Sponsors are typically in top positions in organizations. They therefore are able to commit the organization to strategic planning and hold people accountable for outcomes. While not involved in the daily details of planning, they provide resources and make commitments needed for success. They monitor progress and details. Finally, facilitators handle the management of the group processes needed for planning so the champions can focus on substantive discussions.
Skilled facilitators help build the partnerships among all participants.
This is a book for practitioners written by a practitioner, but it also can be used by those teaching the subject. The author is a professor of planning and public affairs at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and directs the Center for Information Technology and Group Decision Support. His substantial experience with strategic planning gained from both academic and practitioner activities is reflected in the plain-English, practical discussions of the multiple facets of strategic planning's dynamic processes. Bryson's book is not a recipe for planning but rather a menu of strategy choices to be selected as appropriate. For example, in chapter 6 he discusses four different approaches that might be used to identify the fundamental strategic issues an organization is facing and the circumstances in which each approach would be most appropriate.