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1TheRealValueofStrategicPlanning--forthcominginSloanManagementReviewThegoalofastrategicplanningprocessshouldnotbetomakestrategybuttobuildpreparedmindsthatarecapableofmakingsoundstrategicdecisions.SarahKaplanandEricD.BeinhockerSarahKaplan,formerlyaninnovationspecialistwithMcKinsey&Company,isaPh.D.candidateattheMITSloanSchoolofManagement.EricD.BeinhockerisaprincipalinMcKinsey’[e-mail]@McKinsey.com.Mostcompaniesinvestasignificantamountoftimeandeffortinaformal,annualstrategicplanningprocess--butmanyexecutivesseelittlebenefitfromtheinvestment.Onemanagertoldus,“Ourplanningprocessislikeaprimitivetribalritual--thereisalotofdancing,wavingoffeathersandbeatingofdrums.Nooneisexactlysurewhywedoit,butthereisanalmostmysticalhopethatsomethinggoodwillcomeoutofit.”Anothersaid,“It’sliketheoldCommunistsystem:Wepretendtomakestrategyandtheypretendtofollowit.”ManagementthinkerHenryMintzberghasgonesofarastolabelthephrase“strategicplanning”anoxymoron.1Henotesthatrealstrategyismadeinformally--inhallwayconversations,workinggroups,andquietmomentsofreflectiononlongplaneflights--andrarelyinthepanelledconferenceroomswhereformalplanningmeetingsareheld.OurownresearchonstrategicplanningsupportsMintzberg’sobservation:Wefoundthatfewtrulystrategicdecisionsaremadeinthecontextofaformalprocess.Butwealsofoundthat,whenapproachedwiththerightgoalinmind,formalplanningneednotbeawasteoftimeandcan,infact,bearealsourceofcompetitiveadvantage.(See2“AbouttheResearch.”)Companiesthatachievedsuchsuccessusedstrategicplanningnottogeneratestrategicplansbutasalearningtooltocreate“preparedminds”(toparaphraseLouisPasteur)withintheirmanagementteams2AformerseniorexecutiveatGECapitalexplainedthelogicofsuchthinkingtous:Businessisoftenunpredictable--twocompetitorsmerge,anotherdevelopsanewtechnology,thegovernmentissuesnewregulations,marketdemandswingsinadifferentdirection.Itisoftenduringthesereal-timedevelopmentsthatacompany’smostimportantstrategicdecisionsaremade.Toooften,however,companiesreactpoorlyunderthepressure.Becausetheyarenotwellprepared,discussionsamongtopmanagersareoftenbasedmoreonopinionthanfact,andthesubsequentdecisionsendupbeingbasedongutinstinctratherthanthoughtfulanalysis.GECapital,however,believesthatitgainsacompetitiveadvantagefromadisciplinedstrategyprocesswhichfocusesonpreparingitfortheuncertaintiesahead.Theconclusionofourresearchisthatthegoalofaformalstrategicplanningprocessistomakesurethatthekeydecisionmakershaveasolidunderstandingofthebusiness,shareacommonfactbase,andagreeonimportantassumptions.Theseelementsofthepreparedmindserveasthefoundationonwhichgoodstrategicdecisionscanbemadethroughouttheyear.3Andoneofthemostimportantwaysofbuildingthatfoundationisbygettingthecentralelementsoftheprocessright.HowtoCreatePreparedMindsMoststrategicplanningprocessesarebuiltaroundasetofannual(orothertimeperiod)meetingsinwhichtheCEOandseniorcorporateteamreviewthestrategiesofthecompany’sbusinessunitsordivisions.TheCEOandtopteamtypicallymeetseparatelytodiscusscorporatestrategyaswell.3Wefoundthatthekeytotransformingthesereviewmeetingsfromdog-and-ponyshowsintoeffectivevehiclesforlearningwastoviewthemnotas“reviewsbytheCEO”butasconversations.Thedifferenceisthataconversationisatwo-waystreetinwhichparticipantslearnfromandchallengeoneanother--thegoalisforeveryonetoleavetheroommuchbetterinformedthanwhentheywentin.Achievingthatoutcomerequiresalotofpreparationbyalltheparticipants.Thedevil,itturnsout,isinahostofseeminglymundane,butactuallycriticaldetails:Whoshouldattendthereviews?Realconversationstakeplaceingroupsofthreetotenpeople;theysimplydonothappeninlargegroupsforbothlogisticalandpoliticalreasons.Oncethegroupgrowsinsize,itisdifficulttoensurethateveryonecanparticipatemeaningfully,sohierarchicalforcesaremorelikelytocomeintoplay.Ratherthanfrankdiscussion,inlargergroupsoneismorelikelytoseeposturingandpoliticking.Somecompaniesinourstudy,temptedbythevaluesofinclusion,broughtingroupsaslargeas30or40peopletotheirstrategyreviews.ThesediscussionswereinhibitedandpeoplecameawayfeelingthattheexercisehadbeenmoreofaPowerPointslideshowthanarealdialogueaboutcriticalbusinessissues.Inreality,thereareonlytwoessentialparticipantsinabusinessunitstrategyreview:theCEOandthebusinessunithead.Everyoneelseisdiscretionaryandshouldbeincludedonlyifheorsheistrulyadecisionmaker.ThenumberofdecisionmakersvariesfromcompanytocompanybuttypicallyincludesthecorporateCFO,thegroupexecutive(ifthereisone)thatthebusinessunitreportsto,theheadofcorporateHR,perhapsoneortwoseniorcorporateexecutives,andperhapstwotothreeseniormembersofthebusinessunitteam.Thecorporateheadofstrategyalsousuallyattendsasthepersonresponsibleformakingsuretheconversationiseffective.Thusthetotal4numberofparticipantscanbekepttobetweenfiveandten,with12asthemaximum.Peoplewillfighttobeincludedinthesemeetings,butotherforumscanbesetuptokeeptheminformedandgettheirbuy-in.Howlongshouldtheybe?It’snotpossibletohaveanin-depthstrategydiscussionaboutasignificantbusinessinanythinglessthanaday.Therea