Importance of Organizational Structures to Strategic Implementation

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The Process of Strategic Implementation

By Kyra Sheahan, eHow Contributor

Strategic implementation takes tactical concepts and puts them into practice so that business people can see their ideas become a reality. According to My Strategic Plan, strategic

implementation is the vehicle towards achieving organizational objectives.

1.

Responsibilityo Strategic implementation requires an implementation team. Employees,

consultants, specialists or other business people work on a project and

assemble to discuss the implementation strategy. Brainstorming sessions

determine the most appropriate course of action for the implementation team

to take.

Function

o Strategic implementation divides the main objective into phases, then into

actionable tasks. The tasks move the implementation process from Point A to

Point B. Work breakdown structures, according to Net MBA, allow

implementation teams to illustrate the sequential order for tasks and phases to

occur.

o

Featureso

Implementation projects require schedules. Project scheduling establishes the

timeline for the completion of the implementation process. Teams use project

schedules to stay on track with deadlines, measure progress and calculate the

amount of work remaining until the strategy is fully implemented.

Importance of Organizational Structures to

Strategic Implementation

By Casey Reader,

Strategies do not take place against a characterless background but must take account of the

features of the organization in which they will be implemented. Organizational structures

determine what actions are feasible and most optimal. The importance of organizational

structures in the implementation of a strategy is hard to overemphasize. Good strategy

involves taking account of where a company finds itself in terms of the external market and

its internal organizational structure. Strategy and implementation must cohere.



1.

Centralizationo

Some organizations have a more centralized structure already in place before a

strategy has been implemented. When this is the case, it makes implementing

certain strategies more feasible. Change is always difficult to implement as a

part of strategy; the fewer people involved in decision-making, the easier it is

to gain consensus. More dramatic strategies are aided by a centralized

organizational structure. Dramatic strategies can mean changing the basic

ways an organization does business.

Innate Advantages

o

The best strategies often seek to take advantage of the innate advantages that

an organization already possesses. Most organizations have certain

departments that are particularly effective and certain tasks that it is already

adept at doing. Strategies of this sort seek to rearrange organizational

structures so as to better benefit from innate advantages. These strategiesinvolve taking steps such as expanding parts of the organization that are

successful and shrinking those that are not.

Consensus

o

Organizational structures are often important in gaining consensus for a

strategy. If all the parts of an organization aren't onboard with a given strategy,

it will stand less of a chance of succeeding. The structure of an organization

will have much to do with gaining consensus because it will determine who

has to be appeased in management and how power is aligned. Different personal interests will often conflict and need to be addressed.

Overcoming Disadvantages

o An organization that has been failing to compete effectively will often need to

go through an organizational restructuring to change its focus. It will need to

change its organizational structures to move away from tasks that it is not

suited for. This sort of structural shift can be traumatic for an organization and

requires great resources of will. Often an organization must have reached a

crisis before this type of strategy can occur.

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How to Implement Strategies in the

Strategic Management Process

By Paul Merchant, eHow Contributor

Strategy implementation refers to the translation of specific strategies into organizational

actions to gain competitive advantage and improve the performance of an organization.

Strategy implementation aims at aligning the long-term goals of the organization to its vision,

mission and goals. Successful implementation entails focusing on the key success factors of

your organization, such as marketing or efficient service delivery, and concentrating your

resources on these factors. Despite being excellently formulated, strategies in the strategic

management process fail if they're not properly implemented.

Instructions1.

o

1

Select a strategy implementation team comprising key functional managers in

your organization. This ensures the team has all the necessary expertise and

experience required for implementing various strategies. It also encourages

commitment of the managers to the implementation process, as they're solely

responsible for strategy implementation. Train the team on skills required for

successful implementation of the strategies. Provide sufficient resources to the

team for successful execution of the implementation process.

o

2

Communicate to employees about the new strategies being implemented in the

organization. Communication to employees on impending implementation of a

strategic plan makes them feel like they're "a part" of the plan. They're thus

committed to the success of the plan and to the successful implementation of

the strategies within that plan.

o

3

Link your strategic plan with your organization's operational plan. Assign each

strategy to a specific manager who's held responsible for its successful

implementation. Request that the managers take the strategies to their

departments and, with the help of the departmental employees, develop action

steps to be followed in implementing the strategy effectively. The managers

should then assign responsibility for each of the action steps to specific

employees and set time lines for their completion.

o 4



Formulate a monitoring system with which to measure the progress and

success of the strategies being implemented. Note the name of each manager

charged with implementation of a specific strategy and the due date for

completion. Apart from aiding in monitoring the implementation, this also

enables managers to own each strategy, because they're primarily responsible

for its successful implementation.

o

5

Review the implementation process of each strategy by carrying out a SWOT analysis.

SWOT analysis is a tool that assists in identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities

and threats of the implementation process. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. For

example, a strength could be your specialist marketing expertise, while a weakness could be

an overwhelmed workforce. Opportunities and threats are external factors. For example, an

opportunity could be an emerging market for your products, while a threat could be a new

competitor in the market. The analysis enables you to fine-tune the implementation processfor your strategies, as well as identify opportuniities and threats that may have been missed in

the implementation process. The results also serve as a reference point for strategies to be

implemented in the future.

Strategic Implementation Steps

By Alan Valdez, eHow Contributor

There are countless books and papers on the subject of strategic planning. The best strategy inthe world, however, becomes pointless if it is not implemented properly. Although every

organization and every plan is different, there are some common factors that must be

accounted for and steps that must be followed by management in order to align the

organizational system with the strategic mission.

1.

Defining Tasks and Activitieso Before actual implementation can begin, key implementation tasks and

activities must be defined in detail. An improperly formulated strategic

decision can fail even if the strategy itself is good and even if no effort is

o

spared in its implementation. There is a fine balance that must be achieved onthe level of detail, as a plan that is too vague will not provide useful guidance,

while a plan that is too detailed may lack flexibility.

Securing the Required Resources

o

Once key tasks have been identified, the resources required for their execution

must be identified and secured. Money is an important resource, but by no

means the only one. The implementation of projects may also fail because of a

lack of manpower or technical expertise. If appropriate resources cannot be

secured and developed -- for example, by providing training in the required

skills -- the plan must be redefined or its scope limited.



Seeking Participation and Commitment

o

The success of any plan is likely to be limited if the involved personnel is not

committed to the project. Managers and employees should be involved from

the start in the strategy formulation process, not only in order to develop a

sense of ownership but also for the importance of their insights. Plans

formulated by top management are almost always guaranteed to have major

flaws if employees and affected groups do not provide a reality check based

on their knowledge of the organization's day-to-day operations.

Creating Communication Structures

o

Closely related but not equal to commitment-building, the creation of two-way

communication channels must form part of the implementation strategy from

the beginning. In the early stages of the project it will allow the affected

employees to provide their input about the formulated strategy and its potential issues. In later stages of the implementation those channels will

ensure that unforeseen problems are communicated to top management in time

to act and adapt the plans.

Assigning Roles and Responsibilities

o Most successful implementations are propelled forward by a formally

appointed champion who will provide both leadership and accountability.

Roles and responsibilities are often assigned in a framework of projects and

programs, with long-term, open-ended programs providing a bridge betweenstrategy and concrete projects. For strategies where disruptive change is

required, strategic teams are often formed outside of the existing structures

and hierarchies, as management and personnel used to the current way of

doing business may have some reticence to alter the status quo.

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Read more: The Process of Strategic Implementation | eHow.com

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Importance of Organizational Structures to Strategic Implementation