Planning in todays organizations in comparison to planning twenty-five Essay

Planning in todays organizations in comparison to planning twenty-five years - Essay Example This essay discusses that organizational planning has been done by top executives, consulting firms or central planning departments. Central planning departments in this case incorporate a group of planning specialists who report to the CEO or president of a company. Their goal is to develop strategic plans and gather data from the organization. This involves a top-down approach where plans and goals were assigned to major divisions and departments after approval from the president. This approach has worked well in companies twenty-five years ago, and it is still used in some companies today. However, despite the longevity of this approach, formal planning is criticised in today’s society with a fast paced environment. Documents from central planning departments may be obsolete to the rapid changes in reality faced by managers and front line employees. People may have to struggle to follow a plan that is not applicable to the customer’s needs or the environment. Moreove r, they may hinder the employee’s innovative and learning skills. These are some of the differences experienced in planning today and twenty-five years ago. Planning has changed and now involves everyone in the organization, plus outside stakeholders as well. It embraces decentralised planning in which experts in planning work with managers in major departments to develop their goals and plans. With this approach, managers come up with creative solutions to problems and become more engaged in following through the plan.