| The speed of engine, they say, is the speed of the | | | | Employees look blankly at these 'gold lettered mantras'. |
| train. Imagine, if the train was running not on one track | | | | Some dismiss them as vestiges of an annual 'Strategy |
| but a number of tracks. What if the number of tracks | | | | Festival' for senior management-much sound & |
| was equal to the number of employees in a | | | | fury signifying nothing.Others try and take part in the |
| company? | | | | festivities. They try to understand what the 'Strategy |
| Consider the case of a fast growing private sector | | | | Festival' has in store for them. But even if he tried, |
| bank, plagued with an epithet of 'Aggressive Sales, | | | | what could a factory supervisor do to "leverage |
| Regressive Service' .The email of a senior manager | | | | technology & relationships to create a competitive |
| outlines the focus for the year "Our aim is to have | | | | advantage" or a counter salesman do about "being the |
| zero unhappy customers!" | | | | preferred brand of choice for Gen Y consumers" |
| Ask a branch manager about that and she will grin | | | | - What are the top three things that the purchase |
| wryly & say 'It's a new mantra... a flavour of the | | | | manager should do to 'leverage technology and |
| season....like six sigma" | | | | relationship'? |
| A bank teller asks exasperatedly "What am I | | | | - How can a training manager measure whether |
| supposed to do when the customer is shouting on my | | | | training programme meant for the distributors is 'building |
| throat. Should I keep smiling, keep him happy .... take up | | | | bonds'? |
| the onus of solving the problem when the call center | | | | - What would change in the 'Day in the Life of' an |
| had clearly messed up" | | | | institutional salesman if the office equipment company |
| "If you look at data, 70% of the issues are caused by | | | | has decided to diversify into construction? |
| customer's ignorance about the process or the | | | | Most employees are not part of strategy formulation. |
| product. Only 30% on account of bank induced errors. | | | | They have simple questions. |
| So actually customers have no reason to be so | | | | - What is the need for a new strategy/vision? What |
| unhappy!" says a regional quality champion, after doing | | | | changes, what does not? |
| an in-depth analysis. | | | | - Does it address the challenges/problems that the |
| The more employees you talk to, the clearer it | | | | company was confronted with? |
| becomes that not only there are a number of tracks, | | | | - How does it affect my life? |
| but also a number of destinations. And suddenly the | | | | - How would I know whether I am on the right path? |
| organization looks more like a multiple headed hydra, a | | | | - How will it affect my appraisal? |
| complex puzzle.We could unfold the mystery of how | | | | - How will it affect my boss, my colleagues, and other |
| the organization still conspires to reach somewhere | | | | departments? |
| OR look at a simple word 'Alignment'. | | | | Most of these questions remain unanswered or better |
| Alignment: neat, clean & purposeful. | | | | still, employees develop their own answers based on |
| Like a single track, a single train & a single | | | | assumptions, hearsay and scattered bits of |
| destination. | | | | information.And this widens the gulf between strategy |
| Alignment does not happen by default | | | | formulation & strategy execution. |
| A lot of senior management time is spent in | | | | Alignment has to be built like a bridge, connecting the |
| formulation the strategy. Senior managers huddle into | | | | world of theory & the world of execution. |
| workshops and debate the destiny/mission of the | | | | It is a necessary bridge to build. The bridge may not be |
| company. The workshops are followed by a phase | | | | sufficient to ensure that the strategy gets executed |
| when the missionary zeal takes over and you find | | | | well. But without this bridge, strategy will never cross |
| vision/mission statements, engraved in gold letters, up | | | | over to the world of execution. |
| on company walls. | | | | |
