| Business leaders seeking a source of competitive advantages for their business devote a significant amount of management time to planning. However, many of the strategic planning models used are outdated because they do not include a human capital staffing strategy as a part of the planning process.;Basic interpretive qualitative research methodology was used for this study. The research findings examined implications of not planning strategically, omitting dialogue about staffing, and allowing perceived constraints to maintain the status quo. Opportunities for business leaders and HRM and HRD professionals to explore other planning models for strategic planning are discussed.;Building on the assumptions that strategic business planning is essential for any business, private or not-for-profit, the central research question explored was: What are the experiences of business leaders when developing a strategic business plan and how is a human capital staffing strategy integrated into the business strategy? Four major factors that affect outcomes of the planning process were identified by the study participants: (a) how the strategic planning process originated in their organization, (b) the methodology used by the organization in which the business leaders worked, (c) the culture of the organization where the strategic business planning was conducted, and (d) the role of the business leaders and their personal stories of goal accomplishment and disappointment. |
