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization (or other entity) is, what it does, and why it does it” (Bryson, 2011. Kindly Loc 320). This means that it is extremely important exercise for taking charge of an organization. Leaders and managers wishing to manage successfully their organizations may have to adopt strategic planning to help them successfully steer their government and nonprofit organizations.
Two potential challenges within the strategic planning process are the internal and external forces at play in an organization. The internal forces reveal the presence of strengths and weakness while the external forces show opportunities and threats or challenges according to Bryson (2011, kindle Loc 3963). The strengths of an organization are those things that the organization does well and can take advantage of. Weaknesses are actions and inactions whose outcomes have been negative. These weaknesses are identified to be reduced. The external forces reveal opportunities where the organization can take advantage of the situation. The challenges are areas that are not completely within the reach of the organization. The challenges may take the form of opportunities which given the limited capacity of the organization, cannot the harnessed. The challenges could also be things that potentially can adversely affect the organization’s progress.
These internal and external environmental forces can be identified using the environmental analysis tool also known as Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges/Threats (SWOC/T) Analysis. This analysis provides information about the present and future capacities and capabilities of an organization. The successful execution of a SWOT analysis determines the success or failure of the government or nonprofit organization. SWOT analysis also shows the direction and the focus of an organization’s strategic planning process. This is what makes SWOC/T analysis an important management tool for all organizations especially government and nonprofit organizations.
When an organization combines the SWOC/T analysis with Stakeholder analysis, the organization is able to identify the critical success factors (CSF) according to Bryson (2011, Kindle Loc 4009). The success factors are things the organization must do to survive and prosper according Bryson (Ibid). This implies that the factors are the identified way to success. The organization must be mindful of these CSFs and use them as performance benchmarks to demonstrate success or failure.
The Child Development Center (CDC) of St. Mark Methodist Church can overcome these challenges and aspire to improve organizational results by applying a combination of SWOC/T analysis and Stakeholder analysis. These two analytical tools will help CDC either confirm or review the previously identified internal and external environmental forces at play in its daily operations. The main question of focus is whether, in the past, the management and workers of CDC can identify strengths in their operation. Can they also identify areas of performance where clearly they could not perform and, therefore, could be seen as weaknesses? Looking into the future, can the management and workers be teased into considering their likely ability to identify opportunities within their environment of child support. Whether there are identifiable challenges for them to improve based on their existing operations or capabilities. These are some likely questions that should engage CDC as it reviews the handed down strategic plans and as they seek to review for improved organizational results.
The Stakeholder analysis in combination with the SWOC/T analysis should identify the key success factors. These are things CDC must watch closely and adhere to in other to assess their success or failures. Must of the questions will be focused on their stakeholder perspectives of the CDC. The stakeholders here will include CDC Workers, registered children and their families, the Church Partner Committee (CPC) and the Church members as a whole. Also important for consideration would be the elected Assemblyman for the Darkuman Community and Community leaders in general. Their satisfaction with the operations of CDC of St. Mark Methodist Church would be critical.
References:
Bryson, J. M. (2011). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (4th ed.). Chapter 5 and 6, pp. 83 – 218. San Francisco, CA: Jossey - Bass.