Well, you are correct! Here are characteristics of any effective strategy.
Because we think linearly, best practice business models, including strategies, have been built on pyramid structures--vision, values, mission, KPIs, departmental objectives, SMART goals, etc. Our human trait to think linearly drives the entertainment industry. Blockbuster movies and best-selling books have a through-line to provide clarity and continuity for marketing, producing, and consuming. Writers break down complex stories with artistic license and expose us to characters, relationships, and ideas in a coherent and dramatic way--not necessarily in the way they would have transpired.
The dynamics of business aren't coming at us linearly and in a coherent fashion, so why do we still use these square peg/round hole structures? Just as damaging, is the time it takes to pull strategic plans together. How many of us have been the recipient or issued strategic plans well into the fiscal year? Stop the madness and engage your staff with strategy that is alive and nurtured by all. Here are some guidelines to the right strategy for your business to drive the results you know are possible.
A universal strategy, think direction not detail. You want a binary vision (a destination) focused on opportunities and prohibiting bureaucracy, wherever possible. Universal strategies facilitate actions supporting the vision. Think of Cesar's "Divide and Conquer", or great visions like the preamble to the US Constitution which has propelled US success for centuries.
Agile and Adaptable. Building on universality is the idea of agility and adaptation. Stop holding back initiative, creativity, and achievements by comparing performance to standards as the only measure of performance. Actions that build capacity and learning are just as important, and you need ways to foster their development when they support your vision. In 2018, I attended an executive training on innovation given by Penn State University where the professor asserted, we shouldn't have metrics at all! At the time, I thought this was literally negligent. I've since learned a balanced approach and that there is a better way. Further, I've had several instances where KPIs competed against each other, and to drive one up, we temporarily negatively impacted another. I'm not advocating you get rid of your KPIs; you just need simplicity because of your confidence in your vision. Also note, system mapping is critical to being agile and adaptable, since maps facilitate changes and iterations.
Pluralistic Approach. I described pluralism in a previous post (here). The goal is a blended approach that considers many perspectives, which is true inclusion and empowerment. This is not just the transfer of knowledge, or a quick RCA response, but a culture of genuine openness, learning, and devolution (a deferring to the other). The most important perspective is the one that hasn't yet been taken that may impact a better solution. A pluralistic approach will Include and even amplify, not reduce, the power of your company's "uniqueness", and is the first step to nearly limitless options and outcomes.
A strategy that is universal, agile and adaptable, and pluralistic, is the right strategy to drive the results you know are possible. For more information or help on implementing an effective strategy in your operations management, visit purposeleapsurge.com.
Lori G. Fisher
PLS Management Consulting
Purpose | Leap | Surge
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