An overview of key elements of a strategy and forms/templates to assist in strategic thinking.

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Strategy that
Stands the
Test of Time
NNJ ATD
March 26, 2015
Marian Janes

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Learning Objectives
 Understand the components of a strategic plan
 Explain the influence of an organization’s strategic plan
on learning and development
 Understand and conduct a SWOT analysis.
 Understand the balanced scorecard
 Explain the training needs created by business
strategies.
 Apply lessons learned to enhancing your L&D strategy

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Strategy Overview

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What is Strategy?
Developing a strategic direction, supported by the
necessary reallocation of resources and coordinated
business unit plans, and designing a sustainable
strategy development process-

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Why Strategy?
Thoughts to consider:
 Who currently has a strategy?
 What are current symptoms of strategy breakdown?
 What are dangers of not having a strategy?
 How do you execute on your strategy?

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Value of Strategy
 Provides integrated business direction
 Helps prioritize and proactively address business needs
 Cultivates overall credibility
 Ensures obsolescence (L&D)
 Impacts bottom line results
 Contributes to sustainable growth of a high performing organization
 Identifies and effectively utilizes resources
 Responds to emerging opportunities
 Addresses and overcomes resistance and barriers
 More efficient use of time, energy, and resources

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Three Levels of Strategy
What are their roles?
What are their goals?
How do they do it?

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Strategy Integration
CORPORATE
TALENT
MANAGEMENT
TALENT
DEVELOPMENT
L&D
 The greater the
integration of the
strategy the greater
the impact on the
organization
 Successful integration
increases the
opportunity for ROI

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Cascading Goals
Corporate
• Corporate Strategic Direction/Vision & Mission
Talent Management/HR
• Strategic Growth of Human Resources
Talent Development
• Strategic Development of People
Learning and Development
• Strategic Transfer of Knowledge and Learning

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Cascading Vision
Goals/Tactics
Managers
Objectives
Group
Strategy
Division
Mission/Vision
Company

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L&D Strategic Alignment
 Vertical integration-integrating the L&D strategy with
the overarching HR strategy and with business
strategy at corporate and business unit levels.
 Horizontal integration-integrating L&D activity with
other HR practices so that there is consistency
across the whole HR area with all its activity
supporting departmental goals.

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Strategy Statistics
PWC March 2104
 A majority of executives – 55% – believe that their companies
aren’t focused on executing their strategies
 The survey gives other indications of trouble with implementing
strategy
 42% of executives say their companies aren’t aligned behind their
strategy, that some parts of the organization don’t understand or
resist it
 The same percentage (42%) are worried that their company’s
strategy asks people to work on too many, and often conflicting,
priorities
 On execution, executives’ main concerns are about not
focusing on execution, lacking alignment behind the strategy,
and conflicting priorities

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Statistics
The one thing that, according to respondents, would contribute
most to closing the strategy-execution gap is creating better
alignment behind the strategy

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What Challenges Strategy?
People
Change
Technology
Time
Money
Resources

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Framing the Strategy
Let people grapple it out
Don’t leave things undone
• What are the right questions?Frame
• Where and why do we make money?Diagnose
• What futures do we need to plan for?Forecast
• What are potential pathways to
winning?Search
• What is our integrated strategy?Choose
• How do we drive change?Commit
• How do we adapt and learn?Evolve

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 Review corporate strategy
 Meet with stakeholders in critical areas
 Conduct needs assessment
 Consult and align with Talent Management
 Identify areas of strategy to support
 Conduct SWOT analysis
 Create L&D Strategy Alignment
 Carry Through to Balanced Scorecard
Steps in Creating Strategy

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Needs Assessment
 Begin with the end in mind
 Conduct planning meetings management teams
 Identify specific items and issues within your plans
that are working well
 Identify areas where changes may be needed

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SWOT

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Balanced Scorecard

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Working Example
 Review corporate strategy (3 year plan)
 Identify “main” strategies
 Strengthen Core Business
 Create New Core Business
 Improve Operating Efficiencies
 Reinforce Strong Foundation
 Create L&D strategies in alignment with each
 Summarize and assign owner
 Create department balanced scorecard
 Create manager/individual scorecards

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Steps to Successful Implementation
 Visualize and frame the strategy
 Measure the strategy-Balanced Scorecard
 Report progress and results
 Make decisions to keep strategy in alignment
 Identify, capture and organize strategy projects
 Align strategy projects to strategic goals
 Manage projects for progress and performance
 Gain understanding through communication
 Align individual roles in support of specific goal achievement
 Reward performance-what gets measured gets done, faster.

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Critical Success Factors
 Concept of "line of sight" (so that everyone knows
how they impact the strategy)
 Clarity on the goals - people need to be clear how
their work impacts it
 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!!

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Coaching Within the Strategy
 Facilitate the planning process
 Make full use of organizational
resources
 Enable teams in support of
execution
 Establish clear roles
 Build strategic relationships
 Maximize outcomes
 Ensure measurable results
 Executive/manager development
 Effective communication
 Set objectives and expectations
 Build consensus
 Create buy-in
 Enhancing team problem solving
 Apply feedback to improve the
planning process
 Manage change
PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION
Growth of people supports business results

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Strategy Execution

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ANALYZE
DEVELOP
PLAN
ALIGNMEASURE
IMPLEMENT
EVALUATE
Planning for Execution
People
Strategy
Operations
 Where are we now
Data/Metrics
 What do we have to work
with?
Resources
 Where do we want to be?
Vision
 How do we get there?
Strategy/Goals/Objectives

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Poor Execution
 Employees don't understand how their jobs
contribute to important execution outcomes.
 Time and money are wasted because of inefficiency
or bureaucracy in the execution process.
 Execution decisions take too long to make.
 The company reacts slowly or inappropriately to
competitive pressures

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Obstacles to Execution
 Inability to manage change
 Executing in conflict with existing power structure
 Inadequate sharing of information
 Unclear accountability for decisions and actions
 Poor or vague strategy
 Lack of ownership amongst key people
 Inability to create buy-in on execution of critical actions
 Lack of or inappropriate incentives to support execution
 Insufficient financial resources to execute
 Lack of executive support for execution

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Best Practices

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Strategy Tools

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SWOT Analysis

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Integrated Strategy Planning

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Integrated Strategy Planning (cont’d)

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Strategy Checklist