Factors Affecting Planning in Botanic Gardens and Arboreta

Abstract

In the latter half of the twentieth century, concurrent with rapid advances in technology and economic globalization, the private sector embraced the concept of strategic planning in order to secure competitive advantage. In the current economic environment, reduced public support places many non-profit institutions in competition with each other for the finite resources available from the private sector. To face this challenge, many botanic gardens and arboreta have entered into strategic and long-range planning as a means to capitalize on strengths, address weaknesses, chart the future, and obtain the resources needed to make it all happen.

As more and more botanic gardens and arboreta initiate planning, a study of factors affecting planning becomes timely and useful. Utilizing qualitative case study analysis, this research examined the factors influencing recent planning at selected botanic gardens and arboreta. The researcher conducted interviews of directors, staff, and board members to identify factors having a significant impact on the planning process. He then summarized the interview responses and ranked the factors in order to identify their impact and variance in effect on the planning process.

Based on this research, the factors having the greatest influence on planning at botanic gardens and arboreta are: leadership, commitment of the organization to change, effective communication, involvement of the entire organization, the use of consultants, and the allocation of adequate resources to the planning process.