A cooperative requested me to facilitate their workshop in drafting their strategic plan. I consented since this is my opportunity to help enhance operations of development organizations especially those in the rural areas. An external facilitator usually provides fresh insights to the outlook of the organization. This is my way of contributing to the efforts at improving condition of development organizations.

Strategic planning, a tool of large corporate entities in projecting their position in the future, has been the buzz word for development organizations. What has been a successful tool for big corporations was adopted as means to provide development organizations with a process how to craft their long-term plan, usually five years.

There is a concern however on the use of the tool since corporations using this methodology has already attained certain level of organizational maturity with stable leadership and management structures, financial system in place, huge financial resources and products and services with strong branding. Strategic planning is used at the time when the corporation is in the mode for expansion, or in the mode to acquire bigger pie of the market.

In contrast, most of the development organizations are in the survival state. Shaky structures, nonexistent policies and systems and funds dependent on the donors’ flavor-of-the-month. In most cases the first step is to enhance the basic organizational structures and systems before even thinking of expansion or diversification. This is confirmed by my experience where at the end of the planning process, most of the strategic actions are focused in organizational development or internal housekeeping, that is, putting the basic systems in place, not so much about expansion or venturing into other fields of interest. Internal strengthening first before going external.

One of the positive impact of the planning is giving the leaders a long-term mindset. Thinking of how the future will look like and how the organization will be able to cope with the changes.

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