An Exploration of strategy processes and stakeholder involvement in implementation

Limited research has been undertaken with respect to strategy processes that are being used by regional economic development organisations. While there are suggestions for the ideal content of regional economic development strategies, the processes by which these organisations develop and implement strategy have not been investigated. This paper documents an exploratory research project that utilises a case study methodology to identify and consider the processes applied in three different regional economic development organisations. In order to appreciate the context of regional strategy development, theory on regions, collaboration and strategy is integrated to develop a detailed theoretical framework. The presence or absence of individual elements in this framework within each of the three cases was explored deductively through a review of internal documents and semi-structured interviews. Elements were analysed within and across cases to identify similarities and differences in the way strategy was being applied within each particular context. The research found that relationships were important to the continuing future of the organisations. Long term planning was absent in all cases and this absence was attributed to contextual factors such as a dynamic external environment, and a dependence on government funding leading to short term planning cycles. There was also a lack of clarity regarding organisational goals. The processes utilised in all cases most closely matched Mintzberg and Waters’ (1998) umbrella strategy, however, all organisations lacked a strategic approach. A model was developed to depict the most significant elements of collaborative regional strategy implementation. The need for further research to investigate these potential relationships was indicated.