Strategic Analysis of Organisations in their Environment
Just sometimes, Organisations lack Strategic Integrity
About 50% of the time, analysis from the diagnostics identifies some key issues with Client delivery, Quality Improvement, and Cultural Issues as the causal link.
What is revealing is that the diagnostics often pick up a much bigger issue related closely to the focus, direction and strategy of the business. In many cases, this more important issue overtakes the initial problem under investigation.
Strategic direction: Focus, Energy & Alignment
Three factors are important, ‘Focus’, ‘Energy’ and ‘Alignment’. I’ll deal with each in turn. Focus is critical because it indicates direction and progress. Without an objective, a ‘raison d’etre’, an organisation will be in chaos – people will be confused over which direction to follow.
Strategic Direction & Organisational Change
Clarity of thought has to be articulated and shared with others to focus the thoughts and motivations of all in the business. This is an important issue for all businesses. Yet we have often witnessed even large scale businesses having failed to address their directional focus and commercial priorities.
The Triad – Focus, Energy & Alignment
We need all three elements to make the strategic process work. Having ‘Focus’ without energising people to achieve objectives, is no more than ‘theorising’ and ‘gazing into the future’.
Having the ‘Energy’ and motivation to achieve is likely to create lots of interest and momentum but without direction, the people in the organisation are no more than busy fools! There is much activity and enthusiasm, but no one is sure whether what they are doing is of value or makes a difference. It is also pointless having ‘Alignment’, without direction or focus and little energy to achieve it.
A system geared to alignment will be no more than a bureaucratic formality waiting for the key two building blocks to be put in place as a critical step.
Clearly, the three elements of the strategic triad are imperative – although most organisations can achieve a good thrust by relying on ‘Focus’ and ‘Energy’.
Nevertheless, to gain momentum, put all the visioning, and energy into action requires a firm commitment to ‘Alignment’ through an action or implementation plan – usually identified as a business plan.
There are a variety of tools that have evolved over the years, which are extremely powerful for review for strategic analysis for most organisations. The tools and techniques can sometimes be industry specific but generally, they can be tailored to a specific organisation in order to converge into a complex model.
The model then can be used as a powerful process for assessing the actions necessary to compete, or to provide a customer or consumer focused service in any given market. The process need not be tortuous and can be easily woven into a potential business plan, that can unfold and impact positively on the organisation in the immediate and longer term.
Key Strategic Issues for all Organisations
Unsettling questions that we may want to ask about our business or organisations.
Organisational Analysis
About 50% of the time, analysis from the diagnostics identifies some key issues with Client delivery, Quality Improvement, and Cultural Issues as the causal link.
What is revealing is that the diagnostics often pick up a much bigger issue related closely to the focus, direction and strategy of the business. In many cases, this more important issue overtakes the initial problem under investigation.
Strategic direction: Focus, Energy & Alignment
Three factors are important, ‘Focus’, ‘Energy’ and ‘Alignment’. I’ll deal with each in turn. Focus is critical because it indicates direction and progress. Without an objective, a ‘raison d’etre’, an organisation will be in chaos – people will be confused over which direction to follow.
Strategic Direction & Organisational Change
Clarity of thought has to be articulated and shared with others to focus the thoughts and motivations of all in the business. This is an important issue for all businesses. Yet we have often witnessed even large scale businesses having failed to address their directional focus and commercial priorities.
The Triad – Focus, Energy & Alignment
We need all three elements to make the strategic process work. Having ‘Focus’ without energising people to achieve objectives, is no more than ‘theorising’ and ‘gazing into the future’.
Having the ‘Energy’ and motivation to achieve is likely to create lots of interest and momentum but without direction, the people in the organisation are no more than busy fools! There is much activity and enthusiasm, but no one is sure whether what they are doing is of value or makes a difference. It is also pointless having ‘Alignment’, without direction or focus and little energy to achieve it.
A system geared to alignment will be no more than a bureaucratic formality waiting for the key two building blocks to be put in place as a critical step.
Clearly, the three elements of the strategic triad are imperative – although most organisations can achieve a good thrust by relying on ‘Focus’ and ‘Energy’.
Nevertheless, to gain momentum, put all the visioning, and energy into action requires a firm commitment to ‘Alignment’ through an action or implementation plan – usually identified as a business plan.
There are a variety of tools that have evolved over the years, which are extremely powerful for review for strategic analysis for most organisations. The tools and techniques can sometimes be industry specific but generally, they can be tailored to a specific organisation in order to converge into a complex model.
The model then can be used as a powerful process for assessing the actions necessary to compete, or to provide a customer or consumer focused service in any given market. The process need not be tortuous and can be easily woven into a potential business plan, that can unfold and impact positively on the organisation in the immediate and longer term.
Key Strategic Issues for all Organisations
Unsettling questions that we may want to ask about our business or organisations.
- Does the organisation know where it is currently and what it wants to achieve in the future?
- Is there real clarity and transparency in its focus and direction?
- Does the organisation have the capability to achieve its objective or aims?
- Does it have the competence to galvanise the energy and resources, to mobilise and motivate all functions, processes and people towards the overall mission or focus of the business?
- Are you focusing your direction and mobilising the enregy of your people to ensure that that all functions and people are pointing in the same direction?
- Are you certain that everyone has bought into the process and fully understands how their contribution fits in the grander ‘scheme of things’ and how it will be valued and measured?
Organisational Analysis
- Cultural Review & Audit
- SWOT
- Vulnerability Analysis
- Benchmarking services
- Market Analysis
- Product Portfolio
- Market Share
- Technological Change
- M&A activity
- Supplier Relationship
- Supplier Development
- Regulatory & Legislative bodies
- Customer Retention
- Prospect Conversion & Acquisition
- Changes in Customer Trends and Habits
- Customer Profiling
- Mystery Shopping
- Wider Economic Analysis
- Political Situational Analysis
- International Trends
- Media Perception
- Reputation Management
- Brand
