I was listening to an NPR programme via podcast yesterday. It was an interview with this guy, Kamran Nazeer, about his book, Send In The Idiots. Very interesting.
At one point he talked about strategies some autistic people have for dealing with things that trouble them, like unpredictable conversations. He said that behaviours like repeated pen-clicking or arranging things on a desk are attempts to focus on something that will give 'local coherence' when you're feeling 'flooded with detail'. And it struck me that I'd never heard a better definition of strategic planning. It's something that offers 'local coherence' when you're 'flooded with detail'.
That's my defintion from now on.
(And of course, that makes market research, or brand onions, the equivalent of pen-clicking.)
Hi Russell... what exactly is brand onions?
Posted by: Luca Vergano | May 24, 2006 at 01:47 PM
anyone got an example they can post for Luca?
Posted by: russell | May 24, 2006 at 03:27 PM
here you go Luca: http://www.bmw.co.za/careers/images/onion.jpg
BTW Russell, I prefer the 'thinking before doing' definition of planning.
Posted by: Louis | May 24, 2006 at 04:43 PM
It does look like a BMW brand onion...9 values summed up in 3 and then in 1.
otherwise, you could check the economist's brands and branding (in RD's books). pyramids, funnels, onions...why not try to use a brand carrot ?
Posted by: christian | May 24, 2006 at 10:52 PM
Oh, ok I got it.
Thank you all.
Hey,we should put up on collectivex a topic called "planning jargon"...
Posted by: Luca Vergano | May 25, 2006 at 08:03 AM
thinking before doing does have a certain pithiness but it doesn't make me sound clever. And anyway, Dylan Williams really thought of it.
Posted by: russell | May 25, 2006 at 09:45 AM
A friend recently asked what I do as a planner. After enduring my convoluted, historical answer, he responded with a great musical analogy; "So...I guess you guys find 'the hook.'"
Posted by: X&~X | May 27, 2006 at 10:56 PM