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Mind blowing stuff…Umair stands on their shoulders (by his own admission)

The two don’t necessarily have to fight though- just because they serve different purposes. Strategic Planning can just as easily serve innovation by setting a course and allowing for flexibility- just don’t let the strategy officer anywhere near the innovators! (looks around and runs)

Along the lines of what you were saying, though, here’s a great example of the fight between innovation and stratplanning from disney: http://micechat.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2683.html

Having said that, as a mid-level staffer, I’m often frustrated by the lack of strategic direction or focus at a level that would help drive the decisions our education committee must make.

For example, if the association’s strategy is to maintain current membership levels (in our association, this actually makes sense), then we would follow Plan A to expand our reach of current offerings within that membership base. However, if the association’s strategy is to expand our membership (which is also a viable option), it would require movement into a segment that’s traditionally been a minority for us, and would mean following Plan B to expand the types of programs we’re offering.

So I’d still advocate that however you define it, some future-thinking has to be articulated, whether you call it strategic planning or not.

I can’t speak for those asking, “What do we replace strategic planning with?” but I certainly understand why they might be asking the question.

Perhaps it’s because the view is different from the foxhole than it is from the fighter jet flying overhead.

This is the definitive explanation of what is wrong with strategic planning in any form: it is grounded in the belief that tomorrow must be like yesterday.

Jeff, although your ideas are right on, I think the above statement is a bit inaccurate. There are strategic planning methodologies that do not depend on or build on yesterday. The process expounded and practiced by John A. Warden III - Winning In FastTime is a 100% future oriented process that essentially eliminates opportunities for its practiioners to build strategies based on the past.

I would encourage your readers to explore and John’s blog–Strategic Thinking by John A. Warden III to see how strategic planning can be 100% future focused and tap into one’s strategic imagination.