How to initiate a strategic plan
There’s more to strategic planning than arranging for a select few to lock themselves away for a couple of days each year to develop a document they hope will lead their organisation to new levels of profitability. Preliminary deliberations and detailed preparation involving different people are required. Among the issues for your consideration during this preparatory phase are the following...
1. Be aware of strategy and what it has to offer.
In the organisational context, strategy is the design of integrated management systems to effectively serve the needs of carefully chosen sets of customers or clients. As you would expect, management strategists differ in their interpretations of strategy and how it applies to individual businesses. Strategy expert Michael Porter says strategy is choosing to do things that are different because, by making those changes, you can be uniquely good. Gary Hamel uses the 'revolution' metaphor urging that strategy be used to radically reinvent the industry. Adrian Slywotsky coined the phrase 'value migration' as the driving force associated with an entirely new way of doing business. David Maister, on the other hand, advocates a more conservative interpretation of strategy as it applies to professional service firms like lawyers and accountants.
2. Be sure your organisation is ready for it.
Drafting a unique and effective strategic plan takes effort, so be prepared for a busy and eventful time. One of your first considerations will be whether your organisational culture is one that is open to a detailed exploration of business opportunities. Exploring strategy must challenge the comfort zones of all members within your organisation - especially those at the top. If senior management is resistant to any change, its stay-put attitude will limit what can be achieved. If true commitment is lacking, gaining the necessary support will need to be at the top of your to-do list.
3. Gain the agreement of your key people.
Bottlenecks occur at the top of the bottle, so be prepared. Those with a vested interest in keeping things as they are have become experts at derailing threats to their comfort and security. They realise that their experience counts only if the future is the same as the past. Spend time with senior management and other key people to reach a shared view on strategy, what it involves, and what their contributions are expected to be.
