Organizational Goals and Plans

Goals and Plans

• Goals define an organisation's desired future state.
• Planning involves blueprinting goal achievement, specifying resource allocation, schedules, tasks, and actions.

Levels of Goals and Plans

• Mission statements articulate an organization's purpose.
• Strategic goals are broad statements outlining the organization's future.
• Tactical goals are outcomes that major divisions/departments must achieve.
• Operational goals are expected results from departments, work groups, and individuals.
• Strategic plans define the company’s action steps.
• Tactical plans execute major strategic plans, accomplishing specific parts of the company's strategy.
• Operational plans specify the action steps toward achieving operational goals, supporting tactical activities.

Organizational Planning Process

• Developing a Plan involves defining the mission, vision, and setting goals.
• Translating the plan includes defining tactical plans and objectives, developing a strategy map, defining contingency plans and scenarios, and identifying intelligence teams.
• Planning operations consists of defining operational goals and plans, selecting measures and targets, setting stretch goals, and crisis planning.
• Executing the plan employs management by objectives, performance dashboards, single-use plans, and decentralized responsibility.
• Monitoring and learning include holding planning and operational reviews.

Goal Setting

• Organisational mission defines the organisation's reason for existence.
• Mission statements broadly define an organization, distinguishing it from others
• Strategy maps help align goals within the organisation.

Characteristics of Effective Goals

• Specific and measurable
• Linked to rewards
• Defined time period
• Realistic and challenging
• Cover key result areas

Management By Objectives (MBO)

• MBO Process steps include setting goals, developing action plans, reviewing progress, and appraising overall performance.
• MBO benefits include focusing efforts on goal attainment, improving performance across levels, improving employee motivation, and aligning goals.

Single-Use vs Standing Plans

• Single-use plans achieve goals via programs and projects.
• Standing plans guide ongoing activities through policies, rules, and procedures.

Planning in a Turbulent Environment

• Contingency planning prepares for emergencies, setbacks, or unexpected conditions.
• Building scenarios forecasts current trends, discontinuities, and future possibilities.
• Crisis planning addresses unexpected, devastating events.

Essential Stages of Crisis Planning

• The steps involved are prevention and preparation.
• Prevention includes building relationships and detecting signals from the environment.
• Preparation involves designating a crisis management team/spokesperson, creating a crisis management plan, and setting up communication systems.

Innovative Approaches to Planning

• Include setting stretch goals
• Using performance dashboards
• Deploying intelligence teams
• Using project management software

Benefits and Limitations of Planning

• Motivation and commitment, Resource allocation
• Act as a guide to action and Standard of performance
• The limitations include a false sense of certainty, rigidity, and hindering intuition/creativity.