Article
Companies often focus on the tactical parts of strategy but miss the psychological barriers to success. This HBR article emphasizes the need for leaders to adapt a contextual mindset over an operational one, to identify hidden roadblocks.
This made me thinking. I have first hand experience of well thought out strategies falling apart in execution due to lack of buy-in among stakeholders. I have felt the need for consensus among team members to execute on long term strategy. Here’s a step-by-step action plan to help leaders shift towards a contextual mindset and address hidden barriers to strategy implementation:
Action Plan
Step 1: Assess the Current Landscape
- Organizational Audit: Review policies, procedures, and how decisions are currently made. Identify areas where rigidity, bureaucracy, or lack of clarity could impede strategy execution.
- Historical Review: Conduct surveys/interviews to understand how past strategies were received. What worked, what didn’t, and why? Look for lingering cynicism or distrust.
Step 2: Identify Potential Barriers
- Barrier Brainstorm: Compile insights from your audit and historical review. List out all potential obstacles, including:
- Environmental factors (e.g., slow decision-making processes)
- Cognitive obstacles (e.g., fear of failure due to past experiences)
- Unspoken doubts (e.g., “Why will this strategy succeed when others haven’t?”)
Step 3: Prioritize and Address Concerns
- Impact Analysis: Categorize barriers by their potential impact on strategy implementation. Prioritize the most critical.
- Develop Solutions: For each high-priority barrier:
- Acknowledge the concern openly, demonstrating understanding
- Explain how the current strategy and context are different
- Outline a specific plan of action to address the barrier
Step 4: Communicate and Implement
- Transparency is Key: Share your findings and the plan for addressing barriers with the entire organization. Open communication builds trust.
- Action, Not Just Words: Swiftly implement the changes you’ve outlined. This could involve:
- Streamlining processes
- Offering training to address skill gaps
- Restructuring teams if needed
- Temporarily adjusting a problematic individual’s role
Step 5: Monitor and Adjust
- Ongoing Feedback: Regularly gather feedback on how effectively barriers are being addressed. Be prepared to make adjustments if needed.
- Celebrate Successes: Acknowledge progress in removing obstacles. This reinforces positive change and motivates the team.
It’s imperative to note that this is an iterative process. We Don’t expect to uncover and fix everything at once. Involving employees and getting their insights are key to identifying hidden barriers. Finally, Commitment is vital; addressing psychological barriers takes consistent effort. Leaders must demonstrate they are serious about making real change.