Bridging the Strategy - Execution Gap

Fewer than half of C-level executives responding to a McKinsey on-line survey said they were satisfied with their company's approach to strategic planning (McKinsey, 2006). Moreover, most managers agree that even where planning processes are adequate, an even more prevalent and serious problem is in "failure to launch" which lies in the gap between strategy and execution. Ultimately, what this means is that senior managers have great ideas and a pretty good overarching vision of what business nirvana looks like, but the enigma remains: how to create an organizational alignment to actually close or remove the gap. So, if the majority of executives know what the problem is, then why are they not fixing it?

The following is a suggested list of remedies for poor or slow organizational results. The list is by no means exhaustive, but when taken together will have measurably positive effects on your organization. Some executive level managers, with whom I have shared these ideas, have told me that they would do it, if they only had time. My advice to them was to make time or have someone initiate and follow through for you. Having a clearly defined and effective cadre of action oriented strategies is only a starting point, but an important one in creating action that generates results.

Also, it is important to realize the cascading nature of strategic plans and the imperative to consistently refer back to objectives and vision during implementation. Each phase of strategic planning is affected by, and affects each subsequent phase. While strategic planning is both linear and non-linear in nature, the following linear model is used to demonstrate a simple strategic planning process:

Vision - Mission - Core Values - Objectives - Strategies - Action Plans, Project Plans and Frameworks - Execution - Monitoring, Evaluation, Refining.

Now, moving on to strategies which will bridge the gap between planning and execution...

1. Clearly picture what your business nirvana looks like (i.e. your vision) within your operating environment