Every company has a strategy regarding the objectives they want to achieve, but the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful strategy lies in the steps that are taken when formulating the strategy, more specifically in the first step, the external analysis. In order to facilitate this process, organizations can deploy a number of tools to perform an external analysis thoroughly.
1. SWOT
It is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and Weaknesses are used for the internal scan of the company, while Opportunities and Threats are part of the external scan. By analyzing the external environment, the company can better focus its internal resources to reduce the threats and capitalize on its opportunities.
When discussing about strategic planning, there are a few effective tools that can be used in order to have an overview of the business environment. In a previous article we have discussed about Porter’s five forces model and today we will discuss about the PESTEL analysis.
Integrity and ethics play a key role in organizations nowadays, due to the fact that they determine employee behavior. These factors are usually dictated by the company’s values and the major aim is to induce a fair conduct within the workplace, as well outside the company.
The reasons for initiating strategic planning can vary from one organization to another, but its positive outcomes are generally the same. Strategic planning supports the clarification of the desired state of evolution and provides the framework for future projects, for improving performance and aligning employees efforts to strategy. The end result is that all these elements will enable the organization to provide better value for money for its customers or citizens.
