Initiating strategic planning

A raft of commentators has observed that too little is known of the contingencies that precede the instigation of formal planning. The objective of this paper is to explore, describe, and explicate the processes, factors, and dynamics that relate to the initiation of formal planning efforts within organizations. This article uses the following structure. First, a conceptual model of the antecedents of planning initiation is presented that identifies and describes ten antecedent factors. Thereafter, the research design, methodology, and the approach adopted is described and justified. After tests to gauge the reliability and validity of the measures employed (including confirmatory factor analysis), 237 responses to a mailed survey are analyzed and the presented framework evaluated. The paper culminates with a discussion of implications. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.