Identifying the Meaning of the Planning School of Thought (Term Paper Sample)

The Planning School of Thought
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Meaning of the Planning School of Thought
The planning school of thought sees strategy formation is a formal process that comes in several stages. The first step is objective setting. Under this step, the goals of the organization are identified and quantified and then formalized. The second step is known as the external audit stage. In this step, the objectives have already been set in the previous step and here they are assessed both internally and externally in line with the conditions of the organization (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel, 2020). For example, if the strategy that is to be developed is competitive strategy, then this stage must be done carefully as it is related to the conditions of the environment and competitors are in the external environment. The next step is strategy evaluation. Here, elaboration and qualification of the strategy through appraisal and feedback. The step that follows this one is strategy operationalization where things become more detailed and specifications are made as to who has control. Nonetheless, everything must be done as per the scheduling which has been done.
Tenets Power School of Thought
The planning school of thought is founded on a number of tenets which also happen to be its premises. The first one is that strategies arise from a controlled, conscious process which involves formal planning broken down into distinct steps which are all delineated by specific checklists and is supported by techniques. The second tenet is that responsibility for the entire process rests on the chief executive in principle while the responsibility for its execution is upon the staff planners who are in practice (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel, 2020). The third tenet of the planning school of thought is that strategies emerge from the planning process full blown and are to be made explicit for purposes of implementation via detailed attention to the various objectives, programs, budgets as well as all kinds of operating plans within the organization.
Propositions of the Planning School of Thought
A number of propositions have been made about the planning school of thought. The first proposition is that the clear the goals set, the more likely the organization or business is to be successful. Here, the core competencies of the organization are to be identified as they will determine the strategic planning direction to be taken (George, Walker & Monster, 2019). The second proposition regards commitment to the strategic plan. Everyone must be committed to the strategic process as it will determine the success of the corporate interests of the business. The other proposition suggests that a brilliant strategic plan is not only embraced by the management, but across all elements of the organization for it to stand a good chance of success.
Associated Gurus
This school of thought has been pioneered and developed by a number of gurus. Starting from George Steiner who authored a book on “Top Management Planning” in 1969, these gurus have seen the metamorphosis of the school of thought from basic ideas to the current sophistication. George Steiner presented the steps of strategic planning which are seen as the bedrock on which the planning school of thought stands. Another guru in this school of thought is Jelinek (1979) who developed the idea of strategic programming based on the earlier work of Fredrick Taylor on innovation, efficiency experts and institutionalization. Still, another guru by the name of Pierre Wack is hailed for developing the theory on the complexity and subtlety of strategic planning by saying that it is ‘less on figures and more on insight.’