Digital Strategy communication and implementation

Leaders who develop, plan, and manage strategy in isolation from the rest of the organization will find it difficult to achieve the strategic objectives. Employees, partners, and other stakeholders will not know what the appropriate course of action is when faced with decisions. Incentive systems are not geared to encourage the behaviours that the strategy requires. Employees are left to discover what is appropriate when trying to satisfy customers whose needs are not being fully met. Yet a surprising number of organizations maintain their strategies as closely guarded executive-confidential secrets.

In times of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), it is more important than ever for leaders to communicate and reinforce the organization’s strategy, guiding principles, and objectives. An effective company is one whose employees, partners, suppliers, and even customers are engaged in helping it determine the right strategy and then effectively implement it.

Following some important principles will ensure that leaders instil the strategy and its initiatives at the heart of every stakeholder:

• Engage employees and other stakeholders, as appropriate, when defining elements of the strategy. For example, ask employees to help define what values are important to them in building the future company.
• Reinforce the purpose, vision, objectives, and achievement of strategic initiatives at every opportunity. Although the entire strategy should not be summarized at every meeting, the leaders should include some element of it in various forums and media. Management meetings should show teams how they are contributing to a strategic objective. Newsletters should be structured around how the company is moving forwards and meeting its purpose. Executives should structure reports and presentations around the company’s achievements in meeting its objectives.
• Use strategy dashboards on the internal company website, and make it a part of weekly team or management meetings.
• Include important elements of the strategy in the employee and contractor onboarding process.
• Present and reward those teams that exemplify a particular value, achievement of an objective, or progress in an initiative.
• Build strategic metrics into employee objectives and vendor contracts.
• Be clear about the competition, and how the organization differentiates itself through its strategy. Ensure that stakeholders know why the strategy is important for the organization to achieve and maintain its position in the market, and show how each initiative will ensure that it gets there. This does not mean disparaging competitors. It is far healthier to build a strategy that is based on a healthy respect for the competition and a knowledge of its strengths and weakness. Stakeholders might even find opportunities for new opportunities and partnerships as they look for ways to meet the challenges of competition.
• Encourage feedback, and listen to stakeholders as they explain what is working and what is not. Ask them for a better way of doing something when a strategy hits a roadblock.
• Keep explaining how the new way is different from the old way, and why the new way is so important. At the same time, listen to fears and concerns and deal with them appropriately.

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