1. Introduction

This preliminary paper outlines changes in both the methods used for developing strategy, and, to a limited extent, in the substantive nature of such strategy.

There are many different ways in which strategy development is relevant to government including the preparation of corporate strategies and the development of the state strategic plan, and of economic and social development strategies. The purpose of this paper is to provide a resource which might indicate options for further enhancing such strategies.

Overview

This paper addresses strategy in terms of:

• the reasons that strategy, and methods for developing strategy, have altered
• the origin of strategic planning as a means for organisations facing rapid change to ensure that their internal capabilities match the expected requirements of their future environment
• criticism of comprehensive strategic plans prepared by specialist planners, and the development of alternatives which are less centralised, and more issues focused
• the intense current experimentation with different strategy methods and goals
• the advantages, requirements and special difficulties of strategic techniques in government
• the need to target strategy at future (not past) requirements, which requires deep understanding of what drives change in the environment - rather than projecting the past.

The paper is not comprehensive eg it considers mainly strategy in English speaking countries. In East Asia, strategy can be based on philosophically challenging principles.

The paper concludes that:

• Queensland enterprises, and government generally, can learn from international experience in business strategy development;
• there may be useful lessons also for social and economic development strategy;
• government traditionally has different strategy requirements to business;
• those government entities now expected to compete need strategies which develop capabilities to suit their commercial, rather than their political, environment

The above outline is available in more detail.

Associated with this paper is a Brief Introduction to Some Strategy Issues which outlines literature on the topic in a (hopefully) readable format. This is accompanied by a Review of Strategy Literature, which presents more detailed summaries of the same sources.

Several sources summarised in the Review of Strategy Literature give overviews of strategy development, of which the most comprehensive may be Items 57, 32 and 45.