PERSONALITY TYPE AND STRATEGIC PLANNING

Within its use as a resource allocation process the strategic planning process can serve additional organizational roles; enabling organization-wide response to environmental change; protecting core technologies through helping to recognize and address uncertainties; providing an integrative device to address potential synergies and acting as a basis for divisional and business control (Grant, 2003, Lorange and Vancil, 1995, Ansoff 1988, Grinyer, et al, 1986). The strategic planning process also forms a part of the administrative context established by corporate management 'to keep (or bring) the strategy generating process in line with the current concept of strategy' (Burgelman, 1983, p66), the formal planning and control system acting to bound, encourage and shape the emergent aspects of strategy development (Kaplan and Beinhocker, 2003, Chakravarthy and White, 2002, Finkelstein and Hambrick, 1996). This paper examines the relationship between personality type (MBTI) and manager's preferences concerning the strategic planning process. From a study based upon 187 managers it is concluded that choices concerning configuration of the planning process reflect the imperatives presented by specific strategic situations rather than personality type. Conclusions are drawn for educators and trainers and those involved in planning practice.