Introduction
The present essay starts from making an analysis from the perspective of the socio-historical, cultural theory of LEV SEMIONOVICH VYGOTSKY, which talks about how society plays a preponderant and important role in the behavior and development of the human being from its very early age, and as the culture where he is immersed is forging his way of acting in this environment, since man is a social being by his own nature and learns and acquires knowledge that others transmit to him, in this way it will be about compare and analyze this theory and how it would be incorporated into strategic planning.
Lev Semionovich Vygotsky. The paradigm of "sociohistorical theory"
Knowledge and learning are not located in the neural recesses of the cerebral cortex but in the social encounters that tirelessly enrich, frighten, oppress and liberate our existence. Vygotsky's socio-historical theory has been attacked as a "social behaviorism" in which the mind and self-determination of the individual, if they exist, are insignificant in the face of the monster that is society. The stimuli that come from society, the responses and habits generated in the individual are predictable with astonishing statistical precision. The science of advertising and propaganda provide a perfect illustration of this supposed "social behaviorism."
If the specific character of Vygotsky's theory had to be defined by means of a series of key words and formulas, it would be necessary to mention without fail at least the following: sociability of man, social interaction, sign and instrument, culture, history and higher mental functions. And if these key words and formulas had to be assembled into a single expression, it could be said that Vygotsky's theory is a "socio-historical-cultural theory of the development of higher mental functions", although this theory is usually better known with the name of "historical-cultural theory".
For Vygotsky the human being is characterized by a primary sociability. Henri Wallon expresa la misma idea de modo más categórico: “El (individuo) es genéticamente social” (Wallon, 1959). En la época de Vygotsky este principio no pasaba de ser un postulado, una hipótesis puramente teórica. Pero, en la actualidad, puede afirmarse que la tesis de una sociabilidad primaria y, en parte, genéticamente determinada, posee casi el estatuto de un hecho científico establecido como resultado de la convergencia de dos corrientes de investigación: por un lado, las investigaciones biológicas, como las relativas al papel que desempeña la sociabilidad en la antropogénesis o las que atañen al desarrollo morfofuncional del niño de pecho (existen, por ejemplo, pruebas cada vez más abundantes de que las zonas cerebrales que rigen las funciones sociales, tales como la percepción del rostro o de la voz humana, experimentan una maduración precoz y acelerada); por otro lado, las recientes investigaciones empíricas sobre el desarrollo social de la primera infancia demuestran ampliamente la tesis de una sociabilidad primaria y precoz (Bowlby, 1971; Schaffer, 1971; Zazzo, 1974 y 1986; Thomas, 1979; Lambe y Scherrod, 1981; Tronick, 1982; Lewis y Rosenblum, 1974; Stambak et al., 1983; Zaporozetz y Lissina, 1974; Lissina, 1986; Ignjatovic-Savic et al., en prensa).
Theoretical analyzes led Vygotsky to defend quite visionary theses on the early sociability of the child and to deduce from them the consequences regarding the theory of child development. Vygotsky (1982-1984, Vol. IV, p. 281) wrote in 1932): “Through the mediation of others, through the mediation of the adult, the child indulges in his activities. Absolutely everything in the child's behavior is fused, rooted in the social. " And he continues: “In this way, the child's relations with reality are, from the beginning, social relations. In this sense, the infant could be said to be a social being in the highest degree. "
The sociability of the child is the starting point of his social interactions with the environment that surrounds him. The problems of the psychology of social interaction are currently well known and, for this reason, we will limit them here to briefly mention some peculiarities of Vygotsky's conception. By origin and by nature, human beings cannot exist or experience the development of their species as an isolated monad; it necessarily has its prolongation in others; in isolation it is not a complete being. For the development of the child, especially in early childhood, what is of primary importance are asymmetric interactions, that is, interactions with adults who carry all the messages of culture. In this type of interaction the essential role corresponds to the signs,to the different semiotic systems, which, from the genetic point of view, have first a communication function and then an individual function: they begin to be used as instruments of organization and control of individual behavior.2 This is precisely the fundamental element of Vygotsky's conception of social interaction: in the process of development it plays a formative and constructive role. This simply means that some categories of higher mental functions (voluntary attention, logical memory, verbal and conceptual thinking, complex emotions, etc.) could not emerge and become the process of development without the constructive contribution of social interactions.They have first a communication function and then an individual function: they begin to be used as instruments of organization and control of individual behavior.2 This is precisely the fundamental element of Vygotsky's conception of social interaction: in the process of development. it plays a formative and constructive role. This simply means that some categories of higher mental functions (voluntary attention, logical memory, verbal and conceptual thinking, complex emotions, etc.) could not arise and become in the developmental process without the constructive contribution of social interactions.They have first a communication function and then an individual function: they begin to be used as instruments of organization and control of individual behavior.2 This is precisely the fundamental element of Vygotsky's conception of social interaction: in the process of development. it plays a formative and constructive role. This simply means that some categories of higher mental functions (voluntary attention, logical memory, verbal and conceptual thinking, complex emotions, etc.) could not arise and become in the developmental process without the constructive contribution of social interactions.2 This is precisely the fundamental element of Vygotsky's conception of social interaction: in the process of development, it plays a formative and constructive role. This simply means that some categories of higher mental functions (voluntary attention, logical memory, verbal and conceptual thinking, complex emotions, etc.) could not arise and become in the developmental process without the constructive contribution of social interactions.2 This is precisely the fundamental element of Vygotsky's conception of social interaction: in the process of development, it plays a formative and constructive role. This simply means that some categories of higher mental functions (voluntary attention, logical memory, verbal and conceptual thinking, complex emotions, etc.) could not arise and become in the developmental process without the constructive contribution of social interactions.) could not emerge and become in the development process without the constructive contribution of social interactions.) could not arise and be constituted in the development process without the constructive contribution of social interactions.
