Without the implementation and execution of the strategy, or perhaps better still, the implementation in everyday life, the strategy is of little value. Perhaps this is why the school of strategic management, which preached about the implementation and execution of strategy, was born. Both beautiful ideas, but in everyday life mostly quite oppressive!
Implementing the strategy and making it a reality in everyday life is at its best about making progress towards a common inspiring goal, living in line with the culture of the organisation and following the agreed milestones. This is what modern day strategy in action is all about in the most successful organisations.
The more clearly it has an inspiring and forward-looking shared goal (vision), which has been successfully encapsulated in a memorable story, the better the strategy is usually lived out in everyday life. It is also important for the strategy to be realised that each unit, team and individual knows the strategic objectives and key results and actions that affect their own work.
We are often asked for help in implementing the strategy, for example:
“Strategy for everyday life” is a dream come true for many managers. One key model for strategic management and strategy implementation is the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) model, which has undergone a new renaissance, helping to break down the process of implementing, monitoring and communicating strategy into shorter, more everyday periods.
In the OKR model, objectives (O) are qualitative and vision-like. For example, the strategic objective “customer satisfaction”, which is often included in strategies and is a bit papery, would translate into “customers love us” in OKR language. In the OKR model, the key results could be for the following quarter: 1. Improve our NPS score by + 4 points and 2. Reduce the number of customer complaints by 10 per quarter.
In many cases, the OMC model speeds up the process of putting strategy into practice and implementing it. It summarises the strategy in a more understandable way, and accelerates the pace of implementation and review of strategic objectives and learning. The model is also good in that objectives and key results can be both top-down and bottom-up driven, which often increases transparency within the organisation about the strategy's progress, but also brings a new level of ownership at every level. This creates a common communication and storytelling around the strategy and makes the objectives part of everyday activities.
Each model, including the OKR model, has its own strengths and weaknesses. More important than any single tool or methodology is the choice of management models and frameworks that are appropriate to the situation and culture of your organisation and that help you to put strategy into practice.
The implementation and delivery of the strategy are not magic tricks. They are systematic work, best practice, active communication, setting targets, reflecting on progress and learning from it. More important than a single methodology or tool is the fact that the strategy is managed and lived in everyday life as part of the culture.
If you want to accelerate your organisation's capacity for change and strategy progress on a day-to-day basis, we're here to help!
It creates a competitive advantage, unifies decision-making, engages staff in a common purpose, and helps allocate resources.
The strategy answers questions about why the organisation exists, what it does (and doesn't do), and how it does things. The strategy work and process ensures that the organisation has a common direction.
The world is changing faster and faster, and the pace is not going to slow down. Similarly, the strategy must live not only in the present, but also in the foreseeable future.
