A few years back, a searing pain in my elbow sent me to the doctor, who diagnosed me with olecranon bursitis. Apparently, all that time spent leaning forward on hard desks in different meeting rooms during my team’s frequent marathon strategic planning sessions was putting too much stress on my poor elbow. The doctor told me I would either have to shorten these sessions in the future, or find a better way of developing strategy.

However, a growing movement in business thinking would have me drop the painstaking process of strategic planning altogether. It’s just not thought to be fast and agile enough to fit into an environment of rapid change. Quite honestly, I can understand that.

With research showing that not even half of all strategic plans successfully reach their goals, and a world that is changing at a higher speed than ever before, it may actually seem futile and naïve to invest time into strategy development.

Meantime, there are counter-detractors who insist that strategy is still essential, but companies are doing it wrong—either by overlooking execution, using outmoded planning methods, or both.

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