The importance of engaging in a strategic planning process that results in a solid guide for an organization’s actions cannot be overstated. Strategic planning provides a venue and forum for an organization to gather key constituents, grapple with tough choices, vet complex decisions, and settle on a clear path to guide future decisions. The resulting plan should serve as a means to direct actions, shape outcomes and meet overarching institutional goals.
The strategic plan is equally important as a philosophical document that relays to internal and external stakeholders where the organization is heading. As such it serves as a critical piece of communication in and of itself – directing departmental activities, enumerating and acknowledging institutional initiatives, and messaging the direction in which the organization has chosen to pursue. However, while the plan itself is a vital piece of organizational communication, if the institution does not actively engage in the act of notifying its constituents of the existence and meaning of the plan, the probability of the plan’s success is greatly diminished. Thus, the act of communicating the plan must be undertaken with intention and enthusiasm if the strategic plan is to be seen as integral part of the organizational culture.
