INBA 6151: STRATEGY OPTIONS FOR BUSINESS GROWTH
DISCUSSION FORUM: REFLECTION ON STRATEGY IN PRACTICE
FACULTY MEMBER: PAUL ANDERSON
Date: 5/18/2019
BY:
Tracy Amanda Smith (Student ID: 816013555)
Question:
In 500-750 words reflect on strategy as it exists in your current practice. How do you perceive
strategy in your practice? Can you discern the use of planning, positioning, design or some other
construct? Who controls and influences the strategy for your practice. In your assessment, is your
practice's strategic process effective? How can it be improved?
1
STRATEGY AT THE UNDP AND GUYANA COUNTRY OFFICE
It is true, strategy concerns both organization and environmental. (Mintzbery, 1988) When I
perceive the existing strategy of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) I
automatically assume what my department of programme is doing to achieve its goals or impact
in the development world and more specifically, in Guyana as we progress towards achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
From the beginning, UNDP has used many strategies to achieve the Millennium Development
goals (MDGs) and now it is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to create
optimum impact and growth the organization, via country offices, needs to consider a great amount
of planning, positioning and designing to ensure that the particular focus is specific to the country
context as oppose to a general approach for each country. This planning requires a lot of strategy
and thus requires specific expertise in order to strategically position the organization to achieve
growth. (Mintzberg, 1988)
In 2017, the UN system set out a vision for their strategic plan 2018 to 2021. This plan expanded
on how UNDP, as the leading development organization would support its members to achieve
the SDGs within the four years. The strategy seeks to address what the UNDP wishes to be and it
needs to achieve. This plan is to basically strengthen the UNDP’s role as the leading agency for
development by being more effective and efficient while leading the way on eradicating poverty
in all forms and keeping nations out of poverty.
The strategy focuses on the key areas of eradicating poverty, addressing climate change, improving
adolescent and maternal health, achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and
girls, access to and use of disaggregated data for sustainable development and peacebuilding. IN
order to achieve progress in these areas, UNDP’s strategy is to ensure that country plan together,
implement together but differently inline with the country context. UNDP also works on enhancing
its stakeholder partnerships and intends to work efficiently among country offices.
In planning , UNDP country offices support the exiting government and partners to effect results
towards the SDGs and their indicators. These results are then recorded through the United Nations
Development Assistance Framework to prove efficiency and effectiveness. By implementing
together, UNDP strategizes by helping to develop joint programmes that provide joint workplans
and promote integrated partnerships.
UNDP’s strategy is to also build on partnerships. This extends to civil society and private sector
as opposed to just being between governments. By utilizing this strategy, it also builds on rapport
between agencies both locally and internationally and it helps UNDP to enhance its efficiency.
2
Thus far, I believe the strategy for UNDP has been working effectively especially in Guyana. The
UNDP has a wealth of expertise in many focus areas of the four year strategy and has been working
with the government and many organizations in civil society and private sector to ensure that the
nation gets as much support as possible for sustainable development. For instance, UNDP and the
government of Guyana has worked together to achieve for Guyana, the Green State Development
Strategy which aims to diversify Guyana’s economy by reducing dependency on certain industries
and creating new sustainable income opportunities in green sectors.
Reference
1. UNDP: A Plan for a better World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75XSRKoxfR8
2. Gillespie, A. (2010). Business Economics (2nd Ed.). Oxford University Press, United
Kingdom.
3. UNDP Strategic Plan 2018 – 2021. Accessed May 18, 2019:
https://undocs.org/DP/2017/38
4. Mintzberg, H. et al. (1998) Strategy Safari: A Guided Tour through the Wilds of Strategic
Management. The Free Press, New York. P 16 - 52
5. Rampersad, H. K. (2004) ‘Learning and Unlearning in Accordance with Organizational
Change’. Organization Development Journal, 22(4), pp. 38 -45
6. Strategic Changes at UNDP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJU3uO_gxcQ
7. Tsang.E., & Zahra, S. (2008) ‘Organizational Unlearning’. Human Relations,
61(10),pp.1264.
8. World Economic Forum, How the Fourth Industrial Revolution can help us prepare for
the next natural disaster (Geneva, 2017).
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/preparing-for-the-next-natural-disaster-fourth-
industrial-revolution/.
