Common Mistakes in Utilizing SATA

Common Mistakes in Utilizing SATA

Plant Manager: “OK, for a change this large we must appoint good Sponsors!”

Consultant: “No, Joe, you don’t appoint Sponsors; they already exist. You identify them and create a plan to get them in alignment!”

Plant Manager: “Wow, I have been missing that point. No wonder some of those major changes have failed! I have been asking my project managers to over-function, and worse yet, getting upset at the resisters. OK, let’s chart this and build a plan to get our system into alignment!” The above conversation represents a common error in how organizations think about work and change: confusion about how authority works in their systems and lack of knowledge of SATA. The next mistake is seeing SATA as a thing to do once, versus as an ongoing reality in every scenario. Once you stop working on getting your organization aligned and building sponsorship for the work that needs to get done, then you will begin to fail in some areas. There are many ways by which projects, daily work, and large initiatives fail. The good news is that you can avoid these failings by understanding how to apply SATA correctly.

What follows is a conversation about some of the most common ways SATA gets out of whack in organizations. This basic understanding will help you to lead your organization by thinking through ways to ensure alignment and effective work. Ironically, most of the following scenarios get solved by the right interactions between the right people. Organization alignment happens one conversation at a time.

To keep reading Check out Chapter 11 in Chris Crosby's: Strategic Organizational Alignment: Authority, Power, Results