FACTORS THAT SUPPORT STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION
Effective
execution of strategies is supported by five key components or factors. All
five must be present in order for the organization to be able to carry out the
strategies as planned.
1. People
There
are two questions that must be answered: “Do we have enough people
to implement the strategies?” and “Do we have the right
people in the organization to implement the
strategies?”
The
number of people in workforce is an issue that is easier to address, because we
can hire additional manpower. The tougher part of this is seeing to it that we
have the right people, looking into
whether they have the skills, knowledge, and competencies required in carrying
out the tasks that will implement the strategy.
If
it appears that the current employees lack the required skills and
competencies, they should be made to undergo the necessary trainings, seminars and workshops so that they will be better
equipped and ready when it’s time to put the strategic plan into action.
In
addition, the commitment of the
people is also something that must be secured by management. Since they are the
implementers, they have to be fully involved and committed in the achievement
of the organization’s objectives.
2. Resources
One
of the basic activities in strategy implementation is the allocation of
resources. These refer to both financial and non-financial resources that
(a) are available to the
organization and
(b) are lacking but
required for strategy implementation.
Of
course, the first thing that comes to mind is the amount of funding that will support
implementation, covering the costs and expenses that must be incurred in the
execution of the strategies.
Another
important resource is time. Is there
more than enough time to see the strategy throughout its implementation?
3. Structure
The
organizational structure must be clear-cut, with the lines of authority and responsibility defined and
underlined in the hierarchy or “chain of command”. Each member of the
organization must know who he is accountable to, and who he is responsible for.
Management
should also define the lines of communication throughout the organization.
Employees, even those on the lowest tier of the organizational hierarchy, must
be able to communicate with their supervisors and top management, and vice
versa. Ensuring an open and clear communication network will facilitate the
implementation process.
4. Systems
What
systems, tools, and capabilities are in place to facilitate the implementation
of the strategies? What are the specific functions of these systems? How will
these systems aid in the succeeding steps of the strategic management process,
after implementation?
5. Culture
This
is the organizational
culture, or the overall atmosphere within the
company, particularly with respect to its members. The organization should make
its employees feel important and comfortable in their respective roles by
ensuring that they are involved in the strategic management process, and that
they have a very important role.
A
culture of being responsible and accountable for one’s actions, with
corresponding incentives and sanctions for good and poor performance, will also
create an atmosphere where everyone will feel more motivated to contribute to
the implementation of strategies.
These
factors are generally in agreement with the key success factors or
prerequisites for effective implementation of strategy. These success factors
are a tool made to provide answers for any question regarding organizational
design.
The
emphasis of the framework is “coordination over structure”, which also supports
how strategy implementation is described to involve the entire organization and
not just select departments or divisions.
No comments:
Post a Comment