Turning brilliant Strategic Thinking
effectively into brilliant Results.

Strategy

Most organizations have a strategy. Many leaders would probably argue they have ‘a brilliant strategy’. Research however shows that if employees are asked if they can state what their organization's strategy is, typically less than 50% of them can give an answer that is in line with that of their senior leaders. Research also shows that only about one third of the people asked believe that their organization is ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ at strategy execution. At the end of the day, an organization is not judged by its strategy but by its results. So, it looks like many organizations have an issue: They have a 'brilliant' strategy, yet it doesn't deliver brilliant results! The conclusion is simple: either the strategy is not really all that brilliant, or if it is, it is not well deployed or not well implemented. It is as simple as that.

Our experience shows that most organizations don’t need anyone to tell them what their strategy should be, nor do they need over-complicated strategic concepts or long lists of new strategic projects. What is often appreciated though is a facilitated, disciplined process to help:

  • draw out and organize what they already know about their business;
  • transform this knowledge into clear and communicable strategic goals, objectives and targets;
  • cascade and refine these strategic goals, objectives and targets for each level or area in the organization and align them with individual and team objectives and targets;
  • decide and plan how to accomplish the strategic goals and objectives (through programs, projects and actions. This sometimes also includes making tough decisions about what NOT to do, or not do to NOW);
  • achieve goals, objectives and targets through fast and effective execution of agreed plans;
  • track progress and take corrective action if and when required.

We work with our clients to help them turn brilliant strategic thinking effectively into brilliant results. We do this by providing process, methodology, facilitation, challenge, and, if required, imposing discipline for:

  • Strategy Development – focussing ‘what’ must be done in a specific period to achieve long-term success of the organization, clarifying ‘why’ this must be done and ‘how’ this will be accomplished; all three guided by the organization’s vision, mission and value discipline.
  • Strategy Deployment – communicating the ‘why’, refining and cascading the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ in a two-way-process throughout the organization and aligning them with individual and team objectives.
  • Strategy Implementation & Review – tracking progress, encouraging constructive discussion, analysis of problems, issues, risks and uncertainties and enforcing decisions if and when required.

The Effective High-Performance Organization =
(Corporate DNA + Strategy + Agility) x Risk Management
x People & Culture

leistungsspektrum

Challenges

If your response to more than 2 of the following statements is “NO”, your organization will probably face some challenges related to strategy, its deployment or implementation:

  • Your business leaders all have the same view on what long term success looks like for your organization.
  • Your strategy is captured in an easy to understand strategic plan with specific goals, clear targets, sound measures and a manageable number of programs and projects that are capable of delivering it.
  • Each level and area of your organization has aligned and interlinked strategic plans.
  • Measures, monetary incentives and non-monetary recognition focus people on making effective decisions and executing them.
  • Your organization is effective in program and project management.
  • Strategy and any changes to it are regularly communicated in clear language throughout your entire organization.
  • Business-relevant information flows quickly and freely throughout your organization; down as well as up.
  • Strategy creation, delivery and review are part of everyone’s job in your organization.
  • Business leaders at all levels in your organization consistently demonstrate effective decision behaviours.
  • Field and front-line employees usually have the information they need to understand the impact of their day-to-day decisions on the bottom-line.

Approach

The DEES-Cycle

Rather than trying to deal with symptoms, we first take time to understand your challenges by discovering the underlying root causes. Next we define clear objectives and deliverables, and design a feasible, realistic roadmap to deliver sustained results.

We then help with getting all relevant individuals on board, converting ‘people concerned’ into ‘people engaged’ – crucially in an interactive approach.

To enable your organization to take full ownership of delivering the agreed objectives, we work closely with your people, from the senior leadership team to individual employees. We help build the capabilities required for sustained change; we guide, challenge, train, coach, share our experience and transfer pragmatic, proven tools, methodologies and techniques into your organization.

Before our work ends, we evaluate the results and identify further potential for improvement. The next cycle begins – led, driven and implemented by your own organization. New ways of working and capabilities will have been embedded to sustain results and to continuously make a difference.

The DEES-Cycle

The DEES-Cycle

Benefits

A brilliant strategy increases your organization’s chances for success as a business significantly.

Major benefits of deploying and implementing your strategic thinking effectively include:

  • A clear, consistent and communicable strategy, in line with the organization’s vision, mission and value discipline
  • Aligned goals and eliminated disconnects throughout the organization
  • One common approach (process, timeline, tools) for developing, deploying and implementing strategy
  • A robust progress review / reporting process
  • Regular, constructive strategic dialogue throughout the organization
  • Coordinated, fast and effective reaction to changes in the environment
  • One common, consistent ‘strategy terminology’ throughout the organization
  • Higher levels of enthusiasm, motivation and engagement
  • More alignment, ownership and commitment amongst all business leaders, managers and the critical mass of employees
  • Fast, reliable and effective delivery of brilliant results.