THE EVOLUTION OF PLANNING: EXPLORING STRATEGIC LINKAGES AND DEVELOPING ACTION GUIDELINES FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS.

The need for public administrators to develop meaningful and implementable planning documents to guide the development of their agencies is increasingly important as society sprints from simple static environments to complex, dynamic environments. This escalation of future uncertainty suggests that the public administrator find an approach to planning that is both conceptually sound and adaptable to the cultural nuances of the organization. Understanding strengths and weaknesses of past approaches to planning and anticipating the next advancement, i.e. "transformational planning" facilitates the effectiveness of the public administrator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]