Insights
Vision to adoption:
The Leadership Challenge
Vasu Ramaswami
I am sure that everyone is familiar with” Chinese Whispers” where a message is passed from one person to another in a long group of people till it reaches the last person only to realize that what he has heard is completely different from the original message.
In large military operations or large organizations which have a distinct line of hierarchy with several layers and spans of controls, it is very critical that the leadership vision and strategy is clearly communicated clearly to the last man in the organization so that the same is effectively executed as per the plan on the ground.
However, this does not happen as desired and very effective strategies and plans often derail because of ineffective communication and execution where the rubber meets the road.
Simply put, a vision never gets out of the tunnel to see the light of the day because it has not been adopted by the people who finally translate it to successful results or outcomes.
This could be due to many reasons; Communication breakdown as it travels from the leader through multiple levels to the last man, resistance to change or unwillingness to adopt, lack of alignment to the vision because of either clash in values or not having been informed about why something is being planned (the value or benefit syndrome).
While it is critical for the leader to do the “one to many” communication like what happens in a townhall to articulate the vision, strategy and the benefits, this has to be followed by
- A structured communication process between each layer in the organization that relays the original messaging in the same way as intended.
- A structured testing process to ensure that people have understood the messaging in terms of content, value, benefit and timing as desired. With a variety of technology aided tools that are available, this can be done very effectively.
- A platform to address issues or disagreements at each layer of the organization must be provided to ensure that the same are addressed. This is important because adoption will only happen if the person’s values and beliefs are aligned with the organization’s vision and beliefs.
- It also helps if early adopters in the teams are made ambassadors of change and can influence their peer groups to understand and implement the proposed strategies or transformations. These are good success transfer processes as it can also show how those strategies have been executed to get the desired results.
- Senior leaders in the organization also should take responsibility of creating powerful experiences themselves and show their teams as to how the proposed plans have given shape to superior outcomes.
Strategy Execution is finally a function of Alignment x Mindset x Capability (AMC)
Alignment must ensure that everyone understands and is aligned to the Why, What and How of the new strategy.
Mindset should reflect an adaptability to change and appreciation of the new values or belief systems.
Capability should reflect the skills, knowledge and perseverance to implement the strategy effectively.
