Organizations frequently overlook the "critical middle"--how the exercise of leadership at all levels and how the application of a well-integrated operations strategy contribute to results and outcomes. This webinar offers a practical framework for integrating defined leadership and management practices into a holistic operations strategy in order to maximize organizational outcomes. Strategic plans are crucial. Policies and systems are practical. But without an explicit operations strategy and a unified approach to leading and managing the human systems across an organization, significant promise is left unattained.

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Leadership Engagement as
an Operations Strategy
Daniel Doucette
June 5, 2013
Twitter Hashtag - #npweb
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Advising nonprofits in:
• Strategy
• Planning
• Organizational Development
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Today’s Speaker
Daniel Doucette
Leadership Coach & Advisor
Windfires: Leadership Engagement Strategies
Assisting with chat questions:
Jamie Maloney, 4Good
Founding Director of Nonprofit Webinars and Host:
Sam Frank, Synthesis Partnership
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5. Leadership Engagement
as an Operations Strategy
Nonprofitwebinars.com
June 5th, 2013

6. Agenda
• Why “Operations Strategy”?
• Framing Your Strategy
• Leadership, Management &
Production Practices

7. HOW?

9. Theory of Performance
Intentional leadership and
management practices
implemented through explicit
operations strategies
enable people to sustain
maximum results.

10. Operations Strategy
Framework to influence
performance over a short term
(6 – 12 months) in pursuit of
articulated strategic goals.
Not “where” or “why”.

11. Operations Strategy
Core principles serving as a
platform for guiding decision-
making and choices across units
and functions.
Not the “what” or “who”.

12. Operations Strategy
vision
mission
strategy
targets
Humans
Organizing
Willpower
structure
policies
process
systems
How?

13. Framing Your Strategy
• H.O.W. Humans Organizing Willpower
• Framework of principles & practices
• To influence performance by guiding
decision-making & choices

14. Framing Your Strategy
Operations
Strategy
Management
Practices
Leadership
Practices
Production
Practices

15. Framing Your Strategy
• Vision stewardship
• Learning
• Norm-setting
• Networking
• Engagement orientation
Leadership Practices

16. Framing Your Strategy
• Resource stewardship
• Controlling
• Decision-making
• Aligning
• Discipline orientation
Management Practices

17. Framing Your Strategy
• Quality stewardship
• Innovating
• Standards-setting
• Coordinating
• Effectiveness orientation
Production Practices

18. Framing Your Strategy
Operating Strategy:
Performance Orientation
Leadership Management Production
Vision stewardship Resource stewardship Quality stewardship
Learning Controlling Innovating
Norm-setting Decision-making Standards-setting
Networking Aligning Coordinating
Engagement orientation Discipline orientation Effectiveness orientation

19. Framing Your Strategy
Operating Strategy:
Performance Orientation
Leadership Management Production
Vision stewardship Resource stewardship Quality stewardship
Choose your own
Engagement orientation Discipline orientation Effectiveness orientation

20. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
The real intention:
• Behavior-based as much as task-driven
• Discipline as opposed to documentation
• A shape for conversations
• A platform for returning to key questions

21. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
Example 1: Operationalizing “learning”.
• Statement of definition: “Our operating
definition of ’Learning’ is: the process of
acquiring new knowledge or skills through
study, reflection, experience, and applied
practice.”

22. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
Example 1: Operationalizing “learning”.
• Statement of principle: “XYZ organization
recognizes the value of continuous learning as
part of our corporate culture. Formal training
has its place, but we encourage experiential
learning as an effective approach for
rendering meaningful results.”

23. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
Example 1: Operationalizing “learning”.
• Statement of practice: “All managers are
expected to work with their staff to define
opportunities for learning within the context of
performing their jobs. These opportunities are
best articulated in terms of a learning goal,
support needed from others, measure of
success, and relevance to organization
objectives.”

24. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
Example 2: Operationalizing “standard-setting”.
• Statement of definition: “Our operating
definition of ’Standard-setting’ is: the process
of coordinating, promulgating and revising
commonly accepted methods for delivering a
service in conformance with prescribed criteria
of quality, safety and performance.”

25. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
Example 2: Operationalizing “standard-setting”.
• Statement of principle: “XYZ organization
employs standard-setting as a tool for sharing
methods that have been demonstrated to
render effective results, promote
competitiveness, or mitigate risk. Standards
are not intended, however, to hamper
responsiveness to context or opportunity for
innovating.”

26. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
Example 2: Operationalizing “standard-setting”.
• Statement of practice: “Each division will
maintain a cross-functional working group(s)
to coordinate the periodic review and revision
of relevant standards. Standards will
distinguish between strict policies which are
matters of compliance vs recommended
methods or approaches with flexibility for
judgment in how they are applied.”

27. Leadership, Management &
Production Practices
Statements of definition, principle, practice
• How does the operations strategy serve to:
– Shape meaningful conversations among
management, within teams, and between
functions?
– Raise key questions that elevates performance?
– Advance the competitiveness and strategic
interests of the orgainzation?

28. Re-Cap
• Why “Operations Strategy”?
• Framing Your Strategy
• Leadership, Management &
Production Practices

29. LEADERSHIP ENGAGEMENT
as an
OPERATIONS STRATEGY
Daniel Doucette
Leadership Advisor & Operations Strategist
daniel@windfires.com www.windfires.com

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