Exploring the role of the staff in the strategic planning process and how can we engage them before and after
The senior leadership team/executive team are the active participants in the strategic planning process as they lead the development of the vision and mission. That said, there are more employees than there are senior leaders within most organizations. If all of the alignment is focused at the leadership team level, there would be hundreds or thousands of staff members missing out on what the vision is, why it's important, and how their role plays into it. It is important to engage middle management and eventually all of the organizational staff following strategy development so they understand their role in driving it forward.
For critical internal stakeholders including senior management, middle management, or board members, we consider stakeholder engagement such as a survey or session to hear their perspectives prior to the strategic plan development. Thereafter, continually shaping the culture of the company through ensuring that everyone understands the organization’s mission, vision, values, and behaviors is a critical component of strategy implementation. This can be done through post-strategic planning engagement such as department meetings, town hall-style engagement sessions, 1-on-1 discussions, and document sharing. Repetition and clarity are important to ensure that everyone throughout the organization, regardless of their role, understands how they can move the needle forward from their position.