Management Alignmentnegasc.org/.../Management-Alignment-Systems-Process... · •Management Alignment Is the Kool-Aid •Management Alignment Is Essential For Execution •Alignment

Management AlignmentBuilding High Performance Leadership Teams

John D. Ela

[email protected]

603-848-7194

[email protected] 603-848-7194 1

mailto:[email protected]

Management Alignment

• Fancy Definition: “Linking of organizational goals with the employees' personal goals. Requires common understanding of purposes and goals of the organization, and consistency between every objective and plan right down to the incentive offers.” –BusinessDictionary.com

• Plain Definition: Everyone’s on the “same page”, or Everyone’s “Drinking The Kool-Aid”


Alignment Generates Engagement

• Alignment Is Important At All Levels Of The Organization

• But, Starts With The Leadership Team

• Build From There

• Goal: Shared Leadership At All Levels

• Goal: Engagement At All Levels


Leadership

Leadership

Leadership

Leadership

Benefits of Alignment “Drinking The Kool-Aid”• Employees All Pulling In The Same Direction

• Wasteful Activity Reduced

• Conflict Reduced

• Employee Satisfaction Higher

• High Morale

• Customer Focus

• Goal / Results orientation

• Consistent Brand Message

• Better Results, Less Stress, More Fun


Indications of Mis-Alignment

• High Conflict

• Weak Brand

• Costs are High

• High Turnover

• Getting things done is a battle

• Unclear Priorities

• “Work is just not fun!”


Indicators of Alignment• Once Aligned,

• Employees Know Their Roles• Employees Know Individual And Team Goals• Employees Understand Strategy• Employees Able To Improvise Within

Constraints When Conditions Change To Still Achieve Goals

• Employees Success And Team Success Closely Aligned

• Data Driven Decisions• Alignment Wins!


Alignment Is Management’s Job

• Alignment Doesn’t Just Happen

• To get them drinking the “Kool-Aid” it must first be served!

• Serving the “Kool-Aid” Is A Key Management Job

• So Mangers & Leaders…

Do Your Job

• “Serve The Kool-Aid” With Systems And Process


Systems To Support Alignment• Ongoing Management Responsibility Includes Implementing:

• Management Self Discipline; Metrics, Reporting and Analysis

• How are we doing? What will we do about it?

• Participatory Strategic Planning

• What should we be doing and why?

• Living Your Brand

• What do we stand for internally and externally?

• Continuous Improvement

• How can we better deliver on our promise?

• Accountability Culture

• Does what we each do [email protected] 603-848-7194 8

Management Discipline, Metrics, Reporting and AnalysisHow are we doing? What will we do about it?

• Serve Up Management Systems• Consistently

• With Rhythm

• Data Driven, Visual Data

• Ingrained In Process

• Ingrained In Company Culture

• Leaders Need Discipline To Lead Their Teams To Know What Is Expected Of Them.

• Employees Can Be Far More Productive When They Understand The How The Business Intends To Operate.


Discipline Examples

• Budget Cycle

• Strategic Planning Schedule

• Monthly Financial Review

• Staff Meetings

• Sales Meetings

• Other Team Meetings

• Performance Management Schedule (Coaching or Performance Reviews)


Participatory Strategic PlanningWhat should we be doing and why?

• Involve People Closest to the Customer

• At Corporate and Department Level

• Widely Communicate Plan and Rationale

• It Imbues All Members Of The Organization With A Common Sense Of Purpose That Encourages And Accelerates Decisions.

• Customer Perspective• Plans Are Nothing, Planning Is:

Everything


Strategic Process• Develop Strategy:

• Strategic Planning:• Strengths• Weaknesses• Opportunities• Threats

• Mission

• Goals

• Strategies

• Implement Strategy:

• Tie Strategy to Tactics, Programs, Budgets, and Forecasts


Live Your BrandWhat do we stand for internally and externally?

• The Brand is Part of Your Company Kool-Aid

• Use The Language of The Brand Internally To Instill Strategy

• Bring the Emotion of the Brand to Company Culture

• Incorporate Brand Message Internally

• Have Events Featuring the Brand Message

• Celebrate Employee Acts That Support The Brand

• Involve Customers & Employees in Brand


Continuous ImprovementHow can we better deliver on our promise?

• Apply Lean Thinking Everywhere

• Document Processes

• Identify and Eliminate Waste

• Involve Employees in Making Things Better

• Employee Involvement Links Strategy to Execution

• Keeps the focus on the customer and allows situational agility


Accountability CultureDoes what we each do matter?

•S. I. M. P. L. E

Set Expectations

Invite Commitment

Measure Progress

Provide Feedback

Link to Consequences

Evaluate Effectiveness

*

*http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/how-to-hold-people-accountable/


http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/how-to-hold-people-accountable/

Accountability Systems

• Job Descriptions

• Job Objectives

• Performance Measurement

• Frequent Feedback

• Self Directed Feedback

• Compensation Systems

• Coaching

• Performance Management


When Companies Under Perform – Re-Align• Implement Alignment Systems to Get a Better Result

• Management Self Discipline; Metrics, Reporting and Analysis

• Participatory Strategic Planning

• Living Your Brand

• Continuous Improvement

• Accountability Culture


Metrics StrategicPlanning

BrandingProcessImprovement

Accountability

Serve Kool-Aid, Get Alignment

• Management Alignment Is the Kool-Aid

• Management Alignment Is Essential For Execution

• Alignment Doesn’t Happen Without Systems

• Implementing Systems Requires Discipline

• Management Discipline Leads to Accountability

• Accountability Delivers Results

• Helping Employees to Drink the Kool-Aid is a

Game Changer!


Documents

Management Alignmentnegasc.org/.../Management-Alignment-Systems-Process... · •Management Alignment Is the Kool-Aid •Management Alignment Is Essential For Execution •Alignment