STRATEGIC PLANNING IN COMMUNITIES: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Abstract

In the modern realities of the development of the public sphere, strategic planning is an integral part of the management process – from the national level to the level of territorial communities, and therefore, strategic planning in the community, as a subject of research, does not lose its relevance. However, despite the widespread practice of strategic planning, there are still certain difficulties in explaining its essence, clearly justifying the feasibility of its mandatory application in both state administration and local self-government. Hence the dominance of the formal approach in the preparation of strategic plans, lack of flexibility, failure to fulfill the tasks set. Despite the extensive theoretical baggage of various management schools regarding definitions, characteristics, differences, and components of strategic planning, the understanding of this process is not and cannot be complete, since the conditions of functioning of planning objects are changing. The aim of the article is to attempt to explain the content of strategic planning, taking into account the current position of the management object and the prospects for its development. The interpretation of the well-known concepts is proposed: «strategy», «strategic planning», «strategic plan». Attention is drawn to the management of community development, which, like the management of other objects, is carried out in conditions of military conflict, growing uncertainty, and deepening demographic crisis, which is crucial for making effective strategic decisions. The need for strategic planning in communities with an orientation towards using their internal potential is substantiated, since the paternalistic policy of the state towards regions and communities does not create impulses to search for local development options. When making decisions, local governments increasingly have to make difficult choices (to focus efforts on supporting entrepreneurship or on social assistance), since in all cases there are risks of not achieving the desired result. Risks are usually difficult to eliminate, which means that efforts should be directed towards increasing the chances (opportunities) of achieving the intended goal. Therefore, the methodological support for strategic planning in communities should be improved, taking into account the existing differences between strategic choice and the planning process.