This handbook has been organized in three main sections. Section I provides guidance on the processes which comprise strategic management. These are: pre-planning, strategic planning, deployment, implementation, and measurement and evaluation. A model is presented in An Introduction to Strategic Management and this model is repeated in each chapter, highlighting the process being addressed.
Strategic management as a term and concept is not new. The term was first used in the 1970s, and it meant that a staff of strategic planners more or less thought up strategic programs and then tried to sell them to decision makers. In the 1990s, the view of strategic planning and strategic management is much different. Goodstein, Nolan, and Pfeiffers definition of strategic p…
Strategic management is not a clean, step by step process. It is not linear, but a messy, iterative process that requires hard work and dedication from most people in the organization to move it toward the future. It represents a new focus for the organization; a focus on a compelling vision of the future. This handbook is designed to help organizational leaders take steps to begin a s…