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Stephen Wise Blog

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5 Secrets of Successfully Implementing Strategy

It is common to find a cultural divide between the strategy folks and the implementation folks inside an organization. As comparison, Strategy thinking is intellectual. Strategy development is sophisticated and often done off-site by executives. A completed Strategy is polished and presented by the top executives. The Strategy is locked for the year. And, Implementation thinking is practical. Plan development messy and done by managers. Planning assumes that all the tasks and dependencies can be identified and solved. The plan will change every day based on progress and issues that occur. 

Strategy Execution Success Street Sign

How can the organization ensure the outcomes from the implementation meet the needs of the strategy?

  1. The Strategists include the implementers in the strategy development process.
  2. One of the strategists assumes accountability for the successful initiation, planning, execution, and closure of each of the plans as well as active involvement in selected risk mitigation and issue resolution.
  3. The implementers ensure that a business case is provided that links the forecast benefits and risks of the strategy to the forecast resources and constraints. Viability of the business case should be validated periodically during and after implementation.
  4. The implementers select appropriate tools and methodology to plan and execute the detailed tasks necessary to achieve the plan.
  5. The implementers ensure the accountable strategist is aware of progress and risks and engaged for collaboration and assistance on all unresolved issues.

Increased collaboration between Strategists and Implementers is low-hanging fruit for improving outcomes. Leaders among the strategists and leaders among the implementers who reach across to each other and increase their mutual overlap will see desired outcomes increase significantly.

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com

Team Building - Thoughts to move forward

The world of work is shifting, which present special challenges for firms looking to hire and develop quality team members. Fortunately, there is a way to leverage the power of standards and competency development tools to mitigate some of the uncertainty and experimental elements of bringing on new talent. By adhering to a strong standard internally, firms can reduce their chances of making poor hires and increase their odds of growing top performers. The modern staffing climate and business environment combine to make firms feel as though hiring and developing staff will be a continual struggle. Yet there is no need to feel like a victim of forces beyond one's control. Instead, by stepping forward with a solid plan, it is possible to trim costs and improve the talent base.

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com

Team Building - Plea of the Project Manager

The top global business challenge is hiring and developing the right team members to continue positive business growth, according to the 2011 edition of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Private Business Barometer.[1] This report marked the second year that staffing dominated the barometer of business challenges, but it is merely the ongoing documentation of a problem businesses of all sizes face in the present talent market environment. Despite historically elevated global unemployment levels, businesses worldwide face a significant shortage of competent staff members. Firms that are unable to find the talent they need go to the market at a disadvantage. Firms with the right talent can secure additional market share, meet customer needs, and innovate for the future. How then can firms ensure that they are not left behind in the global talent race? It is not hopeless. There are a number of specific solutions employers can pursue to make themselves hiring leaders in their target talent markets. These solutions are not merely to throw money and perks at the problem. Instead, through the strategic implementation of hiring and competency development standards, organizations can set themselves apart as the discoverers and creators of an elite pool of loyal talent. This post is first in a series on Team Building for the enterprise.

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com


[1] The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Private Business Barometer. Human Capital Magazine, May 5th, 2011. Retrieved August 1st, 2011

Team Building - Demographic Shifts

Germany is the epitome of a first-world, highly industrialized nation. Its working age population is declining and the fertility rate is below replacement level. Talent shortages, particularly for highly skilled, well-trained workers, are a persistent complaint due to high levels of competition for the limited pool of available workers. Germany's case is continued in other developed nations. The most extreme case is in Japan, where 90 percent of hiring managers reported difficulty finding qualified talent for open positions. With more and more skilled workers aging out of the workforce, finding replacements is a palpable challenge. Ethiopia, on the other hand, is a nation routinely held up as a volatile and developing country. It has an extreme youth bubble typical of African nations, with a major portion of its total population not yet in the workforce and a high national fertility rate. Talent shortages are present now due to the unavailability of a deep pool of well-qualified workers, and the education-business disconnect is likely to hit the millions who are coming from under the youth bubble into the workforce.

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com

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