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Staffing activities
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Institutional Affiliation
Course Name, Number
Professor
Due date
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Abstract
For any business, staffing activities are pivotal for success. Businesses are always on a
constant effort to improve their competitive advantage, and that relies significantly on how well
they will staff and implement their strategies. Given that strategies shape the vision of
companies, it is important that the strategies are implemented in a manner that will create more
benefits than detriment. At the same time, the staff employed to perform the strategic
implementations must be capable of making changes as envisioned by the organization. Strategic
implementation is a complex process, in which moves applied in implementation will determine
the success of a business. The team selected for strategic implementation will also matter since
their expertise is expected to guide strategic changes. Therefore, in this literature review, the
main objective will be to illustrate the essence of strategic implementation and strategic
recruitment to business operations. The analysis will cover factors that make it difficult for
businesses to make strategic implementations as well as challenges associated with strategic
recruitment to ensure implementations take place as desired. Finally, the discussion will finish
with a recommendation for companies if they wish to make strategic implementations and proper
strategic recruitments.
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Introduction
Strategic recruitment is important because it supports strategic implementation. Strategic
implementation matters to business success since the process ensures that tactics and plans are
properly translated into actions, to promote the accomplishment of goals and objectives (Helle &
Sophie, 2018). Of course, the strategy plays an integral role in promoting success, but if not
correctly implemented, there cannot be positive outcomes. As such, the proper persons must be
selected for strategic implementations unless there will be limited success. Strategic plans are
nothing more than documents that denote the path to success. As such, strategic implementation
is essential to ensure that the dormant plans are turned into actions that will promote business
growth and development. According to studies, many businesses fail to achieve their goals
because they underperform when it comes to the implementation process (Zhou, Y, Yang &
Yang, 2019). Failures in implementation are caused by factors such as; failure to consider
implementation costs in budgeting, failure to discuss strategy, and poor motivation of employees
to support the implementation process. At the same time, recruitment is essential to
implementation since it ensures that the persons selected to perform a particular task have the
appropriate prowess. With an objective of demonstrating the essence of strategic implementation
to business success, this literature review will focus on current literature on the topic so as to
illuminate knowledge gaps, and establish current conclusions regarding the essence of strategic
planning.
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Findings
Theoretical and conceptual frameworks
It is pertinent to consider that organizations are only as efficient as their constituents. The
success or failure of business organizations is often attributed to the performance of the leaders,
forgetting the roles played by other stakeholders. Therefore, that means that businesses must
appropriately articulate their work personnel to ensure positive results when it comes to the
implementation of new strategies. As companies recruit new personnel, they must be adept at
performing their duties unless there will be unwanted results.
When it comes to goal-setting, and strategy development, the administration has a crucial
role to play (Falqueto et al., 2020). However, the same does not suffice for the implementation
process. Studies postulate that stakeholders play an integral role in strategic planning and
implementation (Falqueto et al., 2020). As such, they investigate the role of employees in
promoting business success. Human labor is an important factor in determining business success,
and research shows that in order for businesses to properly implement their strategies, they must
empower stakeholders to ensure they are capable of performing their required roles in the
implementation process. Similarly, they must recruit the right persons to ensure their work
activities go as expected.
Considering that the human factor plays an important role in strategy implementation, it
is also essential for businesses to consider the right processes of recruiting to promote favorable
implementation results. Therefore, the study by Helle and Sophie compares social media
communication with traditional forms of communication in an attempt to demonstrate that social
media recruiting works best for strategic implementation (2018). Because social media’s
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improved networking capabilities, the authors of the study believe it is the best approach when it
comes to strategic recruitment.
Moving on, studies on strategic implementation assess the impact of personnel on
business success. Although businesses may have spot on strategies and goals, the persons tasked
with the implementation process significantly affect success rates. As such, it becomes apparent
that competence is important in strategic implementation (Zhou, Y, Yang & Yang, 2019). The
study proposes that through the process of strategic recruitment, businesses could improve their
success rates by significant proportions.
A factor that largely affects the implementation process is leadership. Unless leadership
is strategic, the strategies developed by an organization will not be useful, nor will the
implementation (Hunitie, 2018). The studies evaluate leadership theories and the role they play
in promoting business success. Strategic leadership is heavily reliant on the concepts of strategic
thinking and strategic planning, since they compel leaders to develop workable strategies. At the
same time, strategic leadership is essential because it ensures that implementation processes take
place as planned (Hunitie, 2018).
