Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, 5th Edition

RESOURCE BUsing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Social Media in the Strategic Planning Process

PETER FLECK, JOHN M. BRYSON, and MALLORY MITCHELL

Information and communications technology and social media have changed strategic planning. The use of e-mail, file attachments, strategic planning websites, Web-based searches, file storage, and collaborative word processing are now part of most strategic planning efforts. Beyond that, more electronic tools are frequently being invented and used in tailored ways that can support strategic planning processes. Judicious use of ICT and social media tools can stimulate and support the assembly of the relevant people, perspectives, expertise, and local knowledge in such a way that noticeably better judgments, coordination, collaboration, and effectiveness occur (Leighninger, 2011; Mergel, 2012; Nabatchi & Leighninger, 2015).

Specifically, ICT and social media tools in combination can serve the following important purposes (or functions):

• Improving one-way, two-way, and deliberative communication
• Assisting with searches for information sources, solutions, people, and other kinds of resources
• Assisting with coordination—i.e., making sure things happen in the right place, at the right time, and in the right sequence
• Facilitating collaboration (as in developing a shared definition of issues, creating strategies, and getting alignments worked out)
• Helping organize groups independent of geography
• Helping identify strategic ...