Strategic implementation refers to the final step of the strategic management process. After deciding on the future direction of the business, its vision and mission, aims and objectives, the business must now put strategies into action.
The last stage of strategic management involves putting into effect the strategic plan that include the strategic choices that have been decided upon after a thorough strategic analysis.
Strategic implementation involves planning, gathering, allocating, controlling and evaluating resources that shall support chosen strategies. Carrying out any strategic change in a business is always a cross-functional management task that involves several things to happen simultaneously:
- Adequate resources to make the change happen.
- New business plan that deals with the particular change in how the business will function.
- A new appropriate organizational structure with well-motivated employees who want the change to happen successfully.
- New corporate culture A suitable leadership style and new corporate culture that allows the change to be implemented.
- Control and review systems to monitor the firm’s progress towards achieving the desired strategic objectives.
Strategic implementation uses a number of different business techniques. In the end, the overall strategy planning document should be prepared before a new strategy can be implemented. Let’s take a look at them in details.
Strategic implementation – 3rd step of strategic management process
STAGE 3: Implementing strategies to bring the business where it wants to be in the future by achieving objectives.
After deciding on the future direction of the business, its vision and mission, aims and objectives, the business must now put strategies into action. In order to implement new strategy to achieve its objectives, several actions might be necessary. The following business tools can be used in order to do so:
1. New business plan. It should focus on four business functions (Marketing, Finance, Human Resources (HR) and Production), key features of the business and purpose of corporate plans.
2. New organizational structure. It should consider changes in the size and nature of business operations as new strategy may require major changes to the organizational structure including flattening hierarchies or making the structure taller, centralization or decentralization, and even flexible organization structures.
3. New corporate culture. It should include developing a change culture to allow for effective implementations of new strategies, as well as managing and controlling strategic change. New business culture will most likely emerge such as power culture, entrepreneurial culture or task culture. It is important to have the right corporate culture to carry out strategic implementation in a given situation.
In summary, at the final stage of strategic management, developing a change culture is crucial. Business managers should be looking closely at the importance of leading, managing and implementing change successfully in a given situation. Without successful strategic implementation, there can be no effective change within the business organization.
