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A professor at Benedictine
University posed a problem
illustrating the importance
of strategic planning to
a class of graduate students studying Organizational
Development. He began by easing several large rocks
into
a large wide-mouthed jar. When no more rocks
would fit inside, everyone in the class agreed that the
jar was full.
The professor smiled and
then pulled out a bucket of grave which he carefully poured into the jar.
The jagged pieces fell easily into the empty spaces between the large rocks.
He again asked the group, "Is the jar full?"
By now the students were catching on, and the class
agreed that perhaps the jar was not yet full.
Smiling, the professor poured sand
into the jar which quickly filled the spaces left between the rocks and the
gravel. Finally, the professor grabbed a pitcher of
water and filled the jar to the brim and all agreed that
now the jar was indeed full.
The lesson clearly
illustrated the need for strategic planning.
The big rocks represent the most important aspects of
your business.
Is your business structured so that each internal
department functions as an independent entity? Does
each department have its own bottom line?
Many times, the result of such structuring is that
internal departments begin competing with each other
instead of competing with external competitors.
For example sales and marketing, two
departments that should act as complementary partners,
often act as fierce competitors.
Looking at the problem through the lens of "strategic
planning", it's easy to see why it's so common for
departments within an organization to be
entrenched in conflict.
Could your organization benefit from Strategic Planning?
Do you find that worthy projects with real potential for
improving the bottom line are never implemented?
Are your most talented team members
leaving for greener pastures?
Are managers asking for training on
"outside the box thinking" and "conflict management"?
If you answered yes to any of these
questions, it may be a sign that it's time to sit down
with Proven Strategies for a session of Strategic
Planning.
Contact
Proven Strategies for effective tools
managers and executives can use to improve their
strategic planning skills as well as their ability to
work together as a team.
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