Running a business is not for the faint-hearted. Sometimes, things will be going well, and then the current will suddenly shift. Before you panic and start blaming the wrong people, rethink you previous action. You need to sit down with your team and do some strategic planning, to ensure you do not close shop too early. This step can be complicated, but once you understand the basics, it will be a lot easier for you.
Some of the big decisions in the company might need to be made by a select few, but this particular process needs to involve everyone. It may not be possible to halt work to include all the employees, but all the departments should have a representative. Once these people have been selected, you need to look at the processes, rules, goals set. This should be handled with an open mind, so that you can honestly determine whether they are working for you.
Most companies hold regular meetings to plan. You should, therefore, look at the previous strategic meetings that had been drawn up. This will prevent you from repeating the same mistakes, and can quickly point out where the problem is. In case you have never done this before, you can borrow a leaf from other businesses in the same field as you.
When something is going wrong, you first need to find the cause of the problem, before you can fix it. For most organizations, this is a mixture of internal and external factors. Since, in most cases, you cannot control the external factors, you will need to ensure that the internal ones are handled. If you have a healthy work environment, you will find that they will tell you what they think is wrong. This information should not be coaxed out of your employees.
You should also get them to list what they think are the problems facing the company as whole, as well as the strengths. This might shine a light on issues you never thought to look at, and can easily help you assess the situation. Be very careful when collecting this information, and avoid reprimanding or singling out anyone, in relation to the opinions they express.
By this point, you should have a list of suggestions on what to do. This should not only concern every department and the business as a whole. When the implementation process is broken down to a lower level, it becomes easier because the supervisors will have fewer people to monitor. You need to be very careful not to assign overlapping duties, as this could breed conflict.
During the planning process, you need to ensure that you do not alienate anyone, to lower you chances to failure. You should also keep in mind that for your plan to succeed, everyone will need to be willing to change or try something new. Sometimes this might mean budget cuts, or even retrenching a few people.
Once you have rolled out the implementation process, you need to ensure that the steps you took are having a positive impact. This should be done systematically by reviewing every department separately. You can do this internally or hire external auditors to handle the process. The results you get after the evaluation, will largely dictate your next move. Even if a particular plan is working for you, try to change a few aspects every few years to allow for growth.
Some of the big decisions in the company might need to be made by a select few, but this particular process needs to involve everyone. It may not be possible to halt work to include all the employees, but all the departments should have a representative. Once these people have been selected, you need to look at the processes, rules, goals set. This should be handled with an open mind, so that you can honestly determine whether they are working for you.
Most companies hold regular meetings to plan. You should, therefore, look at the previous strategic meetings that had been drawn up. This will prevent you from repeating the same mistakes, and can quickly point out where the problem is. In case you have never done this before, you can borrow a leaf from other businesses in the same field as you.
When something is going wrong, you first need to find the cause of the problem, before you can fix it. For most organizations, this is a mixture of internal and external factors. Since, in most cases, you cannot control the external factors, you will need to ensure that the internal ones are handled. If you have a healthy work environment, you will find that they will tell you what they think is wrong. This information should not be coaxed out of your employees.
You should also get them to list what they think are the problems facing the company as whole, as well as the strengths. This might shine a light on issues you never thought to look at, and can easily help you assess the situation. Be very careful when collecting this information, and avoid reprimanding or singling out anyone, in relation to the opinions they express.
By this point, you should have a list of suggestions on what to do. This should not only concern every department and the business as a whole. When the implementation process is broken down to a lower level, it becomes easier because the supervisors will have fewer people to monitor. You need to be very careful not to assign overlapping duties, as this could breed conflict.
During the planning process, you need to ensure that you do not alienate anyone, to lower you chances to failure. You should also keep in mind that for your plan to succeed, everyone will need to be willing to change or try something new. Sometimes this might mean budget cuts, or even retrenching a few people.
Once you have rolled out the implementation process, you need to ensure that the steps you took are having a positive impact. This should be done systematically by reviewing every department separately. You can do this internally or hire external auditors to handle the process. The results you get after the evaluation, will largely dictate your next move. Even if a particular plan is working for you, try to change a few aspects every few years to allow for growth.
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