There are the potential for many different obstacles preventing the implementation of strategies, ranging from long-held, often outdated, perceptions to territoriality and lack of honesty in assessing problems in management or company strengths. While many of the barriers should be seen primarily as aspects of human behavior, they are not conducive to long-term strategic success. Leadership must be strong enough to hear honest feedback while not retreating to a defensive position and committed to creating an environment that nurtures and protects valuable constructive feedback from all levels of the workforce.
Beer and Eisenstat (2004) present a thorough assessment of barriers and steps to create positive actionable ways to support the strategic planning process and carry it through to completion.
Clearly, the example reviewed identified a number of ways in which trust of honesty could undermine success and viable methods with the potential to present sensitive and challenging feedback in a less inflammatory process. The process reframes possible barriers as “conversations”, a more informal way to begin discussion to build trust and uncover deeper issues that may be more complex or more challenging and uncomfortable to management. Important elements of these conversations are back and forth dynamic, focused on real, impactful topics. They need to be open-ended, and highly visible while not threatening or creating an atmosphere of vulnerability. Finally, processes like these can get out of control and easily slip into negative spirals and destructive sessions if they are not structured and focused of critical issues. Participants should know what is being addressed, how to discuss it and feel that their input and participation is valued by leadership.
While the process moves throughout the company to generate honest and actionable input, it must begin at the highest level with the executive leadership team. Articulated through a concept called Strategic Fitness, each step moves the process from leadership to task force management to data gathering and then review, refinement and implementation.
As someone who has worked for major corporations over the last two decades, articulating key strategies are one of the most difficult and most problematic, challenging tasks at hand. Day to day, work can absorb most of your time, but to move highly valued tasks forward, each employee and every manager must look to overarching strategies to maintain all efforts toward the primary goals. Dedicated planning and process teams are critical to ensuring that progress is made, key leadership “buy-in” is acquired and an actionable plan is tested and then implemented.
While this seems to be more simplistic advice, the balance of articulating large-scale visions, primarily strategic plans, is difficult to implement. Employees lose interest, lose momentum and lose sight of what can and should be moved forward. Incorporating key individuals and divisions and providing a more transparent process focuses the entire organization of participation, trust and ultimately success. If this process doesn’t build trust it will never be embraced and the chances for success are greatly diminished.
Strategic team direction and feedback must weigh-in and move large-scale project forward, identifying the most critical efforts and evaluating the most impact-full accomplishments to act on. Scope creep and over ambitious processes and plans often work against themselves creating doubt and exhaustion. Focus on the biggest opportunities with the greatest return on investment keeps employees challenged, empowered and efficient.
References
Beer, M., & Eisenstat, R. A. (2004). How to have an honest conversation about your business strategy. Boston: Harvard Business Review.
Shimizu, T., de Carvalho, M.M., & Laurindo, F.J. (2006). Strategic alignment process and decision support systems: Theory and case studies. Hershey, PA: IRM Press.
Beer and Eisenstat (2004) present a thorough assessment of barriers and steps to create positive actionable ways to support the strategic planning process and carry it through to completion.
Clearly, the example reviewed identified a number of ways in which trust of honesty could undermine success and viable methods with the potential to present sensitive and challenging feedback in a less inflammatory process. The process reframes possible barriers as “conversations”, a more informal way to begin discussion to build trust and uncover deeper issues that may be more complex or more challenging and uncomfortable to management. Important elements of these conversations are back and forth dynamic, focused on real, impactful topics. They need to be open-ended, and highly visible while not threatening or creating an atmosphere of vulnerability. Finally, processes like these can get out of control and easily slip into negative spirals and destructive sessions if they are not structured and focused of critical issues. Participants should know what is being addressed, how to discuss it and feel that their input and participation is valued by leadership.
While the process moves throughout the company to generate honest and actionable input, it must begin at the highest level with the executive leadership team. Articulated through a concept called Strategic Fitness, each step moves the process from leadership to task force management to data gathering and then review, refinement and implementation.
As someone who has worked for major corporations over the last two decades, articulating key strategies are one of the most difficult and most problematic, challenging tasks at hand. Day to day, work can absorb most of your time, but to move highly valued tasks forward, each employee and every manager must look to overarching strategies to maintain all efforts toward the primary goals. Dedicated planning and process teams are critical to ensuring that progress is made, key leadership “buy-in” is acquired and an actionable plan is tested and then implemented.
While this seems to be more simplistic advice, the balance of articulating large-scale visions, primarily strategic plans, is difficult to implement. Employees lose interest, lose momentum and lose sight of what can and should be moved forward. Incorporating key individuals and divisions and providing a more transparent process focuses the entire organization of participation, trust and ultimately success. If this process doesn’t build trust it will never be embraced and the chances for success are greatly diminished.
Strategic team direction and feedback must weigh-in and move large-scale project forward, identifying the most critical efforts and evaluating the most impact-full accomplishments to act on. Scope creep and over ambitious processes and plans often work against themselves creating doubt and exhaustion. Focus on the biggest opportunities with the greatest return on investment keeps employees challenged, empowered and efficient.
References
Beer, M., & Eisenstat, R. A. (2004). How to have an honest conversation about your business strategy. Boston: Harvard Business Review.
Shimizu, T., de Carvalho, M.M., & Laurindo, F.J. (2006). Strategic alignment process and decision support systems: Theory and case studies. Hershey, PA: IRM Press.
