Introduction
Organizations, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, need to plan strategically so as to fulfill their mandate, achieve their mission, and create public value. Furthermore, strategic planning helps the leaders and managers of these organizations to be effective strategists so that they can satisfy their constituents or stakeholders.
According to Bryson (2011), managers and leaders of these entities must exercise discretion when executing their duties, develop effective strategies to help them navigate the changing and the charged environment and must have a coherent and justified backing for their decisions. Effectively, they can only achieve such through strategic planning. The essence of this post is to create a vision and mission statement for an organization and explain how strategic planning can benefit it. The post also includes a plan that can allow the organization to a positive future impact.
Vision and Mission of Oxfam
Oxfam is a confederation of seventeen affiliates that work in over ninety countries around the world with the aim of reducing poverty. The organization’s vision is to have a just world where there is no poverty (Oxfam, 2016). To me, it is a vision that echoes its work as demonstrated by its values. However, my vision for the organization would be Justice for Humanity to end Inequality. I believe that when justice prevails, everyone will access resources instead of few individuals, nations or groups controlling them. Effectively, inequalities will be reduced and, poverty will become history. Oxfam’s mission statement is “to create long-term solutions to poverty, hunger, and social justice.” I believe the statement is strong and captures its goals. However, my mission statement for the organization would be “to have human-focused remedies for injustices and inequalities.”
Benefits of strategic planning for Oxfam
According to Bryson, strategic planning is a disciplined approach aimed at producing essential decisions and actions that can shape and guide an organization based on its foundation, activities, and the reasons for doing what they do (Bryson, p.2, 2011). Therefore, through strategic planning, Oxfam and its managers and leaders can access a set of procedures, tools, and ideas meant to assist them to deal with their duties and responsibilities. They can use an array of perspectives, models and approaches to plan for the future. Strategic plan models like goals-based, issue-based or organic model can help them create value for the public, especially in their vision to have a just world without social injustices and poverty (Free Management Library, n.d; Oxfam 2016).
Strategic planning is essential to organizations like Oxfam because of the benefits it offers to the leaders, especially in a fast-changing global business environment. Bryson is categorical that strategic planning promotes strategic thinking, acting, and learning, particularly when the major players engage in dialogue and strategic conversations (Bryson, p.11, 2011). Organizations need to gather systematic information concerning its internal and external environment to promote strategic thinking, acting, and learning. They also need to consider the interests of the different actors, audit their successes and failures, clarify their future direction, establish their priorities, and pay attention to how they can acquire and utilize available skills and knowledge.
Secondly, strategic planning will help the non-profit organization to improve their decision-making process. According to Bryson, improved decision making is critical since poor decision-making processes have resulted in the failure of strategic decisions in many organizations (Bryson, p.11, 2011). Through strategic planning, these leaders can develop coherent and evidence-based approaches in their decisions, especially when taking steps in light of the likely future effects of their actions. They can also improve their communication, especially when dealing with emergency response in hunger-stricken parts of the world. Such communication is essential to getting donors come on board (Laureate Education, 2008d).
Thirdly, it allows organizations to enhance their effectiveness as such entities are encouraged to clarify and respond to major issues and internal and external forces and pressure, especially being accountable and transparent to its donors, recipients, and creating public value (Bryson, 2010). Again, organizational effectiveness created as a result of strategic planning can enable Oxfam to deal well with fast changing humanitarian environment in the world, especially in war-torn nations like Syria and refugee situation in Europe.
Fourthly, strategic planning allows an organization to enhance its effectiveness on broader societal issues and approaches by expanding its boundaries and reach. For a better world, especially one without poverty and social injustice, Oxfam must ensure that its plans seek to help societal systems to be responsive to the needs of the majority, specifically in developing countries. Lastly, strategic planning benefits those involved in it as it helps policy and crucial decision makers to fulfill their duties and responsibilities while participants can enhance their teamwork skills and expertise (Bryson, p.39, 2011).
A plan to impact the future
Oxfam can positively impact the future by creating a strategic plan at the relevant levels in the organization. Implementing a strategic plan is the most appropriate way for Oxfam to change the future. The plan should be conducted twice a year by incorporating all the critical stakeholders, especially its board, the management and executive employees who shall communicate the aspirations, goals and values to other employees (Free Management, n.d). More importantly, Oxfam needs to review its action plan on a quarterly basis and update them once a year.
Conclusion
Organizations need strategic planning to succeed in the fast changing circumstances, whether in public or nonprofit setting. Strategic planning offers many benefits for the organization, its leaders and managers because it allows them to create public value.
References
Bryson, J. M. (2011). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to
strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (4th ed.) Chapter 1, “Why Strategic Planning is More Important Than Ever” (pp. 3–40. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Bryson, J. M. (2010). The future of public and nonprofit strategic planning in the United States.
Public Administration Review, 70(s1), s255–s267. Retrieved on 26th August 2016 from the Walden Library databases.
Free Management Library. (n.d.). All about strategic planning. Retrieved on 26th August, 2016,
Laureate Education (Producer). (2008d). Introduction to strategic planning [Video file].
Baltimore, MD: Author.
Oxfam, (2016). About Us: Mission and Vision. Accessed on 26th August 2016 from http://www.oxfamnovib.nl/english/about-oxfam/our-story/mission-and-vision
