Challenges of Strategic Planners

Strategic planners face a number of challenges.business plan 10609 image by pablo from Fotolia.com

For businesses large and small, adjusting to changes in the economic structure of the business industry is an ongoing struggle. Many businesses decide to turn to strategic planning, which tries to predict upcoming trends or problems and implement ideas to adjust and adapt. Those forming these strategic plans face a number of challenges in the planning process.

Teamwork

Strategic planners can sometimes find themselves working without team assistance, or even against managers from their company. According to Oliver Recklies, author of "Problems and Barriers to Strategic Planning and Proposals for Solutions," many company managers can get so caught up in the day-to-day, in-your-face duties of the workplace that they do not have the time or the inclination to plan ahead. These managers simply cannot devote the time or effort needed to help the strategic planners formulate and play out their plans.

If the planners do receive assistance from managers and coworkers, Recklies states that strategic planning sessions can sometimes turn into squabbles over which department should receive the most attention or resources in the future. Instead of serving as planning sessions, these meetings can turn into negotiations and bargaining arenas among managers and coworkers for different areas of the company.

Despite extensive planning and consultation, no strategic planner can prepare for every possible twist and turn along the road of business. Oftentimes, a change in the economy, a sudden or unexpected expense, or a variety of other changes can alter the course of a strategic plan.

Changing technologies can also affect the implementation of strategic planning. Strategic planners have no way of predicting what piece of equipment or competitor innovation is just around the corner, and these sudden changes can completely destroy the need or practicality of a strategic plan.

Strategic planners may hit a barrier in the planning process if the cost of the planning seems to outweigh the benefits of the plan itself.

According to the Giving Institute, a legal consultation group that works with nonprofit organizations, many companies do not see the extended benefits of strategic planning, such as an increase in the quality and efficiency of workers or programs and new opportunities for employees. These plans often focus on new methods of performance or different techniques that could open new positions or roles, allowing employees to shine. These non-tangible benefits can be hard to quantify, and can sometimes be overlooked.

Instead, companies may view strategic planning as an excessive number of hours and devotion of manpower to a project with no observable benefits. If the planners are also being paid extra money, or using extra funds for tools for the plan, company officials may decide that the cost outweighs the benefits and cancel the plan.