How does an organisation remain focussed, driven and
safely on track in times of change? Business leaders worldwide
share massive changes in technology, strategic direction,
culture clashes, change in ownership and shareholding
etc. What worked yesterday doesn’t work today. Major
trends that drive change and present undreamed of challenges
include:
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Faster
cycles. From new product and/or
service development to delivery of customer service.
Cycle times that used to be measured in years are
now measured in months or even days. |
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Massive
change in technology. The rate of
technological change has accelerated beyond the
capability of most companies to use it or even understand
the possibilities. |
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Globalisation.
The good news about globalisation is easier access
to foreign markets. The bad news is that it’s
easier for foreign competitors to steal a client
that is just down the street from you. |
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Business
Model obsolescence. The Internet
is transforming the world of traditional trading
and virtually dissolving national boundaries in
business. |
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Savage
competition. Not only is the competition
smarter - it’s also coming from unexpected
places. It wasn’t too long ago that the name
Amazon.com would have been meaningless to the bookseller
industry. |
Organisations that fail to implement change strategies
quickly, effectively and efficiently in today’s
environment pay a high price. Those organisations either
lose growth opportunities and market share, or worse yet,
become extinct.
The signs of failed strategy execution are easy to decipher
if you take the time to listen to your employees. Ask
them about their commitment to and confidence in the company’s
strategy. If you hear things like “It’s not
worth it,” “It’s not real,” or
worse yet, “It’s not possible,” your
strategy implementation efforts needs immediate resuscitation.
How then do you get your staff committed to your strategic
direction and to doing their work differently in an environment
of massive change and chaos?
Remember that people are your bridge to the future. Without
commitment of everyone in the organisation, the best strategy
in the world will fail. The more employees understand
the strategy and believe in it enough to be willing to
change how they work, the more they can continue to be
successful in terns of personal productivity, pride and
profit – and ensure those same rewards for the organisation.
There are steps that an
organisation needs to take to gain employees commitment
and build employee competence:
| 1. |
The
first challenge is getting employees to buy-in to
the organisations strategy. To know and clearly
understand where the organisation is going and why.
Employees won’t believe it until they know
their leaders are clearly committed and aligned
with the strategic direction. |
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| 2. |
Make a compelling
– and urgent case for change. If it is not
seen as urgent, it’s not important. If it’s
not important it won’t get done. The key is
to build an honest, strong case for urgency (job
security, for example) then people will respond. |
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| 3. |
Identify key roles.
Do the middle managers and supervisors understand
their roles in making the new strategy a reality?
If they get on board early, resistance to change
quickly erodes and commitment builds. |
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| 4. |
Implement a solid
communication plan. An occasional email or memo
to management is not enough. Be creative and persistent.
Use all avenues, people and methods to get your
message across. |
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| 5. |
Get your employees
to “own” the strategy. Why is ownership
so crucial? Buy-in to a strategy gives people an
academic or theoretical interest in it, but stop
short of passionate commitment. Often, one person
with passion can do more than a thousand who are
merely interested or aware. |
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| 6. |
Communicate the
strategy in terms that are meaningful to each employee.
This is best accomplished in direct conversation
between management / supervisor and staff. |
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| 7. |
Show staff where
they fit in. For maximum commitment, connect staff
to the organisation’s vision. |
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| 8. |
Involved your
staff in planning. The best way to get people to
take ownership of the future is to give them a say
in it and to allow them to redesign the work. |
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| 9. |
Learn and deal
with competency gaps. Do you know what your staff’s
current levels of competence are versus competencies
they will need in the future? Do you have a plan
for closing the gaps? |
In this era, success will be predicted on your ability
to execute new strategies more effectively and efficiently
than your competitors. It requires providing your employees
with the information, skills and support they need to
translate strategies into results.
Paul Schnabel, AchieveGlobal, USA.