This idea led Vygotsky to formulate generalizations whose heuristic value is far from being exhausted, even today. This is the famous thesis on the "transformation of interpsychic phenomena into intrapsychic phenomena." Let us look at one of the formulations of this idea: “The most important and fundamental of the laws that explain the genesis and to which the study of higher mental functions leads us could be expressed as follows: each semiotic behavior of the child was externally a form of social collaboration, and that is why it preserves, even in the most advanced stages of development, the mode of social functioning.The history of the development of higher mental functions appears as well as the history of the transformation of the instruments of social behavior into instruments of individual psychological organization ”.
The exemplary research that Vygotsky carries out based on this idea deals with the relationships between thought and language in the process of ontogenesis (which is, on the other hand, the fundamental theme of his work Thought and Language). As we now know, the child's ability to acquire language is largely determined by heredity.
Vygotsky's research shows that, even in this case, heredity is not a sufficient condition, but that the contribution of the social environment in the form of a very specific type of learning is also necessary. According to Vygotsky, this form of learning is nothing more than a common construction in the process of activities shared by the child and the adult, that is, in the framework of social collaboration. During this stage of preverbal collaboration, the adult introduces language that, supported by preverbal communication, appears from the beginning as an instrument of communication and social interaction. In the aforementioned book Vygotsky describes the subtleties of the genetic process by which language, as an instrument of social relations,it becomes an instrument of the child's inner psychic organization (the appearance of private language, inner language, verbal thought).
Vygotsky's analysis of the relationships between development and learning in relation to language acquisition leads us to define the first model of development in these terms: in a natural process of development, learning is presented as a means that strengthens this process natural, puts at their disposal the instruments created by culture that expand the natural possibilities of the individual and restructure their mental functions.
The role of adults, as representatives of culture in the process of language acquisition by the child and the child's appropriation of a part of the culture (language), leads us to describe a new type of interaction played by a determining role in Vygotsky's theory. Indeed, in addition to social interaction, there is in this theory an interaction with the products of culture. It goes without saying that these two types of interaction cannot be clearly separated or distinguished, which usually manifest themselves in the form of sociocultural interaction.
In analyzing the role that culture plays in individual development, Vygotsky puts forward analogous ideas. In the set of acquisitions of culture, he focuses his analysis on those that aim to control mental processes and human behavior. It is about the different instruments and techniques (including technologies) that man assimilates and orients towards himself to influence his own mental functions. Thus a gigantic system of "artificial and external stimuli" is created by means of which man dominates his own internal states. Once again, but in a different way, we find in Vygotsky the phenomenon of interpsychism. From the psychological point of view, the individual has his prolongation, on the one hand, on the other and, on the other hand, in his works and in his culture,that constitutes according to Marx his "non-organic body". This expression is very correct: culture is an integral part of the individual and yet it is external to him. Considered in this way, the development of man is not only reduced to the changes that take place inside the individual, but manifests itself as an allomorphic development that could take two different forms: production of external auxiliaries as such and creation of instruments. exteriors that can be used to produce interior (psychological) changes. In this way, apart from the instruments that man has created throughout his history and that serve to dominate the objectives (external reality), there is a whole series of instruments that, oriented towards man himself, can be used to control,master and develop the capabilities of the individual.
