This document discusses the leadership roles and tasks necessary to effectively implement strategic planning. It identifies understanding context and people, sponsoring the process, championing the process, facilitating discussion, fostering collective leadership, and making and enforcing decisions as key tasks. Effective strategic planning requires leaders to appreciate history but not be constrained by it, tailor the process to their organization, use discussion to develop a shared vision and identify actions, and make decisions through collaborative forums and by resolving disputes.

1. LEADERSHIP AND
STRATEGIC
PLANNING
Source: John M Bryson and Barbara C. Crosby,
“Leadership Roles in Making Strategic Planning Work,” in
John M Bryson, Strategic Planning for Public and
Nonprofit Organizations, Revised Edition. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1995, pp. 211-227
Presented by Liza Chan

2. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
“Planning is the organization of hope.”
--Stephen Blum

3. Usually, the main problem with life
conundrums is that we don’t bring to
them enough imagination.”
--
Thomas Moore

4. “Never doubt that a small group of
committed citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that
ever has.”
--
Margaret Mead

5. The following interconnected leadership tasks are
important if strategic planning and implementation are
to be effective:
• Understanding the context
• Understanding the people involved, including oneself
• Sponsoring the process
• Championing the process
• Facilitating the process
• Fostering collective leadership
• Using dialogue and discussion to create a meaningful
process, clarify mandates, articulate mission, identify
strategic issues, develop effective strategies, and
possibly develop a vision of success

6. • Making and implementing
decisions in arenas
• Enforcing rules, setting disputes,
and managing residual conflicts
• Putting it all together

7. UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT
• Appreciate history, but do not be
captured by it.
• Tailor the process to the context.
• Know when to pursue big wins and
small wins.

8. UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE
INVOLVED (INCLUDING ONESELF)
• Understand and appreciate diversity
and commonality
• Develop strength of character and
insight.

9. SPONSORING THE PROCESS
• Articulate the purpose and
importance of the strategic
planning effort.
• Commit the necessary resources
to the effort.
• Emphasize at the beginning and at
critical points that action and
change will result.
• Encourage and reward creative
thinking, constructive debate, and
multiple sources of input and
insight.
• Be aware of the possible need for
outside consultants.
• Be willing to exercise power and
authority to keep the process on
track.

10. CHAMPIONING THE PROCESS
• Keep strategic planning high on people’s agendas
• Attend to the process without promoting specific
solutions.
• Think about what has to come together (people, tasks,
information, reports) at or before key decision
points.
• Organize the time, space, materials,and participation
needed for the process to succeed.
• Pay attention to the languages used to describe
strategic planning and implementation.
• Keep pushing the process along.

11. FACILITATING THE PROCESS
• Know the strategic planning
process, and explain how it
works at the beginning and
at many points along the
way.
• Tailor the process to the
organization and to the
group involved.
• Convey a sense of humor
and enthusiasm for the
process and help groups
get unstuck.
• Press groups toward taking
action and assigning
responsibility for specific
actions.
• Congratulate people
whenever possible.

12. FOSTERING COLLECTIVE
LEADERSHIP
• Rely on teams.
• Focus on network and coalition
development.
• Establish specific mechanisms for
sharing power, responsibility, and
accountability.

13. USING DIALOGUE AND DISCUSSION
TO CREATE A MEANINGFUL PROCESS
• Understand the design and use of
forums.
• Seize opportunities to provide
interpretation and give direction in
difficult and uncertain situations.
• Reveal and name real needs and
real conditions.
• Help followers frame and reframe
issues and strategies.
• Offer compelling visions of the
future.
• Champion new and improved ideas
for addressing strategic issues.
• Detail actions and expected
consequences.

14. MAKING AND IMPLEMENTING
DECISIONS IN ARENAS
• Understand the design and use of
arenas.
• Mediate and shape conflict within
and among stakeholders.
• Understand the dynamics of political
influence and how to target
resources appropriately.
• Build winning, sustainable
coalitions.
• Avoid bureaucratic imprisonment.

15. ENFORCING NORMS, SETTLING
DISPUTES, AND MANAGING RESIDUAL
CONFLICT
• Understand the design and use
of formal and informal courts.
• Foster organizational integrity
and educate others about ethics,
constitutions, laws, and norms.
• Apply constitutions, laws, and
norms to specific cases.
• Adapt constitutions, laws, and
norms to changing times.
• Resolve conflicts among
constitutions, laws, and norms.
Norms