In an effort to examine changes in local labor market conditions in Lafayette County, the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducted surveys of employers in Lafayette County in the winter of 1998. The purpose of the study was to assess the existing and anticipated supply of and demand for labor in and around Lafayette County. Lafayette Development initiated and coordinated this project. Positive attributes are being used to market Lafayette County as the best place to do business. Strategic planning is designed to assist an entity to make the best use of its resources in order to respond effectively to change, to take full advantage of its opportunities, and to avert threats to its existence.
Strategic planning is about direction.
The essence of strategic planning lies in positioning the organization or community in order to gain major advantage. The Lafayette Development Corporation will be developing a strategic plan in order to maximize the organization's effectiveness. Strategic planning is a process, and a rather rigorous process at that. It works because it forces concentration on key strategic issues and questions, because the process promotes creativity and innovative thinking, because it forces those involved to face facts they do not like and to ask questions they have lacked the courage or knowledge to ask. It works because, in today's increasingly turbulent, changing environment, the ability to adapt properly is key to survival.