While such a disinvestment program often makes eminent sense from a corporate point of view, it is a rare division or product manager who willingly plans himself out of business. Most managers will argue that the new growth is just around the corner; all they need to get the payoff is a little more investment “up front.” For this reason, strategic-planning efforts rarely bring disinvestment-redeployment decisions to the surface, unless the CEO has provided explicit guidelines. He must find ways to create an environment in which different planning criteria and different performance criteria are not only acceptable but demanded.
This brings us to the human-relations dimension of strategic planning, and the final action step needed to make it effective.