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Secrets of Facilitation reveals the principles and techniques effective facilitators use to produce amazing results through groups. The author identifies 60 secrets that separate great facilitators from good ones. He then puts you right in the room through his case studies and numerous sample dialogues, so you can see and experience the techniques in action!

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Aligning the Organization with the Priorities of the Plan

By Michael Wilkinson, CMF, CMP

Many organizations send their executives off to do strategic planning and then have the mid-level managers develop the one-year tactical plans.  Far too often, however, the tactical plans are not at all aligned with the strategic plan.  The result?  Great plans and strategies lay idle while the organization is busy focusing on tactical, day-to-day issues.

The Key
Question

When developing your strategic plan, would it be helpful if…

There were a way to ensure that divisions and departments aligned their resources with the strategic priorities from the plan?

Here is how we help align an organization with the priorities of the plan!

  • Through using our Drivers Model, we help organizations identify broad goals, measurable objectives, and specific strategies and priorities.  Below is an example of one goal area and the relevant objectives and strategies from a corporate strategic plan.
Profitability Goal 3-Year Objective Strategies
Deliver superior financial performance. 

Increase store revenue to $146 million (15% annual growth)

Increase profit per square foot 20% by third year

Increase catalog and e-commerce revenue by 25% per year

Expand implementation of “Customer First” design services to all stores

Redevelop floor plan model to maximize profitability per square foot

Launch E-commerce business, including direct-to-consumer mailings
  • Note how the goal represents a broad aim, the objectives are specific, measurable targets that begin with a quantity verb (e.g., increase, decrease, reduce), and the strategies are definable actions to be taken, not outcomes to be achieved.  We find that this discipline is essential to developing a plan that is implementable.
  • However having a well-developed plan isn’t enough to achieve alignment.  Through this simple example, it is not clear what division or department is responsible for achieving these targets or how these responsibilities fit into their overall resource plans.
  • To help begin the process of aligning the organization with the plan, each of the objectives and each of the priority strategies must be assigned to the division or department principally responsible for serving as steward to ensure each objective and strategy are met.
  Objective Responsibility
1. Increase store revenue to $146 million (15% annual growth)  
2. Increase profit per square foot 20% by third year  
3. Increase catalog and e-commerce revenue by 25% per year  
  • But responsibilities without resources is a plan for failure.  Therefore, each division or department must then create their budgets and plans, being sure to include the objectives and strategies assigned to it from the strategic plan.
  • In some cases, organizations find it helpful to re-examine their organization structure, compensation plans, and policies and procedures to ensure that these are also supporting the execution of the overall plan.

Conclusion

By assigning responsibilities to objectives and priority strategies and then developing resource plans to support execution, organizations are able to drive the strategic plan down through the organization and ensure that the organization aligns to achieve the strategic priorities of the plan.

Is your organization aligned with your strategic plan?  We can help.  You can learn more about strategic planning techniques in our on-line strategy course, Springboard Online!  Or contact us at 800-824-2850 for assistance with your strategic plan.

Michael Wilkinson is the Managing Director of Leadership Strategies – The Facilitation Company and author of The Secrets of Facilitation and The Secrets to Masterful Meetings. He is a Certified Master Facilitator and a much sought after strategic planning facilitator and speaker.