Leadership in Action: Strategic Leadership

Challenges to Organizational Strategic Thinking and Planning

The organizational challenges most frequently mentioned involve dealing with change and, its close cousin, uncertainty. In fact, more than half of the participants mentioned the challenge of change in their responses. Specific change issues noted by these leaders related to growth; adaptability; alignment of resources; identification of trends; organizational culture; and environmental pressures like changing markets, changing industries, resource availability, and sociopolitical issues.

Other challenges facing these leaders involved the direction of the organization, what we have labeled focus, consensus, and vision. This category refers to the organization's task of developing, aligning, ...