Overview
Once a business strategy has been researched and formulated, the next step is to execute the strategy. That is, the leaders who design the strategy are often not the individuals who will put it into practice.
Efficient and prompt execution is often more important than the strategy itself.
Commanders Intent
The first principle in strategy execution is the communication of the vision of the strategy. That is, the leaders need a way to communicate the strategy down the chain.
In the military, this is often called as communicating the commanders intent. That is the commander makes sure the troops understand the intent of any order. This means that the commander may give orders (that is, what to do) but also communicates the intent of the order, that is, why they doing it. This is critical for a couple reasons.
- Creates ownership in the command, that is, troops know why they are doing something
- Enables the troops to make decisions as conditions change. That is, if conditions on the ground changes, they are able to make adjustments to their plan of action in order to accomplish the intent of the leader.
Productive Execution
Even after a vision has been communicated, it may not be effectively implemented if the individuals doing the implementation are not properly motivated, or lack the appropriate skills. When executing on a stratey, leaders may need to keep the following in mind.
- Productivity - the resources applied to the strategy must be productive at executing the strategy, which includes having the correct skillset and being aligned.
- Motivation - resources need to be properly motivated in order to execute effectively.
Organizational Issues
A given strategy may require corporate re-organzation in order to achieve the stated objectives. This may be as simple as shuffling names on the org chart, or as complex as divesting units or merging with other companies.
A critical component of organizational change is managing the people who are affected by the change, and ensuring that the proper motivations are present to produce the desired result. (see above)