Strategy as people   

Strategy has numerous definitions in books and articles on the subject. There isn’t one globally acceptable definition and people and organisations tend to either frame new definitions or adopt existing ones. This makes strategy quite a fluid subject of discussion. Strategy is many things rolled into one as well as different things to different people. Strategy is a multidimensional concept with applications and implications in diverse areas of organizational activity. This series of articles proffers the idea that strategy can be positioned in different ways and be given multiple interpretations. We begin with the view of strategy as people.

 

People execute strategy

Strategy execution is not the job of executive teams only. The people in organisations collectively execute strategy even though the connection to strategy varies widely across hierarchies. Corporations keep their eyes on the numbers but acknowledge that numbers don’t show up by accident. While CFOs get the louder acclaim, CEOs need to consider Jack Welch’s proposal: “Leaders need to put their money where their mouth is and get HR to do its real job: elevating employee management to the same level of professionalism and integrity as financial management. Since people are the whole game, what could be more important?”.People execute strategies which translate to corporate objectives being met. Without the employees, corporate strategy is doomed to fail from the onset. Yes, automation and high technology applications have increased but not so much as to replace the execution of strategy through people.

 

Strategy requires the right people

Strategy works best with the right kind of human assets in place to execute plans. Many companies also give attention to how recruits will fit into their culture – cultural fit. In such situations, being skilled is only one of the prerequisites for hiring.

 

Consider the approach of a technology market leader like Google. The Google interview process matches the open culture which potential employees are expected to enrol in. It is published on the company’s website and not treated as a mystery which has to be unravelled. One of the tests of fit is “Googleyness” which checks how you work individually and on a team, help others, navigate ambiguity, and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. For strategy to show up through people, hiring is a deeply deliberate process.

 

People need the right skills

In addition to having the right people, strategy is driven by the skills and capacities of employees. Indeed, failed business strategies are often the result of failed people strategies or the failings of people. In establishing whether a company’s strategy will succeed or fail, one can check if employees are properly skilled to deliver the strategy. No matter how much technology, machinery or robotics a company deploys, they are merely tools but strategy works according to how people use the tools.

Companies match the people that come on board with industry and business requirements. For example, the pharmaceutical industry thrives on research breakthroughs and new products and will target talent to support such objectives. Technology-based industries will search for engineers and scientists. Graphic artists will typically be attracted by media-related businesses. All this might seem simple but in every profession, some talents will inevitably prove superior to others. Consequently, strategy as people implies getting the right people with the right skills into the right roles.

People commit to strategy

Many products bear instructions which indicate “for best results” to inform buyers how best to use what they have purchased. I have used products without reading the best results specifications only to find out I was misusing them. Strategy, like a physical product, also has what enables users get the best results. One of the instructions for best results in strategy is “ensure that people are committed to the cause”.

Organisations and leaders should not assume that employees are committed to strategy. Without the commitment of individuals becoming a productive gel of group commitment, strategy is less likely to produce best results. Commitment is generated by the conscious involvement of people in what the strategy is all about. Commitment is a mix of attitudes and desires which leaders should propel with intent and example. People cannot and usually do not commit to what they have questions or reservations about. Henry Kissinger’s statement is relevant: “No strategy, no matter how ingenious, has any chance of succeeding if it is born in the minds of a few and carried in the hearts of none.”

 

Strategy is communicated to people

Strategy is not a secret to be hidden away as a top executive treasure. Therefore, it should be communicated to and understood by all stakeholders. Strategy that is not understood – no matter how great – will either not be executed or will produce poor outcomes. Leaders have to ensure that strategy is communicated, imbibed and diligently reinforced. The recipients of strategic communication should not be only those who sit around the CEO’s table because strategy is everyone’s business. Leaders across the organization should regularly feature aspects of the strategy in their conversations and interactions.

Strategy can be postured as what happens with the people – strategy as people.

 

Weyinmi Jemide