Abstract
For this thesis, I seek to determine if there is a relationship between the normative theory and practical implementation of strategic planning among public sector organizations in California. There is little empirical evidence testing a set of criteria for a “model” strategic plan. To address this gap, I conducted a review of the current public sector strategic planning literature and identified four critical elements that the normative literature suggests should be present in a strategic plan. The four normative tenets of strategic planning from the literature that are used in an empirical study conducted in Milwaukee (Hendrick, 2003) are: the organization’s acknowledgement of key environmental variables, documented evidence of goals and outcomes, use of qualitative and quantitative performance metrics to measure progress, and use of feedback loops to inform iterative strategic plan modification and evolution. I use a qualitative evaluation system to determine if the content of three strategic plans contains the four major themes from the normative literature. My goal is twofold: 1. Search for evidence of the four thematic content items in each city’s strategic plan, and 2. Determine whether or not each public organization uses its strategic plan to guide decision making. Additionally, I evaluated key municipal documents to determine if the strategic plans are fully, partially, or not integrated into each public organization. My results indicate that two cities’ strategic plans contain all four normative criteria; only one of the three cities uses its strategic plan to guide decision-making. Furthermore, one city’s plan is fully integrated, the other is partially integrated, and the third is not integrated into their respective organizations. I also found that the impact of a strategic plan is mitigated by its connection to fiscal resources, more specifically, a municipal budget. Finally, I discuss the implications of my conclusions for the future of public sector strategic planning.