Study design
Most of the studies sampled for the literature review process are qualitative. That is
because they focus on non-numerical data. For instance, the study evaluating the essence of
stakeholders in strategic planning when it comes to higher learning institutions relies on case
studies to formulate its conclusions (Falqueto et al., 2020). The other studies that were
qualitative in nature also relied on case studies or literature reviews. For instance, the article by
Cândido and Santos uses a literature review combined with a deep analysis of case studies. As
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such, most of the data used in researching the essence of strategic implementation in this essay is
qualitative in nature.
However, the literature review also relies on quantitative research articles. For instance,
the article Barriers to BIM implementation strategies in China relies on a comparative analysis of
different types of data to shed light on the factors that challenge strategic implementations
(Zhou, Yang & Yang, 2019). Considering that the data used is statistical in nature, the research
becomes quantitative.
Some of the studies in use are also mixed in nature. The article by Hunite is an exemplary
example (2018). The researchers administered questionnaires to different hospitals, and used
statistical data emanating from the research to measure the impact of strategic leadership in
strategic implementation (Hunite, 2018). Through the metrics measured, the study finds that
things such as strategic thinking influences the strategic implementation of business
organizations, impacting their overall performance.
Methodology
Studies used in the research make use of different methodologies to demonstrate the
essence of strategic implementation to business activities. For instance, some of the studies such
as the one assessing the barriers to strategic implementation rely on comparative analysis to
investigate case studies that either show the success or failures of companies when it comes to
the implementation process (Zhou, Yang & Yang, 2019).
The studies also make good use of literature review to develop their findings (Leeman et
al., 2017). Of course, there are other studies conducted on strategic implementation, and the
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researchers make use of them to discover areas that require more assessment. Besides, the pre-
existing literature also combine to formulate new ideas regarding the concept of strategic
implementation. The studies also heavily rely on case studies to determine their findings
(Leeman et al., 2017). Through analyzing business organizations and how they implemented new
strategies, the researchers are able to gain new insight on strategic implementation. The research
by Cândido and Santo is an example that employs case studies to determine factors that hinder
strategic implementation (2018)
Research findings
So, what does current literature have to say regarding strategic implementation? Clearly,
strategic implementation plays a vital role in determining business success. Strategic
implementation is essential since it addresses questions associated with who, where, when, and
how (Falqueto et al., 2020). Organizations have different stakeholders, and for successful
implementation of business strategies, it is relevant for the key stakeholders to understand the
roles they will play. Aside from that, success is dependent on the ability of the stakeholders to
clearly discern their roles. In short, what does their organization expect from them? According to
the dictations of job performance and satisfaction, employees are likely to perform better when
they have a clear understanding of the deliverables expected of them by their employer. They
must understand what is expected of them, and by what date (Obeidat et al., 2017). Employees
also deserve a clear understanding of where their input is necessary.
Before a company can assign roles to its employees, there are steps it must take to
improve their chances of success. For instance, they must perform environmental analysis to
understand what is required, as well as the availability of their resources in the implementation
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program (Singh & Singh, 2018). To gain better understanding of their operating environments,
businesses can perform SWOT analysis, or analyze their competitive market. Following such
actions, businesses can assign roles and timelines to their employees to ensure that they serve a
purpose in helping the organization reach its goals.
At times, implementation processes require organizations to have additional resources. A
major resource that may affect implementation is the workforce (Helle & Sophie, 2018).
Employees often have different skills and qualifications, and proper implementation compels
business organizations to assign roles to persons with the skills and qualifications to perform the
implementations. For instance, a business may want to integrate technological functions to its
operations in order to increase their competitive advantage. In such a situation, success is heavily
reliant on the workforce that the organization will delegate towards the activity (Jung, Bauer &
Heaps, 2017).
A simple way that businesses can improve their implementation success is through
recruiting persons with the appropriate skills. Compared to traditional forms of employee
recruitment, social media platforms offer improved recruitment capabilities (Helle & Sophie,
2018). That is because social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn give companies an
appropriate platform to connect with professionals from different backgrounds. As such, it
becomes simpler for organizations to search for persons with the exact qualifications that they
are searching for (Helle & Sophie, 2018).
At the same time, strategic implementation is dependent on the leadership and the
techniques they will use in overseeing application of new changes. Leaders must immerse
themselves in strategic thinking, and planning to ensure that the changes made within their
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organization attend to the existing needs (Cândido & Santos, 2019). Implementation mainly
occurs because businesses wish to gain competitive advantage in their operating markets. As
such, the leaders must think strategically to ensure that whatever move their companies make are
intended to bring benefit.
