Abstract
During the past three years, we have been involved in a study of strategic planning processes in several financial and commercial organizations. Our findings, when combined with insight gathered from consulting relationships, reveal a disconcerting trend. With increasing frequency we have observed a variety of bureaucratic processes within organizations and technical developments from without that are causing many planning processes to become too rational. By this we mean a condition in which the strategic planning process has become inflexible, formalized and excessively quantitative. In this state, the planning system seems to develop an inertia all of its own that can stifle creative thought and frustrate the most able managers. It appears to be a major contributor to the disenchantment experienced by many line and staff members for whom planning has lost its glow.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
Charan, R. (1982) ‘How to Strengthen Your Strategy Review Process’, Journal of Business Strategy, 2(3) pp. 50–60.
Schoeffler, S., Buzzell, R. and Heany, D. (1974) ‘Impact of Strategic Planning on Profit Performance’, Harvard Business Review, 52 (3) pp. 137–45.
The Boston Consulting Group (1971) ‘Growth and Financial Strategies’, Perspectives (Boston: Boston Consulting Group).
Porter, M. (1980) Competitive Strategy (New York: The Free Press).
Ansoff, H. (1977) ‘Managing Surprise and Discontinuity: Strategic Response to Weak Signals’, in H. Thorelli (ed.) Strategy + Structure = Performance (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press).
Abernathy, W. and Wayne, K. (1974) ‘Limits of the Learning Curve’, Harvard Business Review, 52 (5) pp. 109–19.
Hayes, R. and Garvin, D. (1982) ‘Managing as if Tomorrow Mattered’, Harvard Business Review, 60 (3) pp. 71–9.
Kiechel, W. (1981) ‘The Decline of the Experience Curve’, Fortune, pp. 139–46, 5 October.
Kiechel, W. (1981) ‘Three (or four, or more) Ways to Win’, Fortune, pp. 181–8, 19 October.
Kiechel, W. (1981) ‘Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? Or My Cash Cow? Or My Star?’, Fortune, pp. 140–54, 2 November.
Lorange, P. (1980) Corporate Planning: An Executive Viewpoint (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall).
Rothschild, W. (1980) ‘How to Ensure the Continued Growth of Strategic Planning’, Journal of Business Strategy, 1 (1) pp. 11–18.
Steiner, G. (1979) Strategic Planning (New York: The Free Press).
Lyles, M. and Lenz, R. (1982) ‘Managing the Planning Process: A Field Study of the Human Side of Planning’, Strategic Management Journal, 3 (2) pp. 105–18.
Donnell, J. (1976) ‘Sixteen Commandments for Outside Directors’, Business Horizons, 19 (1) pp. 45–58.
Cleland, D. and King, W. (1973) ‘Developing a Planning Culture for More Effective Strategic Planning’, Working Paper no. 31, University of Pittsburgh.
Emshoff, J. and Mitroff, I. (1978) ‘Improving the Effectiveness of Corporate Planning’, Business Horizons, 21 (5) pp. 49–60.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1989 Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lenz, R.T., Lyles, M.A. (1989). Paralysis by Analysis: is your planning system becoming too rational?. In: Asch, D., Bowman, C. (eds) Readings in Strategic Management. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20317-8_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20317-8_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-51809-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-20317-8
eBook Packages: Palgrave Business & Management CollectionBusiness and Management (R0)