by Molly Penn
What do we mean by “transformational” strategic planning?
That’s a word that gets thrown around rather easily these days. So what does it mean in the context of strategic planning? It refers to a level of wholesale change that is deeper than just refreshing your strategy. It speaks to an intention to reach for a bigger change to meet the moment in your organization.
Why would we want transformational strategic planning?
Not every organization wants this, nor should they. There are certain key circumstances in which a transformational strategic plan is called for:
- Organizations that have recently undergone a leadership change
- Organizations that are poised to grow or scale their model
- Organizations whose market has shifted dramatically
- Organizations experiencing new competition
- Organizations whose target population has moved or changed
These days, this describes many organizations, but not all.
What makes transformational planning different?
There are several important distinctions of transformational strategic planning:
Discovery should involve all of your stakeholders
As anyone who has tried to lead major change in an organization knows, if internal stakeholders are not involved in designing the change you seek, it become very challenging to get their buy-in. How many leaders have created exciting strategic plans, only to be stymied by their implementation? It is important to consider these questions in designing the planning process and thinking about who should be involved:
- Who has the responsibility and authority to design the change?
- Who will have the responsibility for executing the change process?
- Who needs to be kept informed, but may not have a direct role in the change process?
The discovery process should involve early conversations with internal stakeholders to plan out points of involvement throughout the process. External stakeholder voices are also brought into the process, at least through listening sessions, if not through involving them in the change design process.
Begin by looking back
Participants in planning need to start with a shared understanding of their history – so we begin strategic planning by looking back in time to take stock of important turning points in an organization’s lifespan to that point. It is important to do this as a collective exercise, in which we build a shared understanding and narrative of what has happened to bring the organization to this point in time, where it stands on the precipice of change. This looking back process also allows us to take stock of what must be held steady even as the organization continues to change.
Setting your vision for change
The next step is to help planning participants create a vision of the organization in 5 years (or some point in the future that corresponds to the plan term). To do this well, we need to let go of what brought the organization to this point so we can free ourselves to dream of the future we seek to create. Only once this vision is clear and shared, can the process move forward (and building consensus can be challenging, but that’s why you bring in a process facilitator).
Identifying your road blocks
One of the questions we ask our clients at this point in the change process is, “you have your clear vision of where you want to go, so what has been stopping you from going there?” In answer to this question we often hear “lack of funding” or some other “lack of” language. Those external factors that we can’t control will always exist. So what internal factors have hindered you from finding the solution to that? These might be internal policies, practices, or choices that get made without really paying attention. By identifying these internal road blocks, the path to change becomes clearer.
Building goals to break through the road blocks
Goals speak to the largest scale change initiatives you will create to get you to your imagined vision. These goals need energy and clarity and concreteness. And, they need to address the road blocks you just identified! What major initiatives will allow you to break through those blocks and reach your vision?
Involve staff in developing the strategies to realize your goals
Hopefully staff have been involved up to this point. This is the place in the process where ownership of the change initiative begins to shift to staff. They will be the ones charged with implementing this change, so they need to be involved in designing how they will do that. By involving them in this early design point, you are creating buy-in to the change initiative.
Create actionable implementation plans
This is perhaps the least visible and exciting part of transformational planning but also the most crucial! Many RFPs ask consultants to guide the organization through the visioning and planning process and then leave them to figure out how they will put it into action. If we don’t stay involved to guide the early steps of putting the strategy into practice, the organization risks faltering. It is vital to include at least the first 6-12 months of implementation planning in the scope of the process. This way, once you reach that crucial milestone of getting the plan adopted, you immediately know how you will begin to put it into action.
Interested in transformational planning? Give us a call – we’d love to talk with you about how we can help.