Aside from applying strategic thinking in the formulation of the future plans of their
businesses, leaders also have the mandate to practice strategic leadership as it is relevant to the
implementation of the new strategies (Mitchell, 2021). That means that they should clearly think
about the roles they expect employees to play in the new changes, as well as the strategic use of
resources so that their organization does not lose its competitive advantage. Referring back to the
previous example, a business may need to make technological integration to improve their
competitive advantage.
However, if they allocate more employees than necessary to the venture or financial
resources, they will suffer detriment in terms of their competitive advantage (Obeidat et al.,
2017). As such, businesses leaders must practice caution as they implement new strategies to
ensure that the changes do not work against their business goals. Therefore, research shows that
strategic leadership forms the basis of strategic implementation. Without strategic leadership,
there are bound to be challenges in the implementation of new ideas and new ways of doing
things. With that said, what are some of the challenges that impact strategic implementation?
Strategic implementation is significantly impaired by the formulation of weak strategies.
Effective strategies have some factors in common. For instance, they have a narrow focus –
meaning there must be clear goals and objectives, time limits, and roles for the involved
stakeholders (Leeman et al., 2017). That means that companies must focus on strategies that set
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achievable goals. A strategy may promise business success, but provided the strategy is not
implementable, the business will face challenges in the implementation process. In some
situations, a strategy may not improve the position of a business. When that is the case, even
with fruitful implementation, the business involved will not gain a competitive edge because the
strategies to be implemented in the first place do not promote the growth of the business
(source7).
Improper preparation is another challenge that impacts strategic implementation.
Business strategies are intended to create new vision and growth for a company. However, if
there is no proper planning, the strategies will go to waste. For instance, businesses must
properly train their workforce to ensure that they are capable of making the new changes
(Cândido & Santos, 2019). The employees perform the execution of new strategies, and when
they are not properly trained, they will be unable to perform the duties required of them by their
employers. In normal work environments, employees have busy schedules, and it is pertinent to
realize that businesses must design new programs that are considerate of their work and numbers
(source7).
Conclusions and knowledge gaps
Thus far, it is apparent that strategic implementation is essential for business success.
Even with well-laid out plans, businesses may fail to achieve success unless they successfully
implement their plans. Organizations have different stakeholders such as employees and
management, and it is crucial for all of them to perform their roles to promote business success.
Employees must be aware of their roles and expectations to ensure proper implementation.
Similarly, the management must perform their duty to properly oversee strategy formation and
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implementation so as to create competitive advantage. Considering that strategic implementation
plays a crucial role in the acquisition of competitive advantage, it is clear that businesses must
dedicate themselves towards the proper implementation of comprehensive strategies.
So, what are the knowledge gaps identified in relation to the literature review?
Preparation is an area that requires more attention. For organizations to properly prepare to
implement changes, the strategies must be on point. If the strategies are okay, they must also
allocate resources towards the training of employees to bring about the change. When training
employees, it is also vital to ensure that their qualifications are in line with the objectives of the
organization to promote improved performance. Therefore, the imperative questions are how
companies can be sure that their strategies will promise them good results, and how they will
allocate resources so as to ensure efficient business operations and implementation processes
take place concurrently. Companies must also focus on their recruitment processes to ascertain
their workforce’s prowess in handling the matters brought to table.
Conclusion
Evidently, strategic implementation plays a crucial role in the competitive advantage.
However, poor implementation could have more negative results than no implementation. As
businesses implement new strategies, they hope to gain competitive advantage. However, if the
implementation process goes wrong, they risk their operations since other companies within the
same environment are likely to gain an edge over them. All stakeholders in a business play major
roles in ensuring successful implementation, and as they must have adequate preparation for their
roles. In conclusion, the preparations stage plays an integral role in determining successful
implementation, and it is the area businesses need to focus.
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Recommendations
Considering that the main issue associated with strategic implementation is the
preparation process, it is critical for business organizations to understand how they will make
changes without negatively impacting their business operations. First and foremost, it will be
imperative for management teams to perform thorough analysis of their business environments
before making changes. Both the internal and external environments are important. Internally,
they should consider whether the resources at their disposal are sufficient to facilitate the
expected changes. Besides that they must assess their external environs to ensure that the
changes will give them competitive advantage. If the implementation processes will only allow
them to do as much as the competitors, then the strategies have to be rethought.
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References
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Falqueto Júnia, M. Z., Hoffmann, V. E., Gomes, R. C., & Onoyama Mori, S. S. (2020). Strategic
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https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-04-2018-0158
