SERVICES - DESIGN

Step 1: Unify the direction

The purpose of this step is to ensure your leadership team all share a common vision of where your organisation is heading. To achieve this, we utilise the Hedgehog Concept featured in the landmark study conducted by Jim Collins, author of the books “Built to Last” and “Good to Great”.

Like hedgehogs which reduce complex challenges and dilemmas into a single simplistic idea, some good companies make the leap to greatness by having a clear concept of what their business is and building their momentum around one direction. On the other hand, some companies are like foxes, pursuing many ends and therefore have their efforts and resources diffused and scattered.

Step 2: map the strategy

With a clear vision, we develop a map that outlines the initiatives required to move you from where you are today, to where you want to be tomorrow. We use our own strategy mapping approach based on the principles of the Balanced Scorecard originated by Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton.

A strategy must be extremely well thought through if it is to be simplified onto a single page without losing its meaning. The true test of this is whether the map clearly shows the cause-and-effect linkages between investment and results while taking into account the four stakeholders’ perspectives.

Step 3: Align resources to results

This is where the strategy begins to come “off the page” by being expressed as a business plan including key result area profiles, change initiative profiles, and quarterly performance targets.

Determining the key result areas of your organisation’s strategy will enable identification of the factors that drive value into the strategy and consequently, where investment should be made for greatest value. It is critical that managers know which results they are accountable for so they can focus on delivering their part of the strategy.

Step 4: embed the strategy

To build momentum, you must be able to demonstrate visible results. We will help you set up a reporting system to monitor progress against the business plan. To do this, we use MSHonline, our simple, secure and flexible web-based reporting tool.

We work with the SMO to improve the rigour and transparency of the reporting system by defining measurement methods and the reporting principles that must be followed when completing reports. The focus of reporting is to identify the insights that allow the right conversations to occur during leadership meetings, rather than compliance.