Effective Strategic Planning During Turbulent Times

We live in a new world of competitors, customers, owners and employees. What worked in your strategic planning process yesterday is not so effective today.

Many strategic planning efforts leave employees and other stakeholders with a yawn, saying “so what.” Research indicates that only 20 percent of strategic plans are actually implemented. Employees often express that the plan is imposed from senior management and therefore they have only slight ownership for personal action. Some of the limitations of traditional strategic planning methods are:

• Lack of involvement by those who will implement and be most affected by the plan;
• Lack of insight and suggestions from diverse points of view;
• Lack of commitment and emotional investment by employees;
• Lack of reality testing in the real world;
• Lack of vision and ability to move beyond the operational status quo.

There are other solutions. Some models of strategic planning incite action and create enthusiasm within organizations. It is possible to capture the imagination and innovative spirit of the people who benefit from a plan and achieve the mission of the organization.

The CrossGroup just completed a strategic plan with Tarrant County College. The Board’s unanimous approval along with the broad support and input of hundreds of internal and external leaders has led Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley to say:

“I think it’s the kind of process that could work for a large or small organization. Talking with all stakeholders is really a key part of the process. It makes stakeholders feel able to speak freely.”

The process that was customized to fit the unique needs and mission of TCC included a three-step process:

1. Broad stakeholder involvement and input.

To compete in today’s changing marketplace, organizations need to identify and engage all internal and external stakeholders. In the case of TCC, these included staff, faculty, administrators, students, business community advisory boards and the public. The input sessions were fashioned out of the Appreciative Inquiry model, where stakeholders were asked to express positive and negative impacts of the organization and to dream of an ideal future of the organization. Negative input was not ignored or discouraged. The focus of the meetings remained positive because the agenda was focused on solutions and what stakeholders wanted to see achieved. Stakeholder commitment and engagement was solicited at every meeting. TCC conducted 38 stakeholder meetings with 1,100 participants sharing more than 15,000 suggestions and comments.

2. Development of Goals, Strategies and Actions.

In order to develop an effective plan, organizations must take this input seriously and allow it to influence the plan. TCC harnessed the innovation of a 30-member internal planning group and a 150-member internal/external planning team. The smaller planning group invested several hours summarizing the input and developing the institution’s mission, goals and specific strategies for the future. These strategies honor the stakeholder input and strategically move the institution forward in key areas. At each step in the planning process, the tentative plans were reality tested with the larger and more diverse planning group. Each cycle in the process improved and solidified the strategic plan.

3. Refinement and Commitment.

Every organization must secure commitment from key stakeholders to implement the strategic plan. After the strategies were defined, but the action steps were still being developed, TCC went back to stakeholders for further input. The stakeholders were asked to share their comments on the plans as they were being finalized. Once again, the participants were asked to use their influence and expertise to help at least one of the strategies move forward.

The involvement of the stakeholders throughout the process and the use of the Appreciative Inquiry method resulted in an outpouring of emotional commitment. More than 50 percent of the participants expressed “I Will” statements indicating their own support for implementation. Senior management is no longer the sole owner of the plan. The stakeholders at diverse levels now feel ownership. All parties are positioned well to implement the plan with energy and enthusiasm.

Jim Cross and Mark Cook are partners in the CrossGroup, a management consulting firm that develops customized employee development, training and leadership development programs for corporations. You can reach them at jim.cross@crossgroupinc.com or mark.cook@crossgroupinc.com.

Originally published by the Fort Worth Business Press