The authors, Stavros, Cooperrider & Kelley, highlight an appreciative-based approach to strategic planning. This approach, SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations, results), guides an organization through planning in a manner that is both results oriented and co-constructive at the same time. Conversely, this is an alternative to the traditional SWOT analysis that looks at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization. In addition, the article provides a brief overview of the history of strategic planning and also explains Appreciative Inquiry and its fit within today’s organizations. The article closes with a case example of SOAR within the strategic planning process of an actual organization.
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