How to Harmonize Your Strategy

 

Strategic planning is essential when it comes to achieving success and efficiency within an organization. However, it is often difficult to ensure that implemented plans reach all areas within the company, resulting in poor understanding and no real idea of how to visualize the plan from those actually in the position of execution.

No matter the size or scope of the organization, to achieve operational efficiency businesses today need to do less telling and more doing.

In a recent article for ITPRO, we determined four critical components to transitioning innovative thought leadership into actionable operational success:

Unite

Those who create the strategy for operational success are often not the same people who put these plans into action.

When a strategy isn’t communicated effectively by business leaders, it can often cause a divide between executives, management and employees. It is critical to involve all employees throughout the organization, and every level should be prepared to manage change throughout the strategic execution as, more often than not, these plans change.

For a strategy plan to truly be dynamic and agile, executive vision must be able to merge with employee execution.

Combine

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) cannot be the sole resource for measurement. They should be combined with other metrics, even internal feedback and casual discussions, in order to measure and enhance performance within a team and a strategic goal.

Creating a cohesive, collaborative evaluation of all the various elements that contribute to measurement will provide structure and real-time insight, helping contribute to the core vision and successful strategic execution across the organisation.

Communicate

The reason the vast majority of employees do not understand their company’s strategy and direction is a direct result of poorly communication. Strategy cannot just be bandied about in the boardroom, it must be shared within management, and management must then share it with the team, while the executive level manages follow through to ensure the plan was understood and shared.

Words are processed by short term memory, while images go directly into the long term. When relevant images are coupled with words,  employees retain far more information than just words alone.

Seeing strategy laid out visually also helps to bring it into focus, allowing various departments to more clearly understand their role and better determine what issues are most in need of attention. An effective visual layout will help staff not only envision the goals, but also more easily see the steps required to meet them.

Embrace

Finally, the vision and execution of an organization’s strategy must be dynamic and adaptive, so that all levels within the company can embrace ongoing insight and achieve a smooth running process.

A platform dedicated to strategy that can seamlessly merge with an organization’s existing technology structure is the smartest way to ensure the strategy plan maps clearly to goals, initiatives and activities.

A truly agile and adept organization incorporates the strategic vision at every level, encouraging a measure of collaboration and transparency that enables better visibility, control, and ultimately, results.