Determinants of strategic planning effectiveness: extension of earlier work

Purpose – This paper aims to report the results of a study which extends the research of Elbanna by testing the relationship between strategic planning practice and participation on the one hand and the effectiveness of strategic planning on the other. Design/methodology/approach – The paper extends the work of Elbanna by conducting the study in a new setting, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a broader sample: private and public organizations. The study tries to control for the possible impact of the methodology on research results by adopting the same methods and measures as the initial study had adopted. Findings – The conclusions of the combined studies show that, in Arab countries, strategic planning practice enhances strategic planning effectiveness; unexpectedly, and contrary to previous research in developed economies, management participation does not contribute here to the effectiveness of strategic planning. Originality/value – Although previous research provides valuable knowledge concerning strategic planning, there has been a paucity of research that empirically measures the effectiveness of strategic planning. Moreover, the scarcity of replications and extensions in the strategic management literature encourages this study to try to fill this gap. The research also shows the importance of extensions in building strategic management theory.