Managing strategic issues in a turbulent environment

A major shortcoming of conventional Strategic Planning Systems (SPS) is their lack of sensitivity in coping with changing environments. On the other hand, Strategic Issues Management Systems (SIMS), which has been recently developed to respond to ‘weak’ signals and turbulent environments, lack some of the visionary, enduring, motivational qualities of the SPS. This article describes how the SPS and the SIMS can be integrated so as to complement thier individual strengths and mitigate their respective weaknesses. A process that can promote this integration is proposed.