Detecting Mutual Configurations of Applied Planning Strategies and Performances in Small and Medium-

In this work, we investigate the impact of planning on service small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) performance. The alternating diffusion methodology is applied for generating SMEs management profiles. These profiles capture the relationship between different management strategies and their resulting outcomes in terms of performance. The obtained model yields an SME graph, where SMEs that share similar planning strategies and performances are located close to each other. Typical strategic planning and performance profiles, characterizing groups of SME’s, are generated from the model. The study reveals two different planning strategies emphasizing different management approaches that lead to successful performance. Thus, in service SME’s there is more than one way to enhance performance via management strategy. Differentiating between various planning strategies was enabled by utilizing the alternating diffusion method
thereby overcoming limitations of linear methods that cannot provide such sensitive profile configurations.