Fostering alignment and generating buy-in is an important part of the strategic planning process that should be started early on. Although organizational and departmental leaders may be the ones in the strategic planning meeting, employees can and should be consulted prior to and after the session. Questionnaires, interviews, and face-to-face conversation are great ways to generate employee participation throughout the process.
> Watch below: Strategic Alignment in 5 Slides
Each departmental leader and team member should understand the purpose behind their tasks as well as how these relate to the organization’s vision and mission. Setting clear accountabilities for each task will help employees to make decisions and actions that are in line with the organization’s strategic priorities.
Before you develop or update your next strategic plan, remember that successful implementation requires everyone to be on board. Here are our top ways to get your team involved to help foster alignment, buy-in, and accountability:
Communicate clearly and simply so that everyone has an opportunity to understand what is happening and to ask any questions they may have. This will help reduce fear of change and increase understanding of the strategic planning process
Explain clearly what success looks like so that your people understand exactly what is expected of them
Understand that each employee has their own motivations that may or may not align with the organizational objectives. When leaders engage with their staff to find out what their individual drivers are, they have a better chance of working with each employee to link their individual motivations with the goals of the company and explain how their individual success will support the growth of the organization
Make sure that each department and team member has the tools they need to execute and implement their piece of the strategic plan. Without the necessary resources to do their job, staff may become frustrated, disengaged or apathetic.
Watch our full video on how to foster alignment and buy-in with your strategic plan:
Strategic planning facilitators offer detailed guidance throughout the entire strategic planning process
as well as support during your strategy meeting: