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The role and importance of strategy workshops: findings of a UK survey

The role and importance of strategy workshops: findings of a UK survey
The role and importance of strategy workshops: findings of a UK survey
Twenty years ago strategy was synonymous with formalised strategic planning. Nowadays, although strategic planning systems still exist in organisations, they are not seen as the main or only vehicle through which strategies actually develop. It is recognised that other managerial processes play an important role.i
One of those processes is strategy workshops or away days and it seems that these have become very commonplace. They typically take the form of managers taking time from their everyday tasks to consider the strategic situation facing the organisation and how they might best move forward.
Although there has been much research into traditional strategic planning systems, we know very little about strategy workshops. Indeed at the start of the project summarised in this report we found that even basic information, such as how often these workshops take place, which types of organisation undertake them, who goes on them, the perceived effectiveness of these events, and so on, is simply not known. So here we have a common phenomenon, supposedly influencing the strategy development of organisations, about which we know virtually nothing. In the absence of such information how can organisations improve the practice of strategy workshops, developing individuals to play an effective role in these events? The project reported here was undertaken to help address this major shortfall in our knowledge of this sphere of management practice.
Our study constitutes the first ever attempt to establish a better picture of what goes on at such workshops and their effectiveness. The findings provide a number of key insights into the scale and scope of these activities and the extent to which and in what ways they help contribute to the effective development and implementation of strategies in organisations.
Advanced Institute of Management Research & Chartered Management Institute
Hodgkinson, Gerard P.
471efe7f-3f54-4ed0-a47c-61bb450900ae
Johnson, Gerry
aca8c629-3f59-4a66-b3d0-0493faef8574
Whittington, Richard
7cd91a7c-5eec-4211-b62e-feeddb370a97
Schwarz, Mirela
0219feb7-5955-4baa-b7b9-940cd6fe4558
Hodgkinson, Gerard P.
471efe7f-3f54-4ed0-a47c-61bb450900ae
Johnson, Gerry
aca8c629-3f59-4a66-b3d0-0493faef8574
Whittington, Richard
7cd91a7c-5eec-4211-b62e-feeddb370a97
Schwarz, Mirela
0219feb7-5955-4baa-b7b9-940cd6fe4558

Hodgkinson, Gerard P., Johnson, Gerry, Whittington, Richard and Schwarz, Mirela (2005) The role and importance of strategy workshops: findings of a UK survey (Long Range Planning) London, UK. Advanced Institute of Management Research & Chartered Management Institute 20pp.

Record type: Monograph (Project Report)

Abstract

Twenty years ago strategy was synonymous with formalised strategic planning. Nowadays, although strategic planning systems still exist in organisations, they are not seen as the main or only vehicle through which strategies actually develop. It is recognised that other managerial processes play an important role.i
One of those processes is strategy workshops or away days and it seems that these have become very commonplace. They typically take the form of managers taking time from their everyday tasks to consider the strategic situation facing the organisation and how they might best move forward.
Although there has been much research into traditional strategic planning systems, we know very little about strategy workshops. Indeed at the start of the project summarised in this report we found that even basic information, such as how often these workshops take place, which types of organisation undertake them, who goes on them, the perceived effectiveness of these events, and so on, is simply not known. So here we have a common phenomenon, supposedly influencing the strategy development of organisations, about which we know virtually nothing. In the absence of such information how can organisations improve the practice of strategy workshops, developing individuals to play an effective role in these events? The project reported here was undertaken to help address this major shortfall in our knowledge of this sphere of management practice.
Our study constitutes the first ever attempt to establish a better picture of what goes on at such workshops and their effectiveness. The findings provide a number of key insights into the scale and scope of these activities and the extent to which and in what ways they help contribute to the effective development and implementation of strategies in organisations.

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More information

Published date: 2005

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 37038
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/37038
PURE UUID: 851e754a-28f4-4bc9-963b-2af49e61452f

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 23 May 2006
Last modified: 11 Dec 2021 15:34

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Contributors

Author: Gerard P. Hodgkinson
Author: Gerry Johnson
Author: Richard Whittington
Author: Mirela Schwarz

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