Implement the Strategy
The greatest strategy is doomed if it’s implemented badly. ~Bernhard Riemann Success in implementing a strategy depends on how well you identify and represent the problem. When implementing a strategy, expert problem solvers will change strategies more often, consider more solutions, evaluate solutions more carefully before discarding them, and reach conclusions that are more workable. |
Implementing your Solution by ITS suggests the following steps:
Additional Information:
- Identify the actions required.
- Schedule the actions.
- Identify the resources required.
- Put measures in place to counter adverse consequences.
- Identify management of the action.
- Review the plan.
- Clarify your strategy: All too often, strategies are expressed as high-level statements that resonate with board and executive levels but fall flat with mid-level and front-line personnel. Unfortunately, if people don’t understand the strategy, they are unable to connect with it. So the first step is to clarify your strategy in a way that people in your organization can rally to support its implementation. Done well, this strategy will tie together your goals and objectives and clearly explain what you intend to do.
- Communicate your strategy: I’ve never encountered an organization where I heard from people that we communicate too often or with plenty of clarity. So then, communication is the second C. Powerfully communicating the essence of your strategy at every level of the organization using multiple mediums is the key here.
- Cascade your strategy: If strategy is “what” you do then tactics are “how” you do it. And if you want your strategy implemented well, you need to cascade it throughout the organization and get to the practical and tactical components of people’s jobs every day. Ideally, you will involve your managers in this process, and they will help to translate the elements of the strategy for your organization to their own functional areas. Doing this allows them to develop and own the process of cascading the strategy and designing implementation plans with high likelihood of execution.
Additional Information:
- How to Implement a New Strategy Without Disrupting Your Organization by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton - Discusses a strategy map method to implement new strategy and provides case study examples. "Companies do not need to find the perfect structure for their strategy. As we will demonstrate in the following pages, a far more effective approach is to choose an organizational structure that works without major conflicts and then design a customized strategic system to align that structure with the strategy."
- How to … design and implement a strategic plan by Myra Khan - Provides an outline for implementing strategy. "Many organizations create a strategic plan, but fail to execute it. Setting goals for your teams are worthless without actually holding yourselves accountable to them."
|
This video provides a brief overview of the steps required to implement a strategy. |