Final answer:
Strategic management enables an organization to be proactive, allowing them to anticipate and prepare for future challenges and opportunities, rather than just responding to external threats.
Step-by-step explanation:
Strategic management enables an organization to be proactive, instead of just responding to threats in its business environment. Proactive strategic management involves anticipating future potential challenges and opportunities, thus enabling an organization to prepare for unforeseen circumstances and make decisions with long-term benefits. Utilizing strategic management, a business can process abstract information, anticipate situations that have not yet arisen, and create an environment conducive to initiative and individual contribution.
For instance, businesses that are proactive might invest in research and development to innovate new products or services ahead of market demands, or they might diversify their portfolio to spread risk. They may also set long-term sustainability goals that align with anticipating future resource scarcity, as detailed in the reference material. Meanwhile, the military's strategic planning recognizes threads to global order, with the intent of maintaining strategic superiority, illustrating the importance of proactive strategy in various contexts.