After weeks, if not months, of discussion and debate, your leadership team has reached a shared view of what the next two years should focus on.  It’s a significant pivot from the organization’s past priorities and will require new ways of thinking and working.  Heads are nodding.  The discussions are now more about how to make the transition and less about whether it is the right move.

Great.  But you’ve been here before, and you know that stacking hands at the executive level won’t be enough to achieve the level of deep and wide organizational alignment that will be needed to realize the new strategy.  How will you get mid-level managers to buy in?  What about employees?  What levers can you pull to align the organization’s focus going forward?

Consider three types of levers to help you motivate your people and signal the importance of committing to the new strategy – aspirational, structural, and procedural.  Each has pros and cons and should be carefully considered as part of the mix of leader and organizational actions to get everyone pulling in the same direction.

Aspirational. 

Aspirational levers pull on a shared vision of what could be.  Trust, relationships, and common values can all be powerful catalysts for action as can shared views of the threat of not acting.  High levels of commitment to the organization’s mission and to making an impact for customers, clients, and one another can be strong drivers of alignment.

    Examples: 

• Informal one-on-one or small group discussions with key stakeholders to talk about how the new direction will drive value for customers
• Layered messaging from each executive sharing their view of how the new direction reflects the organization’s values

    Pros:

• Voluntary; more of an invitation than a command
• Can be generative – trust in the new direction breeds more trust as progress is made

    Cons: 

• Not always enough, particularly if results will take time to materialize
• Can feel manipulative if overused or mishandled

Structural. 

Structural levers draw on how work is defined and where and how it gets done – all powerful devices for aligning an organization around a particular strategy.  Rethinking job responsibilities, shifting reporting hierarchies, and changing spans of control can all signal the importance of a new direction and encourage employees to support it.

    Examples:

• Recrafting key roles to include responsibilities, outcomes, and actions that are aligned to the new direction
• Shifting reporting relationships to encourage partnership between teams whose collaboration is critical for success

    Pros:

• Sets up the organization for its new strategic objectives
• Reorients work around the new future

     Cons:

• Can be disruptive, at least in the interim
• Can take time as jobs and structures are redefined and people are shifted

Procedural. 

Procedural levers utilize the existing gates and guardrails of the organization to drive alignment.  Selection criteria for projects, budgets, and governance processes can all center decision-making and prioritization.  Metrics and performance targets can provide clarity of what the organization is shooting for and incentives for delivering.

    Examples: 

• Introducing new performance targets relevant to the new direction; sunsetting obsolete performance targets
• Prioritizing and funding projects that are critical to the new direction

    Pros: 

• Leverages existing procedures and protocols
• Encourages consistency of focus across the organization

    Cons:

• Can feel bureaucratic
• Can take time as these procedures work their way through to completion

Alone, any of these levers can drive alignment.  The key is to use them well together and in a way that fits your circumstances.  Using the right mix will help you get all oars in the water, rowing in the same direction.

Always learning,
Dr. Melanie