An Exploratory Research on Strategic Planning in Public Institutions: Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency Case

The problem of managing public institutions in an efficient and effective manner has been discussed for a long time in public administration discipline. In this discussion platform it is mentioned that the concept of strategic planning might bring a new perspective and might be a necessary tool for changing the inefficient structure of public institutions. Turkey has recognized the significance of forming strategic plans and it is mandatory for each public institution to have a strategic plan now. However, it is also a well-known fact that these strategic plans might become useless and even hinder the progress of the institution if they are not properly prepared. The purpose of the study is to analyse strategic plans in praxis of public sector. In this study we seek an answer to the following questions; to what extent newly published strategic plans are embraced by the government and implemented by the institution, and whether there is a difference between the envisioned and actual results. The current strategic plan of Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) is chosen as our research sample. As it is directly affiliated with the Turkish Prime Ministry, this plan is considered to be a decent sample in terms of reflecting the population. All strategic plans related to disaster management, written in English and Turkish, are examined in this study. Obtained data is analyzed by the method of content analysis. The findings shall not only reveal us information regarding to what extent the new planning approach has been applied by AFAD but also provide us the opportunity to make a comparison between the strategic plans of disaster management systems in different countries