“Planning is everything. The plan is nothing”. Reportedly, Dwight Eisenhower said that often when he was US General in during World War II. It seems he was saying that planning is for the planning, not for the plan.
Eisenhower was talking about the battlefield. Most organisations would have been viewed differently at the time. For them, planning was for the plan. The plan could be (and mostly was) developed by managers. Others then enacted the plan, following the plan’s instructions.
Now the pace of change has increased. Differences between battlefield and workplace are eroding. Organisations can enhance their flexibility and responsiveness by adopting Eisenhower’s approach to planning. That shift can be accompanied by greater enjoyment at work and better performance.
Contrast the two approaches. In the conventional approach, planning develops a plan. There is a defined end-goal. There are steps on the way to achieving that goal. The newer approach is probably less well defined, and that may be appropriate.
The purpose of the newer approach is therefore not to develop a plan. It is to prepare participants for the most likely futures (plural). All or most of the organisation’s members will be involved.
Above, I’ve discussed planning. There the shift over time is very clear. Problem solving and decision making are also affected. So are such aspects of organisations and communities as relationships and structures and cultures.
My own approach to change tries to exemplify the shift, in my planning facilitation, and (among many more) coaching and mentoring and advising.
Would you like a chance to check out how this works? Take a look at my four-session webinar in March 2025 on “Future proofing”.
See https://lnkd.in/g6BE8E5U
#futureproofing #organisations #communities #planning #problemsolving #decisionmaking #structure #culture
Laboratory Manager
5dWell done all 🏆