Strategy Alignment:
Connecting People with Strategy

Once a strategic plan is developed, many organizations fall short because the direction and the goals get lost as they move down the organization.

High performing organizations manage their talent to create outstanding results using four key elements:

1. Align their people with our business strategy.
2. Engage their people in what you are trying to achieve.
3. Measure what their workforce is trying to do
4. Give them feedback on their results compared to the measurements

First line and mid-level managers, along with all employees, must be able to link their activity to the levels of the organization above and below them to get maximum results. Alignment to an organization is like metal filings. You drop them from a height of ten feet and they spread all over. Once you bring them close to a magnet, they squirm and twist until they are all heading in the same direction - that of the magnet. Alignment activities are like the magnet. It is hard to accomplish at first, but once the organization is aligned, it is easy to keep it that way.

Below are some questions that each level of the organization needs to be able to answer to accomplish aligning it with the business strategies.

Business Strategy Awareness What business are we in? Who is our competition? What financial and other goals must we achieve? What key numbers drive and reflect our success? Business Unit Strategy Translation How do we contribute to company success? What capabilities do we need to execute strategy? What implementation levers are most critical for us? What key numbers drive and reflect our success? Strategy Translation - My Department What is the department's role in executing business strategy? What capabilities do we need? What implementation levers do we control in our department? What key numbers drive and reflect our success?

Implementation Requirements What resources do I (and we) need? What information is critical? What impediments can be cleared? Performance Expectations What human capital investments must I make? How will I be rewarded for success? How will performance be measured? Role Clarification What actions can I take to affect our department's success? Which of my actions has the greatest impact? What key numbers drive & reflect my success?

This process has been applied across Motorola and other Fortune 100 companies. Once alignment has occurred, it is easy to link performance management systems and individual performance goals to the business strategy so people are really measured on performance.

Aligning worker investment with business strategy increases the probability that the organization will succeed in the marketplace. In turn, marketplace success creates the means (financial and other) to produce the return on investment workers require.

MASET, LLC    P. O. Box 649    Maricopa, AZ 85139
Phone: 520-568-6355     Fax 520-568-6354