Strategy concept and strategic management process
Planning is the process of setting objectives and choosing the most appropriate means to achieve the same goals of taking action. As Russell Ackoll states. professor at Wharton Business School and prominent consultant in strategic planning: “Planning… anticipates decision-making. It is a process of deciding… before action is required ”(Ackoll, 1981).
(GOODSTEIN, 1998) They affirm "In contrast, we define strategic planning as" the process by which the guiding members of an organization foresee its future and develop the procedures and operations necessary to achieve it. " This vision of the future state of the company indicates the direction in which companies and energy must move to begin that movement. That process of forecasting the future is very different from long-term planning; is. Often times, it is simply the extrapolation of current business events. Anticipating is more than trying to anticipate the future and prepare appropriately; it implies the conviction that what we do now can influence and modify future aspects. By understanding that the strategic planning process is more than a plan for the future; helps the company to create it ”.
To fully understand the concept of strategic planning, six critical factors must be involved.
First. strategy is a coherent, unified and integrating decision pattern; this means that its development is conscious, explicit and proactive.
Second, strategy is a means of establishing an organization's purpose in terms of its long-term goals, Action Plans, and resource allocation. The latter is perhaps the true litmus test of the organization's strategic plan.
Third, strategy is a definition of the competitive dominance of the company in the type of business it is actually in. Although this is not a simple question as it may seem.
Fourth, the strategy is presented in response to internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats in order to develop a competitive advantage.
Fifth, the strategy becomes a logical system to differentiate executive and administrative tasks, roles at corporate business and functional levels in such a way that the structure fits the function.
Sixthly, it constitutes a way to define the economic and non-economic contribution that the organization will make to its interest groups, a reason for being.
The implementation of the strategic plan implies the concurrent initiation of several tactical and operational plans designed at the functional or higher level, plus the monitoring and integration of these plans at the organizational level.
In the implementation part all stakeholders need to be informed that the strategic plan is being implemented and must agree on support for this part of the process. Likewise, to execute the strategic plan, the necessary changes must be initiated in the administrative control system, in the information system and in the organizational culture.
The final implementation requires the initiation of several action plans designed in the organization, especially the managers who integrate the strategic plan into their daily administrative decisions.
A plan the functional level and its integration in the upper part of the organization.
The most important assessment of implementation is the degree to which members of the strategic plan implement it when a manager's initial response when faced with a decision is to see if there is an answer in that plan.
Applied strategic planning is the process by which the guiding members of an organization foresee its future and develop the procedures and operations necessary to achieve it. This vision of the future state of the organization provides the direction in which it must move and the energy to begin that movement. Although most companies do some kind of long-term or strategic planning, these planning processes are often poorly conceptualized and implemented. Additionally, your strategic plans once impact daily decisions. A necessary component of effective strategic planning is "anticipating your opponent's moves."A planning team must not only decide on their immediate movements but also carry out a process of foreseeing the future and considering the consequences of movements in light of the environment of how the competition and other environmental factors will react.
conclusion
Vygotsky certainly speaks that human beings live in society by their own nature, and that the knowledge they acquire from an early age is modeled and made their own, so that their learning process never ends and at the same time, with the knowledge acquired they have the ability to share this knowledge. On the other hand, strategic management is a way to efficiently manage the organization and for this to be done, the human factor is vital in this process since it will depend on it that the purposes and objectives of the organization are met.
Strategic planning speaks of the commitment of all those involved in the organization, therefore the human being as a social entity participates actively in all the processes that are carried out within the company.
The constant learning, culture and commitment of each one of those who make up the organization will make the mission "reason for being of the company", the values and the vision help to achieve the proposed long-term goals and objectives.
The culture and environment in which the company develops can influence in an important way in the approach that leaders have with their collaborators, they must be the promoters and the link between collaborators, make everyone in the company feel part of the same, the development of capacities and knowledge will make the staff become effectively involved in the plans and make that vision their own, knowing that they were taken into consideration to fix it as a dream that is visualized as a reality no longer so long term, because they will know that their contributions in a comprehensive manner will ensure that this is fulfilled in a shorter time than expected.
I share Vygotsky's ideas, because although it is true that we are social entities from our birth, we are also a product of the environment and culture where we were born and developed, on the other hand we are beings who are constantly learning and that learning leads us to have the desire and conviction that if we make the right decisions through values and education, we will be better people in all the roles that we have to play in life; from the family, social and work environment.
Bibliography
GOODSTEIN / et-al (1998). STRATEGIC PLANNING APPLIED. COLOMBIA: MCGRAWHILL.
