A strategy is no more than a piece of paper, if people at the bottom of the pyramid do not know what to do with it. The front line is where value is being created, where the rubber meets the road.
Getting the Buy-In of Informal Leaders
While most organizations have a well-defined formal leadership structure, it is quite often observed that the real centres of power/influence do not vest with them. So a critical step is these "informal" leaders. They often boast of disproportionate influence/power. It is these informal leaders who can play a significant role in setting the agenda or setting the pace for implementation. It is they who influence canteen conversations about what the new strategy is supposed to accomplish.
So getting a buy-in from these informal leaders is an imperative for successful implementation. And any process of creating a buy-in is a two-way dialogue process. One thing that influencers are sensitive to is the risks that they face. Using this as a starting point, one can discuss of how the strategy will mitigate the risks.
These 'hot buttons' create high degree of involvement amongst the influencers and develops a consensus and commitment for execution. While the top management must communicate openly and honestly, it must also be receptive to feedback/changes/trade offs.
One widely used methodology for identifying the informal leaders in a very structured manner is social network analysis. Alternatively this can be also be done by doing interviews and using a questionnaire who the key influencers are.
Branding of Strategy
Also at an organization wide level the strategy needs to be 'branded' and communicated in a very simple way for it to be understood. The branding exercise should be able to translate the crux of the strategy in a few simple messages, of 'how it is going to make a difference to my life'.The communication should also emphasize the problems that the strategy will solve and the risks that it will mitigate. All this is very necessary for creating a common ground and for the front lines to connect with strategy.
The communication of strategy should involve a lot of face-to-face interaction/meetings etc. and not just be limited to sending emails or putting up posters etc. These face-to-face opportunities develop trust and also serve as opportunities to clarify/interpret the key themes.
Again this process also needs to be two-way since the front lines know what the problems are and have a fair idea about the solutions. They may be able to give inputs which will make the strategy more robust. Or they may be able to suggest activities/steps which will speed up strategy execution or make it more relevant.
Putting an attractive brand name like say 'Terminator Strategy' evokes an interest, and a key message could be that we need to terminate all causes of customer complaints. This could be easily understood by service and operation teams.
Keeping the Communication Going Throughout the Implementation Process
We often find that some organizations do make a lot of noise during the initial stages of introducing the 'bold new strategy'. But slowly and steadily the communication stops and the dialogues shut down.The leadership should keep communicating. They should communicate how the milestones achieved , what was the actual vs. planned performance etc.
Finally it all boils down to the coffee machine
And often conversations at the coffee machine determine whether the organization has successfully ensured that the bottom-up approach has worked or not. It is these conversations that are the true barometer of success .These conversations provide insights on whether the front lines have internalized the strategy and is translating it in action.
If they are joking about one more cause of complaints that they have terminated, it means that strategy is alive and kicking, and is delivering the desired outcomes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarvajeet_Chandra
