| Ask any of your sales managers to define sales | | | | summarize a critical factor in this illustration, which |
| strategy and you might get a myriad of | | | | is not the quadrant you are currently in but the |
| responses. Some right, some wrong and many | | | | direction you are moving. In other words if you |
| just vague. Ask them to define operational | | | | are in the lower right (your strategy is clear but |
| effectiveness and you will tend to get more | | | | you lack operational effectiveness) but because |
| accurate answers depending on the level of the | | | | of your clear strategy you are becoming better |
| manager. | | | | at your operational effectiveness, overall, you are |
| Strategy is the what - direction of the | | | | moving in the right direction. However if you are |
| organization. Organizational effectiveness is the | | | | in the upper left hand quadrant (high operational |
| how - how you are getting there. The problem is | | | | effectiveness but unclear orchanging strategy) |
| that if your strategy is unclear, vague or | | | | and because of your lack of clear direction you |
| downright wrong it doesn't matter in the long | | | | are becoming less operationally effective you are |
| term how effective you are as an organization - | | | | moving in the wrong direction. |
| sooner or later you will fail due to any number of | | | | Granted, no organization will ever stay in the |
| outside forces: | | | | same quadrant indefinitely. There are just too |
| - competition | | | | many forces at work here such as changes in |
| - the economy | | | | management, emerging competitors, a fluxing |
| - technology | | | | economy and the rapid pace of change in the are |
| - consumer changes in attitudes | | | | of technology. |
| - the global market place | | | | It is possible however to stay healthy in both |
| - an aging population | | | | areas and the key is to let your operational |
| Think of it as a matrix; Draw a four quadrant | | | | effectiveness be driven by your strategy. Herein |
| box. Along the top put Strategy down the left | | | | lies the problem in many organizations today. |
| side put operational effectiveness. Therefore; | | | | Management tends to focus more on their |
| The lower left hand box is low operational | | | | operational effectiveness than developing and |
| effectiveness and a vague or no strategy. | | | | maintaining a clear, focused and communicated |
| The upper left hand box is high operational | | | | strategy and direction. Sure, many organizations |
| effectiveness but poor or no strategy. | | | | have monthly or yearly strategic planning |
| The lower right hand box is low operational | | | | meetings. I have facilitated dozens during the past |
| effectiveness but clear and focused strategy. | | | | few years. And the biggest challenge at these |
| The upper right hand box is clear and focused | | | | meetings is to keep the focus on developing a |
| strategy and operational effectiveness. | | | | strategy (The What) and not get bogged down in |
| We could go on for pages discussing the various | | | | lengthy operational effectiveness (The How) |
| consequences and outcomes depending on which | | | | discussions that are doomed to fail without a clear |
| your organization is function in. Let's instead | | | | and integrated strategy. |