Strategic Planning for Homeland Security Organization - Essay Example

? Strategic planning for homeland security organization Lecturer Strategic planning is a process of an organization in which the organization’s direction or strategy is defined, and making resource allocation decisions in order to pursue that strategy. For organizations to determine their directions, it is significant that for the organizations to understand the current position in which they are at the moment as well as the probable avenues through which the organization can undertake a specified course of action. Strategic planning is about what the organization does; whom it does it to; and how it excels. This paper seeks to analyze the importance of strategic planning to homeland security organizations. Strategic planning, in most organizations, is basically a process used to determine where the organization is headed to over a year or more. Strategic planning therefore includes the mastery of the organization’s mission, vision, strategies, and values (Ahrenfelt, 2006). Strategic planning is therefore important for homeland security organizations in that the process will enable them understand, where they are currently with their services, the people they are serving, where they want to be in the near future, and strategies and courses of action they need to get to the destination of their choice. According to strategic planning, various approaches can be used to achieve components of strategic management. However, to homeland security organizations, it will be vital for them to apply approaches such as: the Situation Target Proposal Approach, which evaluates the currently existing condition and how it resulted, defines objectives and goals of the organization, and maps the most probable path or route to achieving those objectives and goals; and the Draw See Think Plan Approach, which defines the desired end state or the ideal organization’s image, defines the situation today and determines the existing gap from the idea and the reason for that gap, determine the specific courses of action that must be undertaken in order to seal the gap existing between the ideal state and the current condition, and plans the required resources that will facilitate the execution of strategy activities (Donald, 2004). These approaches describe strategic planning importance to homeland security organizations. Through strategic planning, the homeland security organization is able to train its employees and take positive steps towards establishing a department wide approach which is effective in executing its duties. Strategic planning is important to homeland security organizations, because it helps the department to address the challenge of cultural change and transformation, and aid it ensuring that the workforce possesses the skills and knowledge that is required to respond effectively to both the current and future threats to the organization. Some of the actions already taken by the homeland security organization because of the importance of strategic planning include; issuing the strategic plan for training, establishing training groups and councils in order to increase communication across the components, and providing directly training for particular departmental need (Fridson, 2001). However, without effective strategic planning, homeland security organizations are likely to be impeded by several challenges. This is because without strategic planning, there would be lack of compatible or common information management systems as well as a training terminology commonly understood, hence making sharing of information on training difficult (Donald, 2004). Lack of strategic planning will also lead to unclear relationships of accountability and authority between the components of organization and the office of the human capital. In the absence of strategic planning, planning by the homeland security organization will be insufficiently detailed in ensuring coordination and effective implementation of training efforts. Strategic planning is also important to the homeland security organization as it provides vital insights and models to the organization to help the organization with the strategic approach to organizational training. This strategic training approach helps the workforce of the homeland security organization to undergo cultural change and transformation. This will help the organization in addressing cultural and transformation challenges through encouraging a shared culture. This is based on performance determined by implementing human capital management system. Through strategic planning, homeland security organization can anticipate domestic hazards, develop a national preparedness goal for domestic hazards, and establish measurable targets and priorities readiness (Gates, 996). The homeland security organization will also be able to come up with effective hazard preparedness strategies to address the national security priority. Strategic planning will also enable homeland security organizations to assess their needs for preparedness through reviewing their existing capabilities and programs. Just as mentioned earlier that strategic planning is about where the organization is, what they are doing, where they want to be, and the mechanisms and courses of action to take them to that destination. Strategic planning will also facilitate funding and budgeting within the homeland security organization (Law, 2008). This is because it helps in developing regional collaboration and funding guidance which includes specific benchmarks. Strategic planning is important to homeland security organization also because it: formalizes the mutual agreement aid with the surrounding states and communities in order to share personnel, facilities, and facilities in emergencies; promotes and enhances the exercises of mutual agreement aid execution in order to identify the challenges as well as familiarize the officials with the available resources in the region; and coordinates preparedness of homeland security assistance planning efforts and expenditure in order to avoid inconsistent or duplicative investment (Donald, 2004). Strategic planning as a process of defining the direction of an