Whenever you enter a new territory, you’ll want to consult a map, otherwise you’ll probably get lost. Stepping forward into the unknown is what companies do daily. But what do they need to make sure they don’t get lost? A strategy, of course!Many companies, including Airdesk, have missions to guide their work. Airdesk’s mission is “to help teams get work done better, faster, and smarter.
“Yet, as beautiful and inspiring your mission is, how do you, as a business manager and leader, help your team implement it daily? It’s a setback that many companies experience and have a hard time overcoming. A well-executed organizational strategy is key to a company’s success. From a small coffee shop to a large corporation, every business needs to plan strategically if they want to thrive.But what exactly is organizational strategy, and why does your business need one? Keep reading to find out.
What is an organizational strategy?
A company’s mission sets the goal for a business, yet it doesn’t explain how to get there. That’s the role of something else: organizational strategy. But what is it?
An organizational strategy is a plan that details how your company will allocate resources (e.g., labor, money, and inventory) to support infrastructure, production, inventory, marketing, and other business activities.
Essentially, it’s the sum of the actions a company intends to take to achieve long-term goals. Together, these actions form a company’s strategic plan. Strategic plans may take more than a year to complete, requiring involvement from all company levels. Top management creates the larger organizational strategy, while middle and lower management take on goals and plans to fulfill the overall strategy step by step.
Why does your company need an organizational strategy?
To set direction and priorities
As you’ve learned already: an organizational strategy gives your business direction. An organization without a clear strategy, resembles a ship without a rudder.
By creating an organizational strategy, you’re establishing the priorities and setting the direction for your business. It also gives your business priorities, by establishing your view of success, while also prioritizing the types of activities that will make that view a reality.
It shows you what activities you should put first, second, third, and so forth, in order to move your business toward that goal.
To simplify Decision Making
Decisions regarding your business can be some of the most challenging you’ll ever have to face. But with a solid organizational strategy in place, you can drastically reduce the number of decisions you have to make and define which ones make the most sense based on your long-term goals.
For instance, if you or your leadership team have a problem declining new ideas or potential initiatives, it’s important to develop a strategy. In fact, when you have an organizational strategy, you’ve already prioritized the activities you need to complete in order to succeed.
So teams and departments are on the same page
Getting all your teams and departments going in the same direction is hard enough. Without an organizational strategy, it’s almost impossible. It’s even harder as your business grows, and it’s common to find that you have teams going in different directions or working to achieve distinct goals.
When you define your strategy, you give all your employees a common goal to pull from. That creates alignment within departments and throughout your entire organization. Also, if your employees feel like they’re part of a community with a common goal, they are more likely to be happier and more productive.
To enable your business to be more flexible
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the pressure of winning and the consequences of losing. Companies that focus on the process of achieving their goal don’t let the goal define them; instead, they define their goal by the process they implement.
If problems arise along the way, you don’t give up on your goal; you adapt in order to continue moving toward the finish line.
In order to adapt, a company needs to focus on signals of change from the external environment, decode them, and quickly act to refine or reinvent its strategy.
To have a sharp future vision
To move toward a goal, an organization needs the ability to visualize that goal accurately. “Keeping your eyes on the prize” is excellent advice for a company that wants to move from a present state to a future, more dynamic and effective state. If that focus on the future is lost, both employees and the organization will begin to lose momentum. An organizational strategy that enumerates and describes future goals in precise but flexible detail can assist greatly in helping an organization to continue moving forward.
An organizational strategy is a key for your business. Regardless of your size, focusing on a concrete plan can help you take your business to the next level. Not only will it help keep your business on track, but your team will also remain focused on the future and avoid possible distractions along the way.
One of the best ways to start creating an organizational strategy is to adopt a platform that helps you achieve your goals. Put your organizational strategy to practice, using Airdesk, a centralized workspace for all your services. Access all the tools your team needs to work better, faster, and smarter!
