Strategy Survival Guide

Compelling vision for action – the most important starting point for any change programme is to have a
clearly documented case for change based on rigorous analysis. This should set out why action is needed,
and how the proposed action will add value. It should also set out a new and compelling vision, articulated in
such a way as to engage stakeholders.
Committed leadership – at all levels of the organisation, in particular with strong and visible support from
senior management. The change programme should be sponsored by high calibre and credible managers,
and led by capable line managers.
Rigorous project management – the organisation needs to commit the right resources to making sure the
change programme is delivered on time. Project team members should have clear accountabilities for
delivery of project outcomes, using disciplined and well-managed project processes. They should use
rigorous project plans, including milestones, timeframes and risk assessments, and should have monitoring
mechanisms in place to track progress.
Stakeholder support – it is critical to identify key stakeholders and engage them with the change
programme. This does not just apply to senior stakeholders, but also to staff members whose participation in
the change programme will be essential. Clear, consistent and persuasive communication is needed to
share the new vision with stakeholders, to keep them updated on progress, and to ensure that they are
aware of their own role in the process. Depending on the magnitude of the change, it can often be a good
idea to have a system in place to monitor morale and attitudes in the organisation during the change
programme.
Effective communications - there are a different elements of the change programme which will need to be
communicated to front-line staff and other key stakeholders including, potentially, the public. These will
include reasons for the need for change, what the change is intended to achieve or what is involved in the
changes. Communication will also help minimise the risk of rumours, gossip and storytelling. It may be
important to clarify and simplify further the priorities of the strategy. A three-theme approach is often
advocated, emphasising a limited number of key aspects of the strategy, rather than expecting to be able to
communicate the overall complexity and ramifications. Communication also needs to be a two-way process.
Feedback to communication is important, particularly if the changes to be introduced are difficult to
understand, threatening or if it is critically important to get the changes right.
Infrastructure alignment – change has to be backed up with appropriate elements of infrastructure to
support the new arrangements – particularly budgets, performance metrics, HR policies and processes and
IT resources. It will also be important to ensure that there are sufficient staff with the relevant skills in place.
Strengths
The only way to deliver lasting change is through a rigorous and well-designed change management
programme carried out during implementation of the new strategy or policy. This is a highly complex area,
which gets proportionately more difficult depending on the extent of the change and the number of people
involved. Ensuring that all the factors listed above have been explicitly addressed in the transition to
implementation phase of strategy work will help to create lasting change.
Weaknesses
There are a number of pitfalls that could jeopardise successful change:
• Lack of clarity around the new vision.
• Lack of senior commitment to change.
• Overestimating the ability of the organisation to deliver the new vision.
• Underestimating the time required to create the change, particularly if change in culture is required.
• Failure to design processes, structures and incentives that reward change.
• Lack of attention to stakeholders to ensure they are fully committed to the new vision.
• "Change fatigue" – organisations have been subjected to so many change programmes that they
disengage.
Strategy Survival Guide – Strategy Skills
Page 184