This is the first blog in a series that will review my Seven Deadly Sins of Nonprofit Strategy. And the first is, by far, the worst: “It’s Just Sitting on the Shelf.” This means, of course, that the nicely bound final strategic plan report is just sitting on a shelf and not being implemented in any way whatsoever. The reason it is the worst is because it is so … [Read more...] about The 1st Deadly Sin of Nonprofit Strategy: “It’s Just Sitting on the Shelf”
Analysis Cannot Answer the Question “Why?”
In my last blog, I made the case for the value of organizations setting their visions and goals without cluttering their minds with the constraints of the current reality – which are usually identified in a SWOT analysis. Today I offer a different perspective on the same theme. Systems Thinking pioneer, Dr. Russell Ackoff, was a Senior Fellow at Maryland’s Robert H, Smith … [Read more...] about Analysis Cannot Answer the Question “Why?”
The Classic SWOT Analysis: Better Backwards
The classic use of SWOT Analysis (a review of an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) has been around for a long time in the field of strategic planning, but it can be used in a far more helpful way if it is done backwards. In the classic approach to strategy, the first step of the strategy development process is SWOT Analysis. The purpose … [Read more...] about The Classic SWOT Analysis: Better Backwards