Transformative Strategic Planning is based on the premise that the strategy of an organization is the primary responsibility of the entire management team and should not be delegated to either an outside consultant or to any given person or function within the organization.
The process establishes a systematic approach that allows the entire management team, in a 3-4 day strategic planning meeting, build a shared vision of the future and generate the necessary strategies to better compete in the marketplace. It is designed to enhance the quality of strategic decisions of all managers, encourage the questioning of old paradigms and discover new ways to identify and resolve critical issues in the organization.
In these meetings, relevant groups of managers identify and struggle with critical issues, environmental changes, business driving forces, competitive issues and the appropriate strategic responses. These meetings can be organized for different areas of the organization. They are linked and articulated in order to develop an integrated strategy that will thrive on the efforts of the entire organization.
The planning meetings are followed by an effective implementation process. As a result, the organization becomes stronger. It has a clear strategy and a highly focused, committed, and energized management team. They can anticipate and respond quickly to changes that may affect the organization’s future.
Tenets of Transformative Strategic Planning
This holistic process is built on four proven tenets:
1. Transformative Strategic Planning is Key.
Top performing organizations weave a strategic mind-set into the fiber of their corporate culture. Strategic thinking permeates the workforce. Holistic strategy drives all activities from planning, implementation and operations to communication and problem solving. A piecemeal approach to strategic planning and implementation will not deliver optimum-power results.
2. Today’s standards can’t define tomorrow.
In planning for the future, many companies and organizations fail to consider what it is they don’t know. Strategies are developed based on past experience, assumption and speculation, rather than information and facts. Such strategies exist on shaky platforms that won’t hold up if assumptions prove wrong. To operate strategically, unknowns must be exposed and explored. Probing, thoughtful environmental analyses are required.
3. Lead to discovery, don’t just provide answers.
Traditionally, strategy formulation has been a top-down process. Leadership or consultants, develop plans and pass them along to management teams for implementation. Frequently, the plans are not enthusiastically welcome by the rest of the organization. Transformative Strategic Planning taps the full intellectual capacity of an organization by involving the entire management team and other key organizational members in the process. As a result of the collective thinking and discovery, better strategies are generated and common understanding, consensus, commitment and a shared mind-set develop. Continuous collective learning becomes part of the culture ensuring that the company evolves and stays ahead of the industry and environmental changes.”
4. Two dimensions: Technical and Behavioral.
A company’s strategic process must account for technical expertise as well as the human factor. Technical aspects involve method – an approach that allows managers to see the big picture, identify real issues and make decisions based on factual information. Human factors drive consensus and commitment among management. With a distinguished career in business management methodology and coaching skills honed in the university classroom and a solid consulting experience, Dr. Flores brings the right blend of technical expertise and understanding of human behavior to the table.
=> Contact Dr. Flores to schedule a preliminary cost-free consultation at (312) 576-0142.
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