Planning practices: a multiple case study in the high-performing banks

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategic planning practices applied in the high-performing banking industry in the Indonesian context and how decision style facilitates successful planning. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a qualitative research approach as the framework for this study to get a genuine explanation of the perspectives of participants researched about strategic planning. The data collection method used in-depth semi-structured and unstructured interviews of both key informants and non-planning members in each identified bank. Three banks were selected because of their commitment in strategic planning and their high-performance status. This study used research information from a panel of experts to first define a bank as high performing in the first instance, and then to select the three top performing banks for the study. Findings This study has provided useful findings about the strategic planning practices in the high-performing banks. The key findings comprise the fact that all three banks in this study have carried out the usual and main strategic planning activities presented in this study: the vital role of the CEO in strategic planning has been proven, and planning flexibility in the strategic planning process has been identified, among other related findings. Originality/value This study provides a useful research model for investigating strategic planning practices both in the relatively stable and predictable business environment and turbulent and unpredictable business environment. This study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first to investigate the issue in the Indonesian context.