competition by thinking and acting strategically. Planning is taken out of the hands of lower-level managers and concentrated in a planning staff whose task is to develop strategic plans for the corporation. Consultants often provide sophisticated and innovative techniques that the planning staff uses to gather information and forecast future trends. Organizations start competitive intelligence units. Upper-level managers meet once a year at a resort "retreat" led by key members of the planning staff to evaluate and update the current strategic plan. Such top-down planning emphasizes formal strategy formulation and leaves the implementation issues to lower- management levels. Top management typically develops long-term plans with help from consultants but minimal input from lower levels. Phase 4: Strategic management. During this phase, the top management realizes that even the best strategic plans are worthless without the innut and commitment of lower-level managers so
competition by thinking and acting strategically. Planning is taken out of the hands of lower-level managers and concentrated in a planning staff whose task is to develop strategic plans for the corporation. Consultants often provide sophisticated and innovative techniques that the planning staff uses to gather information and forecast future trends. Organizations start competitive intelligence units. Upper-level managers meet once a year at a resort "retreat" led by key members of the planning staff to evaluate and update the current strategic plan. Such top-down planning emphasizes formal strategy formulation and leaves the implementation issues to lower- management levels. Top management typically develops long-term plans with help from consultants but minimal input from lower levels. Phase 4: Strategic management. During this phase, the top management realizes that even the best strategic plans are worthless without the innut and commitment of lower-level managers so
competition by thinking and acting strategically. Planning is taken out of the hands of lower-level managers and concentrated in a planning staff whose task is to develop strategic plans for the corporation. Consultants often provide sophisticated and innovative techniques that the planning staff uses to gather information and forecast future trends. Organizations start competitive intelligence units. Upper-level managers meet once a year at a resort "retreat" led by key members of the planning staff to evaluate and update the current strategic plan. Such top-down planning emphasizes formal strategy formulation and leaves the implementation issues to lower- management levels. Top management typically develops long-term plans with help from consultants but minimal input from lower levels. Phase 4: Strategic management. During this phase, the top management realizes that even the best strategic plans are worthless without the innut and commitment of lower-level managers so