“Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”— Michael Porter
Aligning on strategic priorities is the precursor to good org design
Many clients approach us with an organisation design request – help us change our operating model or structure to perform better. And our response is always to question what they would like to achieve with this change, because organisation design is full of choices and trade-offs.
If the strategic direction and priorities of the organisation are unclear, or if the leadership team is not in agreement about them, we can help. Our CODE-C® process incorporates steps to define key elements of strategy and determine the strategic context for change. So even if your organisation has no written-down strategy we can help you to articulate the core elements you need to determine where to go next.
Stages of Organisational Development
Strategy alignment is a crucial aspect of any business model and operational model, especially as the business goes through various stages of growth and evolution.
STARTUP
In the startup stage, the strategic focus is often on rapid growth and agility, the priority being on survival and building the foundation of the business. Strategic direction is often high-level, instinctive and assumed, but neglecting to identify and align on a clear direction at this stage can lead to problems later on, such as a lack of clear priorities or difficulty adapting as you grow.
GROWTH STAGE
At this stage, the need for strategic alignment increases. The business model is evolving to meet changing market demands and the operating model needs more formalisation. We help you ensure that the organization is aligned and that your growing team is as clear as you are.
MATURITY
Regular strategic review becomes increasingly critical as the business seeks to maintain its competitive advantage and adapt to new challenges. The fitness of the operating model should be reviewed every time the strategy changes or new products, services or markets are added, in order to maintain its fitness-for-purpose.
RE-INVENTION
An up-to-date strategy is essential as the organisation seeks to pivot and transform in response to new market demands. Aligning on current priorities and communicating them clearly ensures that functions and teams are sure of their goals and contribution. This enables you to avoid issues such as conflicting or competing priorities and siloed ways of working.
When should you do strategic planning?
External and internal environments are constantly changing. Markets change, new competitors emerge, technology evolves and pandemics occur!
IT’S AN ONGOING PROCESS
Organisations acquire, divest, grow and shrink in line with market, technological and other changes. It is therefore critical that strategy planning is an ongoing activity rather than a multi-year initiative. Without constant review of the organisation’s performance, refreshing of its goals and analysis of its capability to deliver there is a risk of drifting into complacency and falling behind.
OUR EXPERIENCE
Our team comes from a mix of backgrounds – business, psychology, HR and education – and we help our clients to identify organisational needs, diagnose the extent to which those needs are being met and design solutions across the operating model.
By their nature organisation design activities and initiatives drive change, and convincing people to adopt change is not always easy. Our expertise in change management means that we can also support you in implementing the solutions once designed to ensure that your change sticks.
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Get in touch
We are always delighted to chat to new people. Give us a call, email or complete the form below to get in touch.
Telephone: +353 1 697 8420
Email: info@allagi.ie