How to get breakthrough outcome from the annual strategy planning session?
Would you agree that the usual nett outcome of annual strategy sessions is team-building and clarifying current strategy with only incremental improvements in business performance coming out of it? If this is true, then how to structure the session in order to provoke breakthrough ideas which can secure a sustainable competitive advantage for the company?
I recently posted the same question on the LinkedIn Strategy Professionals Network discussion wall. Let me share some of responses.
I was suggested to trigger a meeting with the wonderful monolog of Al Pacino from “Any given Sunday” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAFif1t7Uhs – and to combine it with a business/management (war) game to improve both experience and motivation that will last for some time. Apart from being a teambuidling and motivional exercise, it can provide useful content to the meeting and enhance performance of those present. It provides a framework for analysis, formulation of, and experimentation with strategy that is clear for all to see and share.This can be done in a single meeting (take half a day). Furthermore the framework can be used in iterations sharing insights in progress and new opportunities with the team.
Setting up a game takes extra effort, but doesn't have to cost much and the experience will offer so much more in return. "Business War Games" by Benjamin Gilad was recommended for a quick reference.
Start your “breakthrough” discussion with the vision and the future picture (step 1). Start "dreaming" about the wished future situation of the company, and how you in the future will create value to clients and shareholders. This differs from the ‘usual agenda’ where past and present situation dominate from beginning.
Next, ask yourself (in the management team), what then is important to be good at (step 2), given the results of the discussion in step 1. Example: Being the product leader in the smartphone market, means that you have to be especially high performing in innovation and delivering the greatest product with highest comparable functionality.
Step 3 would be to look at your present performance - How good are we at innovation and at delivering the best products at the market.
Step 4 should give you the opportunity to exploit new ways of performing extraordinary on these critical parametres.
Step 5 is about planning concrete strategic actions to be implemented.
Remember to read the book "Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant" by W. Chan Kim, Renee A. Mauborgne as it may bring some valuable ideas. Just to remind you that the authors argue that lasting success comes not from battling competitors, but from creating "blue oceans"--untapped new market spaces ripe for growth. Such strategic moves--which the authors call "value innovation"--create powerful leaps in value that often render rivals obsolete for more than a decade.
It is also true that strategy is not something you plan but something you do which includes periods of breakthrough and periods of slogging through the details of getting it done and making it come to life.
Any suggestion about the “breakthrough agenda” for the session?
Comments
Interesting that this exact same video was used in a blog here a while back.
http://www.managers.org.uk/practical-support/management-community/blogs/are-we-motivated-enough-work
It's hard to imagine such motivation at work.
It's interesting also that many don't think leaders should swear.
http://www.managers.org.uk/forum/senior-managers/should-leaders-swear
Alex
Love it. It strongly follows the facilitator guide I utilise for strategy planning. The inches speech no matter its aggressive language and swearing always reminds me about why I work in a competitive environment and that is to win. What you win, for whom and why determines you and to some extent may be determined by your own paradigms and values but ultimately whether it is winning by putting a man on the moon or finally getting water to a remote 3rd world village it is about taking on a challenge and succeeding.
Too many people in business are deprived of one of the key things you need to win which is passion around the goals and outcomes. Part of delivery a great strategy session is to remind those on the team of this and get them to either step up or step out to let somebody who does have the passion take a shot at making that inch.
Great post.