It is Not Strategy that kills you; it IS the Implementation

It is not Strategy that kills you; it IS the
Implementation!

Created by
Daniel Feiman, MBA, CMC®

310.540.6717 © 2011 Build It Backwards
www.BuildItBackwards.com Strategy Implementation All international rights reserved

Strategy Implementation
• What do we need to do to put our strategy in place,
execute it proficiently, and produce good results?

1. Create connections between strategy & our external
environment while creating connections inside the
organization

2. Anticipate & manage control, coordination, & motivation
issues


John Kotter’s 9 points*
Unsuccessful change initiatives almost always fail during at
least one of the following phases:
1. generating a sense of urgency,
2. establishing a powerful guiding coalition,
3. developing a vision,
4. communicating the vision clearly and often,
5. removing obstacles,
6. planning for and creating short-term wins,
7. avoiding premature declarations of victory, and
8. embedding changes in the corporate culture.
9. realizing that change usually takes a long time

* Whitepaper - Strategic Planning WORKS; If You Give It a Chance
http://www.builditbackwards.com/subpages/publications-wp.html


The Nine Components
of the Strategy Implementation Process
1. Build an organization capable of success
2. Exercise strategic leadership
3. Shape the corporate culture to fit strategy
4. Tie rewards/recognition to achievement of key strategic
targets
5. Install support systems
6. Institute best practices for continuous improvement
7. Establish policies that support the strategy
8. Allocate all resources
9. Recognize our successes & move forward


Successful implementation means:
• We have successfully completed strategic planning which
includes:
1. Vision
2. Mission
3. Values
4. Goals
5. Metrics
6. People
7. Products
8. Processes
9. Marketing/Finance


1-Build an organization capable of success
3 components of building a capable organization include:
• Staffing
• Core competencies
• Structure


2-Exercise Strategic Leadership
• Strategic Leadership provides the vision and direction for
the growth and success your organization.
• To successfully deal with the future, all executives need the skills and
tools to both create the firm’s unique strategy & implement it.
• Managing the future requires change
• Change means uncertainty
• Uncertainty requires strategic leaders who not only provide a sense
of direction, but who can also build employee ownership and
alignment within the organization to implement change.


3-Shape the Corporate Culture to Fit Strategy
• Define Characteristics of Corporate Culture
• Identifying the Key Features of Corporate Culture
• Ground the Culture in Core Values and Ethics

HIRING PRACTICES
• The Generations Represented by the Workforce
• The Ethnic Origins Represented by the Workforce
• Compensation and Benefits
THE MANAGEMENT STYLE
• Mission, Values and Goals
• Response to Threats and Opportunities
• Policies and Procedures
• Financial Management
THE COMPANY ENVIRONMENT
• The Physical Layout of the Workspaces
• The Amenities or Lack of Amenities
• Location of the Office

4-Tie Rewards/Recognition to Achievement of Key
Strategic Targets
• Reward systems refer to programs set up to reward performance &
motivate employees on an individual and/or group basis.
• Recognition programs are often combined with reward programs, yet
retain a different purpose. Recognition programs are generally not
monetary in nature.
• Sue Glasscock and Kimberly Gram in Productivity Today differentiate the
terms by noting that recognition elicits a psychological benefit
whereas reward indicates a financial or physical benefit.

Monetary Incentives Non-monetary Incentives
• Base pay increases • Praise
• Performance bonuses • Constructive criticism
• Profit sharing plans • Special recognition
• Stock options • More, or less, job security
• Retirement packages • Stimulating assignments
• Piecework incentives • More, or less, autonomy
• Rapid promotion

5-Install Support Systems
• Good information and operating systems are essential for
first-rate strategy execution
• Support systems can relate to all value-chain activities
• Includes all Information Systems
• Mobilizing information and creating systems to use
knowledge effectively can yield Sustainable Competitive
Advantage (SCA)


6-Institute Best Practices for Continuous Improvement
• Researching and adopting best practices is integral to
effective implementation
• Benchmarking is the basis of the process of identifying,
studying, and implementing best practices
• Key tools to promote continuous improvement
• Value Stream mapping
• Process identification
• Process documentation
• Root Cause Analysis
• Problem solving
• Improvement plan
• Stabilize & improve


7-Establish policies that support the strategy
• “What is written is done”
• Consistency
• Clarity
• Opportunity to improve
• Answers questions
• Avoids lack of ownership
• Positive work environment
• Links Vision to implementation


8-Allocate Resources
• Resource allocation must fit strategy
• Changing strategy requires changes to resource allocation
• Shifting resources — downsizing some areas, upsizing others,
getting rid of activities no longer needed, and funding new
strategically critical activities
• Financial and other resources (physical and human assets)


9-Recognize our successes & move forward
• Plan
• Do
• Measure
• Adjust
• Repeat


Contacting us:
Daniel Feiman, MBA, CMC®
Managing Director
Build It Backwards(TM)
Turning Roadblocks into Roadmaps(SM)
Strategy – Finance - Process
Office: 310.540.6717 Cell: 818.522.2892
Consulting & Training in:
Strategy* Finance * Process
dsfeiman@BuildItBackwards.com
www.BuildItBackwards.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/danielfeimanbuilditbackwards


It is Not Strategy that kills you; it IS the Implementation

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