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Typical Mistakes

4.03 The Biggest Mistakes in the Strategy Process — Mistake 3

The Biggest Mistakes in the Strategy Process — Mistake 3: The Strategy Is Not Implemented | 4.03

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This is the third blog of three to address the biggest mistakes that can happen during a strategy process.  Here I address another cardinal mistake in a strategy process, which happens when the strategy is not implemented.

Text: Mistake 3: Strategy is not implemented.

The error behind this is the fact that people are not involvedThis is visible in the following manner: 

Text: Understanding?

Is it so that people don’t have the understanding of what the idea with the strategy is? They haven’t had the time or the possibility to read, think, and interpret it. The possibility to converse about the strategy is really important. If people are allowed to join in the creation process, you solve this problem practically in one go! 

Text: Are we building obstacles?

If the strategy is not implemented, are we building obstacles against strategy implementation? I have a feeling that we might be doing just that. The way you create your strategy can cause many obstacles that prevent efficient and robust implementation. Stiff structures have been used in the old world, because it gives a sense of control, and because technology hasn’t been previously present that allows for more flexible approaches.  

Drawing of an organizational chart with three levels. The number of boxes per level is 1, 3 and 7.

A hierarchy is a fantastic construction, but it also has its downsides. If the company has a hierarchical organization model, then the most significant decisions must be approved in some meetings with higher-ups. This makes the decision-making process quite slow. This, for example, makes it difficult to react quickly to changing customer needs. The company can lose out on great deals because the decision-making process is too stiff. 

Let’s get rid of the traditional hierarchical pyramid.

get rid of traditional hierarchy

Instead, let’s replace it with this!

A drawing of a group of people and the text: “Think for yourself!”ith three levels. A blue x has been placed on top of the hierarchy, which means a rejection of the hierarchy.

Let’s adopt an organizational model, in which people can really think for themselves. They are allowed to make decisions about things they know most about, and about things they are most competent in. This is a meritocratic approach. A decision can be made whenever necessary. It means that a hybrid is laid on top of the traditional hierarchy model. Work is done in teams and the hierarchy exists, but only in the background. No one has to be scared of crossing some hierarchical line. 

Hybrid!

Drawing of a hybrid organization that has an organizational hierarchy in the background and smaller dynamic teams in front of the hierarchy.

Because of this people end up performing better and take care of their work in a more agile manner. Thanks to this you can achieve quicker decisions in your organization, and as a result, you will ultimately be rewarded with a happier customer, which translates into more revenue. You have increased the efficiency of your organization. 

Please don’t take me the wrong way. Hierarchies are a good thing. In most corporations and organizations hierarchy is wanted. Somebody, after all, needs to be legally responsible for the decisions that are made. But, if all work is done according to a rigid hierarchy, stuff develops and proceeds very slowly. People are also very preoccupied with guarding their little slot of the hierarchy. By applying the hybrid approach, presented above, people will be able to create teams and groups quickly according to whatever requirements are present at any one time. In effect, anyone can talk with anyone else in the organization.  

Sense the customer's worries. React and solve the issue!

A group of people standing on a blue circle. Some of the people are cheering, representing sensing customer’s worries and responding.

In a hybrid world, people sense the customers’ worries, understand them deeply, and react to them by solving the situation the very second they are identified. There is no need to go home and ask for permission to solve the problem the staff member has encountered. Problem-solving without a rubber stamp on location at the moment is permitted and encouraged! 

However, a company’s governance model and ethical rules are in the background. One should certainly follow them. The question is not about people doing whatever they want. A professional is truly allowed to do what they think is necessary and the right thing to do. 

What if someone else notices that the decision is wrong? Then that person intervenes, pulls the other person by the sleeve, and says that this is causing problems. If and when that happens, a better decision is made on the spot! This way everything flows naturally, mistakes are minimized, and the problem gets solved. Everybody wins. 

Dear friend, in summary, we have touched on three big mistakes that an organization can do with the strategy process. 

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Stradigo

Stradigo is a brand owned by Rdigo Oy (Business-ID: 2120844-1).

Learn more from our Imprint.

Rdigo Oy is registered in Finland as a Limited company. We are a strategy consultancy located in the Helsinki capital region.

We’ve been in business since 2007. The company name comes from the latin word Redigo, meaning both ‘I shape’ & ‘I renew’.

Stradigo combines the word strategy with Rdigo.

Categories
Typical Mistakes

4.02 The Biggest Mistakes in the Strategy Process — Mistake 2

The Biggest Mistakes in the Strategy Process — Mistake No.2 – Leading Is Not Transparent | 4.02

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This is the second blog of three to address the biggest mistakes that can happen during a strategy process.  Here I address another cardinal mistake in a strategy process, which happens when leading is not transparent in the management system.

Text in image: Mistake 2. Leading is not transparent

Giving out responsibilities

Drawing of a person with four arrows going towards four other people. The image represents handing out responsibilities.

Organizations are pretty good in giving out responsibilities and tasks. That’s everyday life. 

Drawing of a person asking four other people “How are you doing?”. The four people are divided into silos.

Then, however, comes the question of which order the implementation projects should happen. The leader asks this question during a meeting, and these poor people must prepare PowerPoint slides hour after hour, until they are fine enough for presentation. In a world like this, information doesn’t travel that quickly. Luckily, nowadays technology enables automatic reporting. 

LOOK AT THE IMAGE BELOW. DON’T DO IT LIKE THAT!

