Blackwell Reference Online

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Strategic development is one approach to strategic staffing where management development programs are designed and implemented to be aligned with the strategic direction of the organization. Strategic development implies that management development activities should be responsive to strategic business needs, consistent with strategy formulation, and serve a role in strategy implementation ( Schuler, 1992 ). Strategic development is congruent with a fluid, organic view of organizations where both the manager's value to the organization (in terms of behaviors, skills, knowledge, attitudes, and motives) and strategic demands are viewed as evolving over time. In such situations, management development should influence at least three essential components of the strategic implementation process: (1) flexibility to take advantage of unanticipated events; (2) ongoing communications downward, upward, and across the organization to shape and reshape strategy; and (3) cohesiveness among managers to coalesce around an emerging strategic vision. Strategic development is critical when implementation consists of the processes through which the organization comes to understand, accept, and commit to an evolving strategy. It is also critical to organizations that seek growth either by extension of their current businesses or by internally based diversification into very similar product lines or ... log in or subscribe to read full text