Sometimes in an organisation there is neither a feasible or current strategy in place. It could be due to a new executive in a role, acquisition, re-organisation or someone acting in a position. There might be many circumstances that don’t allow it to be reviewed and updated. What is a sensible option?
The most successful organisations in any industry had the below three things in common within their strategy.
Fundamentals first (40 to 60% focus)
What would cause significant disruption to your customer and operations? Prioritise these areas and reward people for not only delivering the service, but also incrementally improving it. Executives get to know the people within these critical teams. Create professional yet personal relationships through casual conversations. People will then feel comfortable talking with you when things go wrong. Be across the detail but not in it.
Simplify (30 to 40% of focus)
Every organisation has more projects underway than they can deliver; stop some but continue with initiatives reducing complexity. Ensure processes are analysed, refined and improve vital organisational wide processes. Only allow software development once processes are understood.
Enable innovation (10 to 20% of focus)
Design Thinking, Lean and Agile is not innovation; they may assist with delivering innovation but are not a source of innovation. Involve trusted partners in the conversation early and seek to experiment with those who are willing to understand your business by problem solving or creating value. Successful innovation is not driven or owned by one department; it’s through coordinated partnerships within and external to an organisation.
Finally, when reminding people of any strategy, ask them to apply it to their local decision making.
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