Written by Visionaries with pompous vapors - but no horsepower on the road? Many strategies simply fail in terms of implementation, not vision. In addition, only a few people are enthusiastic about new things outside of the incentivized operational business.
The implementation secret
So how do management teams succeed in sparking commitment and enthusiasm for the implementation of strategies?
Gary Hamel writes in his book "Humanocracy": "It's no secret what drives engagement. From Douglas McGregor's 'The Human Side of Enterprise' to Dan Pink's 'Drive', the formula hasn't changed in sixty years:
- Purpose
- Autonomy
- Collegiality and
- the opportunity to grow."
1. purpose - identification arises through participation
The sense and purpose of why it is worth working towards the implementation of a strategy is best created by involving those who will later drive the implementation in the development of the strategy. Only by personally addressing the why (Why are we taking this path to achieve our long-term goals?) can identification arise - instead of top-down or pre-calculated by consultants! Anyone who believes that participation is limited to digesting what has already been chewed up and implementing what others have cleverly thought up will never be able to ignite fireworks in the #strategy implementation of strategy.
2. autonomy - setting the direction
A strategy should roughly indicate the direction in which certain corporate goals are to be achieved. But please don't provide detailed instructions and project plans. It is up to the teams that want to follow the direction to find out the exact path that will be taken in the implementation. So there are two messages here: let it be shaped and let it be voluntary!
3. collegiality - creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration
Collegiality is closely linked to the idea of working together in a team. It implies that individuals work together towards a common goal and support each other. If you then also staff the teams working on strategic projects in an interdisciplinary manner, this increases the sense of community in the company across departmental boundaries. If you want to break down silos in the company, use the opportunity of interdisciplinary collaboration in strategy implementation!
4. growth opportunities - giving talents a stage
In organizations characterized by hierarchies, "growth" and career paths are primarily rewarded through advancement in the hierarchy. "Job enrichment within the four walls of the organization chart may be motivating at the start of a career, but it quickly wears off over time. Therefore, before "job enrichment" fatigue sets in, strategic projects offer a wonderful stage for the organization's talents to actively participate in shaping the future of the company, to prove themselves and to show themselves outside the four walls of the organizational chart. This often opens up unexpected growth opportunities.
#ExecutionWins
If you want to put PS on the road in strategy implementation, then involve the implementers as early as the strategy development stage and only provide rough directions for implementation. Ensure interdisciplinary collaboration and give talented people a platform for growth. Then even pompous vapors will succeed. 😉
You can find valuable tips and insights on successful strategy implementation in the GCP Playbook: "Execution wins - how strategy implementation succeeds effectively".
All the best for the implementation.