Drawing of a person asking four other people “How are you doing?”. The four people are divided into silos. An indigo X covers the drawing.

INSTEAD… DO IT LIKE THIS! MAKE LEADING TRANSPARENT!

Drawing of two groups of people looking at each other through a transparent screen.

Let’s operate and lead transparently. If someone wants to have a peek at what other teams are up to, they are able to do so! When the big picture is clear, one can focus on the smaller things. If a person needs information on how their neighbor is proceeding with their work, they are able to follow up on the other person’s situation on their own. 

Strategy board

Drawing of five people looking at a strategy dashboard. The board blue columns with cards. Each card has a colored dot, either red, yellow or green.

Practically, this means that every team has its own digital board. The management team has a digital board consisting of the whole strategy. It can be viewed by the management team and other teams. Central focus areas and their goals can be followed with ease on a common digital board. Stop using Excel and move onto lead the common working platform through a digital board. That’s how leading becomes transparent! 

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Stradigo

Stradigo is a brand owned by Rdigo Oy (Business-ID: 2120844-1).

Learn more from our Imprint.

Rdigo Oy is registered in Finland as a Limited company. We are a strategy consultancy located in the Helsinki capital region.

We’ve been in business since 2007. The company name comes from the latin word Redigo, meaning both ‘I shape’ & ‘I renew’.

Stradigo combines the word strategy with Rdigo.

Categories
Typical Mistakes

4.01 The Biggest Mistakes in the Strategy Process — Mistake 1: Not involving people

The Biggest Mistakes in the Strategy Process — Mistake 1: Not Involving People | 4.01

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This is the first blog of three to address the biggest mistakes that can happen during a strategy process. Today, I will be introducing the cardinal mistake in a strategy process, the lack of involvement.

Strategy framework that describes the Stradigo strategy process. The process includes three phases; 1. Direct, 2. Prioritize, 3. Act.

Three loops

This model that describes the strategy process consists of three rotating loops. The management directs the company in the first loop, which means strategic decisions, and implementation follow-up takes place quarterly. The second loop is where everyday leadership activities take place. People identify sub-goals, and implementation follow-up takes place weekly. People lead themselves for the most part during this loop. The third loop consists of everyday operative work, and it constantly rotates in every company. 
The deciding skill is how to connect these three loops. But when trying to link them together, various types of problems may arise.

Mistake 1: Lack of involvement

The first great mistake and the cardinal mistake in a strategy process is to not. involve people in the thinking process. People can be efficiently involved today because technology makes this very easy, convenient, and efficient. The traditional way would be far more expensive, so it is not common to invite the whole organization to participate. The old way is outdated, and you should seriously consider updating your assumptions about what it means to involve people in the strategy process. The default answer is that you should include everyone because it is possible to do it very efficiently.

Lack of exitement

Drawing of a group of five men being excited and cheering near a large group of people who are not excited.

The staff lacks excitement because the management hasn’t involved them in the strategy process.

In the old world, the management sits down in a conference room and thinks about the company strategy. After a long and arduous negotiation, they finally decide the strategy and are excited that it is ready. A press conference is held, which the staff is happy to attend. Even so, in the end, the employees can have unanswered questions. They can also be confused about what it all means for them in practice. 

If you desire to hold a formal briefing for the staff, you encounter a few problems:

Group of five people being excited and cheering near a large unexcited group. Red Text: 1. Explaining, 2. Selling the idea, 3. Forcing people to converse.e management doesn't involve people

When the management doesn’t involve the staff they will have to explain the strategy, sell the idea, and force people to talk about their idea.

You need to explain to people what the strategy is to sell them the idea. They either will or won’t buy what you present. How can you get them to understand? One CEO came up with the worst words in Finnish that I have ever heard — Keskusteluttaminen. In Finnish, it means something like forcing people to converse. To put it bluntly: “Make those idiots converse so that they would finally understand what’s going on.”

STOP!
Group of five people cheering excited & cheering near a large unexcited group. Drawing covered by a large indigo x.

Stop! Don’t do it like how I explained above. Involve your staff!

Instead, see your strategy process as a genuinely fantastic opportunity to have people think genuinely together!

Let's work genuinely together!

Drawing of a strategy process with multiple boxes that describe how all staff can be involved in the process and work authentically together.

Let’s work genuinely together! Involve all staff and reap the rewards. Everybody wins.

First, a one-hour kickoff takes place with everybody present. People are all asked questions about topics like growth and problematic issues. Next, come the workshops. Thanks to technology, workshops can be held with a larger group. People get asked to volunteer themselves.

After the workshops, the partly done, unfinished, strategy gets previewed to the entire staff, and they have the opportunity to give feedback and share their opinions. At the very end, the organization holds the finalization workshops, and the final output gets shown to the entire staff.

Thanks to the fact that people can take part from the very beginning, minimal persuasion needs to occur. Everybody had the opportunity to steer the process. Strategy implementation began during the kickoff meeting. By the time the strategy process completes, somebody in the organization may already have started using some ideas in practice. 

Avoid the cardinal mistake in your strategy process!

Finding Us On Social Media

Stradigo

Stradigo is a brand owned by Rdigo Oy (Business-ID: 2120844-1).

Learn more from our Imprint.

Rdigo Oy is registered in Finland as a Limited company. We are a strategy consultancy located in the Helsinki capital region.

We’ve been in business since 2007. The company name comes from the latin word Redigo, meaning both ‘I shape’ & ‘I renew’.

Stradigo combines the word strategy with Rdigo.