The 30-30 Rule

Dartmouth professor Vijay Govindarajan has what he calls the "30-30 Rule" for strategic planning - - 30% of the people who make strategic decisions should be 30-years old or younger.  He makes a strong argument that organizations need voices in the room that aren't vested in the past.  Govindarajan likes thinking of strategic planning as a series of boxes.  Box One is everything a company does to manage and improve performance.  This is not strategic planning.  Box Two is selectively forgetting the past - - avoiding fighting competitors and following trends that are no longer relevant.  This constitutes some portion of strategic planning.  Box Three is creating the future that will exist in 2010 - - the one the 30-30 crowd will have the greatest insight, interest, and stake in.  This is the bulk of strategic planning.