It seems that there are always buzz words in the business that come and go. However, the concept of strategic alignment, although not always by that term, has been around since the first businesses started to hire and expand.
Typically new businesses and small businesses tend to have a good level of strategic alignment since there are few people involved and there is, at least with businesses that survive, an agreed-upon strategy for the business. This could include growth, expansions, sales and even on the mission statement and ideal of the business.
In larger organizations with multiple employees, department and even offices and locations, strategic alignment because much more important as a structured part of the business. With more people involved there is a greater risk that there is a movement away from the agreed upon strategy, a diffusion of the company goals, and even a feeling among staff that what they are doing is irrelevant.
Develop a Company Identity and Strategy
The first part of working on your company’s strategic alignment is to understand who you are as a company and what you want to accomplish. This is a unifying vision, put in clear, understandable language, which can be shared and embodied by all staff.
This, in turn, will be dependent on what your business produces or sells, your business model, and what has been effective for your company in the past. In some cases strategic alignment may be simply renewing those original plans and strategies while in others it may mean making significant modifications. In some businesses this may actually be the first time these plans have been fully developed.
Providing Education and Communication
The next step in strategic alignment is to be able to convey your identity and strategy for your business to everyone within the organization. This means the workforce, managers, and your sales representatives. Everyone has to understand the plan, and their role in the company and strategy to be able to work, make decisions, and operate in a way that is alignment with the overall strategy.
Strategic alignment is not a one-time activity for a business; it is an ongoing process that top businesses make a priority. Trainings, communication and working as a team within even the largest company are all essential to bring a business into alignment and help to keep it working effectively towards those mutually understood goals and outcomes.
Our business games are highly effective as part of your strategic alignment communication and education.
