Strategic planning at the Smithsonian Institution

This study is an examination of the strategic planning process undertaken in 1999 at The Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C., a large complex of national museums and scientific and cultural research centers. Smithsonian leaders hope that the strategic planning process will help serve as a guide to the future. Through interviews and research in primary and secondary sources, this study examines The Smithsonian Institution's strategic plan, focusing on how it was developed, and how it is being implemented. The Smithsonian's planning process is compared to other planning modalities in the public and private sectors. This study concludes that The Smithsonian Institution used a combination of emergent and formal approaches to strategic planning. Currently, The Smithsonian Institution has yet to develop a fully integrated planning program.