If planning is everything, Maybe its nothing.

A blog back on my subject area, strategic planning or strategic management to use the correct term for the academic field.

I have been reading an interesting article entitled 'If planning is everything, Maybe its nothing' written back in 1973 by Aaron Wildavsky.  It is almost a fore runner to one of the largest debates in strategic management, whether strategy should be planned and deliberate or it emerges naturally as part of general management activities.

The article makes some very interesting points but it does read a little gloomily as though Mr Wildavsky hasn't got a lot of time for planners in general.  His particular interest is planning in the 3rd world (although it wasn't called the 3rd world then) and he observes that in amongst all the money poured into formal plans and planning, the results have been pretty disappointing.

It raises another interesting argument/point and that is the difference between the plan and the outcomes.  He appears to be arguing that separating the two doesn't make sense as the whole point of planning is to arrive at some specific place in the future and if we miss then planning has somehow 'failed'.  But implementation of plan will be subject to numerous events internally and externally and whilst we use the term plan, we don't use the term control or crystal ball.

Unfortunately the article doesn't really offer a solution to not planning, just seems to bemoan planning in general.  If the world is so complex and we can't get our heads around it, then what action should we take.  

My (very non-academic) thought is that like most physical journey's (a holiday at the beach), you do sit down at the beginning and work out where you want to go (the Riveria) and how you are going to get there (planes, trains and automobiles).  If things change along the way (the Icelandic volcano spews a bit of ash stopping flights), you adapt, you may have to make new plans but in the absence of shocks to the systems, you carry on and hopefully reach your destination.

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