Competitive Strategic Maneuverability: The Missing Link Between Strategic Planning and Firm’s Performance

The strategic planning process consists of setting company objectives, scanning theexternal environmental conditions, organizing internal strategic issues, determiningstrategy choices, formulating implementation plans, control and monitoring. A study ofthe literature shows that for some organizations there is a positive relationship betweenstrategic planning and performance; however, some evidence suggests that it is notsignificant. There is still debate among scholars due to inconclusive results. This study revisits the literature on strategic planning and proposes a new approach incorporatingstrategic flexibility, agility, and responsiveness derived from dynamic capabilities theory. A new concept called “competitive strategic maneuverability” is introduced to bridge the gap between a firm’s strategic planning and performance. Subsequently, the dimensions and indicators that measure the concept of competitive strategic maneuverability are developed for the purposes of further empirical research. Keywords: strategic planning, agility, flexibility, responsiveness, maneuverability, firmperformance 1. IntroductionStrategic planning originated in the 1960s and was very popula