Strategic Planning & Integration Management
Successful long-term strategic planning invariably includes the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between an organization’s goals and capabilities in a market that is rapidly changing. It includes the development of a clear vision, supporting objectives, defining sound tactical plans, and the coordination of various functional strategies throughout the organization.
Research indicates that highly successful organizations are also highly effective at long-term strategic planning and short-term tactical planning. Integrating those strategic visions, objectives and business plans within the organization’s core competencies, and developing implementation plans that are manageable and measurable throughout various functional departments, is where most organizations fall far short of reaching their potential. A few simple questions that are core to the successful implementation and integration of a strategic plan include:
How should company executives communicate the vision so that the employees are engaged, involved and empowered in the implementation?
How will the staff understand that activities are aligned in supporting the strategic objectives?
How will management and staff know if it is working?
MainStream has helped numerous organizations answer these questions while avoiding the negative effects of a poorly managed strategic initiative. We use a practical and pragmatic approach that makes business improvement efforts easier to manage, less stressful, and more successful.
Typical Challenges
Progress is rarely made without confronting significant organizational challenge along the way. In the experience of MainStream, when strategic initiatives involving transformational change fail to deliver their full potential, it is the strategy itself that is the core issue.
Most organizations have been involved in various strategic or operational improvement initiatives over the years. Whether those initiatives pertained to delivery metrics, quality standards or cost reductions, most of the methods in and of themselves have been strong programs with proven principles. But not always do these programs go smoothly and not always are they well managed. The result can be unrealized potential, undue stress, loss of focus and a drop in morale. Occasionally, things go so poorly that there are dips in operational performance that seem to make things worse before they get better and certainly worse than when the program was initiated.
MainStream has helped guide numerous organizations through the strategy deployment process. As such, we have experience in understanding how best to roll out solid strategies that deliver on their full potential. Let us show you how to avoid the negative effects of poorly managed strategic initiatives. Our team can help make your business improvement efforts easier to manage, less stressful, and more successful.