organization and making resource allocation decisions of pursuing the defined strategy is important as it also focuses on multi organizational relationships, collaboration and coordination. This is a reason the homeland security organization needs strategic planning. Strategic planning will ensure that coordination of regional approaches to the preparedness, recovery, and response of homeland security (McDaniel & Roger, 2007). Strategic planning nevertheless builds effective coordination networks and improves performance management of the homeland security organization. It also focuses on enabling practices and strategic practices. These value and justify, develops, implement, and sustain partnership. Homeland security organizations hence need strategic planning to help them in implementing regional and state partnership, articulating and defining specific strategic partnership outcomes and a common mission, and assessing the content and value of the implemented regional partnership on the ongoing progress or basis (Donald, 2004). According to the Department of Homeland Security, homeland security organizations need strategic planning in order to help in implementing a regional partnership of high performance (Serdyukov, 2008). Therefore, strategic planning is important to the homeland security organization due to the fact that it will facilitate: leadership that will champion commitment towards high performance and partnership; setting of joint strategic regional strategies, measures, goals, and objectives within the region’s jurisdiction so as to achieve strategic outcomes; setting the performance management system of the regional partnership for the purposes of the individual performance and outcome management system in order to reinforce partnerships; crafting the infrastructure of organization; and norms of the regional partnership in order to perform efficiently and effectively and providing the resources from joint and individual sources of regional partner in order to initiate and maintain the regional objectives, goals and the related strategies. In addition, strategic planning has enhanced regional preparedness and standards within the homeland security organizations (Serdyukov, 2008). For example, strategic planning will enhance the Emergency Management Accreditation Program, which applies the standards of preparedness and identifying other components for the assessment of the region. Through this, strategic planning facilitates the guidance for regional coordination and planning, testing the capabilities of the region through table top exercises, and the development of the regional tool of online assessment to guide the region through self evaluation and assessment. Therefore, strategic planning is evidently important to the homeland security organization. This conclusively is due to the help it has in enhancing regional arrangements and even building new ones. Strategic planning is important not only to homeland security organizations, but also many other organizations where any partnership arrangement is applicable. This is because through strategic planning, organizations are able to define their direction or strategy and the mechanisms of obtaining the strategy. It also helps the organization to take a situational analysis in order to identify: where they are currently, what they are doing, to who they do their services for, where they want to be in the near future, and courses of action and strategies that will lead them to their preferred destination. In summary, strategic planning is important to homeland security organizations in defining their direction and strategy, and making resource allocation decisions to enable them pursue their strategy. It also helps in developing both the vision statement and the mission statement of homeland security organizations. Strategic planning also helps in defining high result levels, strategic priorities and outcomes that the homeland security organization is supposed to accomplish. It is also important because it helps in conducting a comprehensive external and internal assessment, in order to identify the stakeholders and customers of homeland security organizations and also articulate the expected outcomes for any specified regional program of homeland security organization. Through strategic planning, homeland security organization partners who work with both the stakeholders and customers develop precise and specific outcome definition based on the mission and vision statements of the partnership. We can hence conclude that strategic planning is inevitable to homeland security organizations since it helps in the following: Strengthening and coordinating regional emergency prevention, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery. Making decisions to generate long term regional sustainability and benefits; assessing and addressing regional needs, assets, vulnerabilities, and threats. Promoting continuity of operations, critical protection of infrastructure, government plans continuity for private, public and not for profit organizations as well as tribal nations. Developing public education, public information, and strategies of outreach Developing interoperable and interagency communications strategies and capabilities Enhancing capabilities, coordination, and surge capacity of the healthcare and the public health system of the region. (McDaniel & Roger, 2007). Hence, strategic planning is important to homeland security organizations References Ahrenfelt, J. (2006). Strategic Management in security organizations. New York: Continuum. Donald F. (2004), System under stress: Homeland security and American politics. Washington, DC: CQ Press, Fridson, M. (2001). Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth, Journal of Strategic Management, 6(7), 211-254 Gates, B. (1996). The Road Ahead, New York: Penguin Books. Law, M. et al., (2008). Guidelines for Critical Review of Marketing Research. Market Research Studies, pp. 357-362. McDaniel, C. And Roger G. (2007). Marketing Research. London: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Serdyukov, P. (2008). Importance of Strategy to Organizations. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Read More