ASSIGNMENT 3 - QUALITY PAPER

1.   Creating a sense of urgency around a single big opportunity. This is absolutely critical to heightening the organization’s awareness that it needs continual strategic adjustments and that they should always be aligned with the biggest opportunity in sight. Urgency starts at the top of the hierarchy and it is important that leaders keep acknowledging and reinforcing it so that people will wake up every morning determined to find some action they can take in their day to move towards that opportunity.

2.   Building and maintaining a guiding coalition. The core of a network is the guiding coalition (GC), which is made up of volunteers from throughout the organization. The GC is selected to represent each of the hierarchy’s departments and levels, with a broad range of skills. It must be made up of people whom the leadership trusts, and must include at least a few outstanding leaders and managers. This ensures that the GC can gather and process information as no hierarchy ever could. All members of the GC are equal; no internal hierarchy slows down the transfer of information.

3.   Formulating a strategic vision and developing change initiatives designed to capitalize on the big opportunity. The vision will serve as a strategic direction for the dual operating system. A well-formulated vision is focused on taking advantage of a big make-or-break opportunity. The right vision is feasible and easy to communicate. It is emotionally appealing as well as strategically smart. And it gives the GC a picture of success and enough information and direction to make consequential decisions, without having to seek permission at every turn.

4.   Communicating the vision and the strategy to create buy-in and attract a growing volunteer army. A vividly formulated, high-stakes vision and strategy, promulgated by a GC in ways that are both memorable and authentic, will prompt people to discuss them without the cynicism that often greets messages cascading down the hierarchy. If done properly, with creativity, such communications can go viral, attracting employees who buy in to the ambition of the message and begin to share a commitment to it.

5.   Accelerating movement toward the vision and the opportunity by ensuring that the network removes barriers. For instance, Kotter (2012a) gives the example of the case where a sales representative receives a customer complaint about the bureaucracy in the company which he does not know how to fix or have time to think about. Someone in the network hears about this and says, ‘I’ve seen that. I volunteer. I’ll put together a group to address the issue.’ That person writes up a description and sends it out to the volunteer army, and five people immediately step forward. They set up a call to begin learning why this is happening, figuring out how to remove the barrier and designing a solution – a better CRM system, perhaps. The team probably includes someone from IT who has technical expertise and can help identify where the money for the new system might come from. The team works with additional volunteers who have relevant information – from whatever quarter may be germane – to act quickly and efficiently. The time between the first call and this point might be two weeks, which Kotter (2012a) defines as a model of accelerated action. The network team settles on a practical solution that properly supports the sales team. Then its members take their thinking to their boss, who gives feedback and may offer the budget and the resources.

6.   Celebrating visible, significant short-term wins. A network’s credibility will not last long without confirmation that its decisions and actions are actually benefiting the organization. Sceptics will erect obstacles unless they see proof that the dual operating system is creating real results. As people have only so much patience, proof must come quickly. To ensure success, the best short-term wins should be obvious, unambiguous and clearly related to the vision.

7.   Never letting up. This means that organizations should keep learning from experience and not declare victory too soon. They must continue to carry out strategic initiatives and create new ones, to adapt to shifting business environments, and thus to enhance their competitive positions.

8.   Institutionalizing strategic changes in the culture. No strategic initiative, big or small, is complete until it has been incorporated into day-to-day activities. A new direction or method must sink into the very culture of the enterprise and it will do so if the initiative produces visible results.