Impacts of Strategic Planning on Political Parties' Achievements

There is broad agreement among Public and Non-profit leaders and experts that strategic planning is a critical component of good leadership, management and governance. Political parties’ research has often been limited to a single organization case study, but in this book the author presents multi disciplinary research and conducts an examination of the strategic planning in the Labour party. He also reports on various newly elected leadership functions and characteristics. The research methodology is explanatory, with a mixed data collection strategy using case studies, questionnaires, semi-structured, in-depth and focus group interviews, and reviews of published and unpublished documents. It is found that strategic planning promotes strategic thinking and acting in leaders, which could provide a suitable framework and helps assure that the party remains relevant and responsive to the needs of its wider community. It contributes to party stability and growth through increased membership, more fund raising and greater political power. The overall aim of this book is to examine the effects of the strategic planning of the Labour party in light of newly elected leadership in 2010.