Whenever a firm engages in strategic planning, there are certain pitfalls that need to be avoided. Being aware of potential pitfalls and being prepared to address them is essential to success.
Below are 13 common pitfalls that routinely plaque firms and undermine strategic planning efforts. rank them in order as to how potentially detrimental/severe they are in doing strategic planning, where 1 is the most detrimental and 13 is the least detrimental.
1-Using strategic planning to gain control over decisions and resources
2-Doing strategic planning only to satisfy accreditation or regulatory requirements
3-Too hastily moving from mission development to strategy formulation
4-Failing to communicate the plan to employees, who continue working in the dark
5-Top managers making many intuitive decisions that conflict with the formal plan
6-Top managers not actively supporting the strategic-planning process
7-Failing to use plans as a standard for measuring performance
8-Delegating planning to a “planner” rather than involving all managers
9-Failing to involve key employees in all phases of planning
10-Failing to create a collaborative climate supportive of change
11-Viewing planning as unnecessary or unimportant
12-Becoming so engrossed in current problems that insufficient or no planning is done
13-Being so formal in planning that flexibility and creativity are stifled