Andrea wants a strategy that doesn’t gather dust

Andrea was the managing director of the national division of a global manufacturing company. When she began in her role she had worked on developing a strategy for the national business. Her approach to developing the strategy was directional. Although she involved the team, asking them to write sections of the strategy, she provided the template, the plan for action and the targets that needed to be hit. Twelve months later the strategy was not a living document. It sat on the desks of the senior team but was rarely referred to and Andrea felt there was no ownership of the strategy.

A new approach

Andrea invited an organisation development consultant to work with the team to facilitate their journey toward a shared strategy. This required Andrea to take a democratic approach to strategy development, and being part of the team rather than having the final say on any decisions being agreed.
Over a period of couple of months the team worked together on ‘their’ strategy, developing a shared mission statement, strategic pillars and a strategic plan.