Strategic planning process in civil society organizations: A research in Tokat chambers and commodity exchanges affiliated to TOBB

Strategic management and strategic planning, as important as they are for the private sector, have also begun to be widely implemented in public institutions in the last 20 years. This process is also met with increasing interest from the perspective of Civil Society Organizations. Despite this increasing interest, there are relatively few studies on Strategic Planning in Civil Society Organizations. Therefore, it is thought that studies on Civil Society Organizations will make significant contributions to the literature. Chambers and stock exchanges in particular are one of the most common among civil society organizations. These organizations, which act both as public institutions and as commercial enterprises, can bring a different perspective to the strategic planning literature due to their hybrid structure. Strategic planning refers to defining specific goals for chambers and stock exchanges and planning the steps required to achieve these goals. A correct strategic planning process helps organizations achieve sustainable success by supporting them in achieving their long-term goals. In this context, the aim of the study is to evaluate the strategic planning process of TOBB affiliated chambers and exchanges. Due to cost and time constraints, the research was conducted on TOBB affiliated chambers and exchanges located in Tokat province and prepared a strategic plan. Qualitative analysis was selected as the research method and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The participants' opinions on strategic planning were examined with content analysis and four themes were determined in this process: Motivation for Strategic Plan Preparation, Success in Strategic Plan Preparation, Success in Strategic Planning Process and Success in Strategic Plan Implementation. When these themes and codes were examined, it was revealed that chambers and exchanges carried out strategic planning not only due to the obligation arising from the legislation, but also with the desire for development. Resource management, stakeholder relations and senior management support stand out among the most important factors in the strategic plan preparation process and implementation success. For this reason, a detailed examination of the strategic planning processes of non-governmental organizations and in particular chambers and commodity exchanges, whose importance has increased in recent years, will both contribute to the literature and shed light on the practices of chambers and commodity exchanges affiliated with TOBB.