Assessing the state of strategic management at various South African organisations

Abstract

Strategic management is an essential concept used within organisations or by organisation owners in the determination of opportunities, possibilities, sustainable goals and objectives. Organisations and businesses need strategy and, in turn, strategic management. Organisations require an understanding of successful strategies, identification of gaps and competitors, growth opportunities and industry trends. These aspects are all covered in the successful formulation, implementation and evaluation of strategic management tools and processes. Organisations require a plan in the rapidly changing global business environment. Many opportunities and possibilities exist within the business environment. It is the onus of the organisation to notice and take advantage of these opportunities and possibilities and to manage the various resources at their disposal. The purpose of the study, and the primary objective was to assess the strategic management processes of various South African organisations and the influence of the various steps within a strategic management process on South African organisations was determined. The research was exploratory and focused on South African organisations as a whole. The secondary objectives of the study were to: examine the organisational processes used by the organisation during the implementation of the strategic plans; evaluate the level of participation in strategy development; to determine which level of management is involved in the strategic planning process; determine the reasoning behind why organisations use strategic planning; and to examine the decision management takes when implementing strategies.