Bringing vision to life through effective strategic pillars
Creating and designing a plan to bring organisational vision to life is a regular phase in building and growing a robust and adaptive business venture. This could be a broad strategy to achieve short- or long-term organisational objectives, or departmental strategies aimed at realizing the vision. Every organisation exists to pursue a certain objective and vision on a broader scale, but the ability to bring that vision to life through effective strategic pillars is a critical distinction between a high-performing and low-performing organisation.
To make a vision a reality, both employers and employees must first understand the vision, so they are all on same page and everyone is working towards it. Organisations must also think deeply about developing effective strategic pillars that will help in the delivery of their goals and vision. In delivering the vision of the organisation, the first steps are to provide answers to the following critical questions:
- Where are we now? (Review and Stress-test)
- Where are we going? (Goals & Objectives)
- How do we get there? (Strategy)
- Who will drive the strategy? (Roles & Responsibilities)
- What is going to get in the way? (Risk Management)
The answer to these questions would produce the following:
- Visioning and Leadership
The vision is a description of the organisation’s desired achievement or expected future state, therefore, it is important for the vision to be shared among the business’ primary drivers. A visionary leader’s involvement in developing and communicating the vision is critical; it gives the team a knowledge of the organisation’s expectations, inspires them, and strengthens their commitment. To accomplish so, leaders must communicate the vision in a way that others understand, ensuring that it is shared throughout the organisation.
- Business Analysis
Adaptive businesses use business strategies, tools, and services that provide relevant information about what is occurring in the business and why it is happening, prescribe ways to improve decision-making, and assist future planning. Typically, an analysis of the internal and external environment will cover human and financial resources, policies, technologies, and operations. SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Market analysis, and so on are examples of these types of analyses.
- Developing a Framework for Engagement
A three-phase approach to business engagement is easily adopted to identify value proposition to clients while advancing business goals. In any scenario, the three components in the process are the cornerstones to effective engagement.
These processes serve as a roadmap for building the strategic pillars and sets a pointer to what needs to be accomplished and how to set reasonable goals to achieve them. Several visions never saw the light of day because reliable measures and effective strategic pillars were not in place to support the vision.
Three main things that can prevent a vision from becoming a reality are as follows:
- Unrealistic goals – Organisational goals should be challenging but realistic. Setting unrealistic goals makes it unlikely that your team will be able to meet them. Realistic goals will assist both the visionary and the employees in establishing a target for achieving their objectives.
- Accountability – Each process must have a particular level of accountability, and tasks must be assigned to make a vision a reality. A plan should be written explaining who is responsible for what work and how that task affects the broader vision.
- Wrong Management – When those at the top of an organisation have values, goals, and dreams that are diametrically opposed to those for which the organisation was founded, they may be a hindrance to bringing the vision to fruition.
Ultimately, organisations must be deliberate in developing effective strategic pillars that would serve as a guide to achieving their goals and vision.