So for the past 2 weeks we’ve been talking up a storm on strategy (see Part 1 here and Part 2 here). We’ve looked at planning a strategy and working out where we stand. We’ve looked at making some choices and devising how we will get there. This week, we shout our last battle cry…the strategy implementation.

As the third aspect of strategy formulation implies, implementation means action and execution.

Developing a strategy is only effective if the plan you formulated from the start is put into practice. There can be no realisation if there is no action.

In the context of our simple example of deciding to go to a friend’s house, after we’ve grabbed our GPS and car keys, we now get into the car and proceed to drive off.

Strategy implementation can be divided into 3 sections:

• Organising for success
• Enabling the success
• Managing the change

When a company organises for success, it covers organisational structure, functionality of the relationship within the company, and controls put in place to ensure the strategy being implemented is effective.

To enable success, the company needs “enablers”. Enablers are the tools and resources we use to mobilise our company success. These enablers would include the people (employees and staff), information (data and reports), finance (money) and technology (automation, engineering, etc.). The quality and quantity of enablers that exist in the business determine how empowered our success is.

And lastly, while we organise and enable, change becomes necessary. To manage the change in people’s behaviour, organisation structure, information flow, process re-engineering and all other things, there are 2 aspects we need to be aware of – managing the actual change process and overcoming the resistance (not to mention, obstacles!) that comes with the changes.

Managing the change brings about some theories to mind, like Lewin’s ice cube model and Kotter’s 8-step process. Overcoming resistance comes with its own set of theories, the most popular one being Kotter and Schlesinger’s 6 approaches to deal with resistance (participation, facilitation, education, negotiation, manipulation and coercion).

Once we’ve analysed, chosen and implemented, and all goes according to plan, then we know that our whole strategy formulation is a success.

For Astranti’s packages on the Enterprise pillar – see E1, E2, and E3