Franc Haverkort
Unfortunately, many people know the following situations: after a series of intensive heaths, a thick strategy paper is presented, and then quietly disappears into a dusty drawer. The result? Complaints at the coffee machine about the 'new course' that no one really recognizes.
At Groupmapping we know that this can be done differently. When an organisation transfers the safe sideline of the coffee machine to a playground where people can really build, collective wisdom comes loose. At that moment, an organisation transforms a collection of loose islets into one powerful collective. Strategy is no longer a static document that needs to be 'implemented' but a living process that can be actively contributed to. It is a 'rolling' strategy that does not end at launch, but rather guides any consultation and decision that follows.
In conversation with Franc Haverbort
In this two-part blog series we investigate what happens if you choose an inclusive strategy path that takes advantage of the strength of the entire organisation. We have been talking to Franc Haverkort, partner at Groupmapping since 2017. With his years of experience in strategy paths and extensive experience within the government, he knows how to move in organisations and build an inclusive strategy together.
In this first part we discuss why a strategy is not ready, when it is ready and how you give space as a leader by letting go. In the next blog we think about 'aboard' instead of 'only having an opinion' and what happens when you step out of your silo to embrace the larger whole.
When it's done, it's not finished.
A recognizable ritual: after months of meeting and writing, a final strategy paper is finally on the table. A sigh of enlightenment goes through the board room; the 'must' is completed again and for the next four years we are done.
But why is it so difficult to actually land that strategy in the organisation after that?
The answer is simple: actually the real work starts then. Bringing a strategy is not an end point, but the starting point of a new way of working. When you choose an inclusive journey, it results in an organisation that has not only a plan on paper, but an organisation that really does rear is ready to go.
A strategy that keeps moving
A strategy should not feel like a heavy delivery, but as a continuous rhythm, also called a rolling strategy. Instead of radically changing the helm every four years and starting from scratch, you build on what is already in it.
Franc tells us that he prefers to work with different horizons. The view: a long-term global direction that remains relatively stable. In addition, you work with the here and now: the translation into daily practice is regularly evaluated and adjusted on the basis of reality. This approach makes strategy an integral part of the year process and/or the management cycle. This way you avoid becoming a static document that is far from everyday practice.
Dare to choose, even when it rubs
Franc says that the temptation is great, especially within the government, to formulate a strategy that will keep everyone happy. It must feel 'fun' and safe. Especially towards the employees who are scarce and the stakeholders who are critical. But strategy is about making choices and that goes well if there is a process in which these choices are prepared in a fair and from all important perspectives. It is also important that you meet up with each other in advance. how The decision-making process looks like it doesn't surprise or surprise each other. In such a process, it also means understanding where the resistance is. Franc emphasizes: "You should not solve the situation, but use it properly. You do so by addressing it at the right time in the process, namely before you make choices and not afterwards. This requires a culture in which you dare to speak to each other, instead of covering everything with the 'mantle of love'. Consensus feels safe, but commitment to a sharp choice really brings the organisation further."
From paper to practice.
A strategy adds little value only by being on paper. The profit is in translation: what does this mean in concrete terms for the daily reality of employees, managers and chain partners?
"It's not about employees reading a thick document," Franc says. "The point is that dialogue is getting underway: what does this mean for my work this afternoon?" This requires leaders who learn to speak the language of the strategy and translate it into their teams in their own authentic way. With the right handles, practical toolkits and facilitation skills, leaders can take their people, even if they are still searching.
Strategy that sets the direction
The ultimate goal? That strategy becomes part of the conversational landscape within the organisation. Strategy is not a subject that you discuss once a year on a heath, it must be intertwined in the capillaries of the weekly Tuesday morning meeting. When it succeeds, space will be created. Leaders can stop micromanaging and do what they are paid for: giving direction, focusing and working towards the dot on the horizon.
Give space and let go
In the traditional boardroom, strategy is often seen as a task for the director, staff or external consultants. But what if the power of thought is not only at the top, but is spread throughout the organisation? Then an inclusive process is needed that involves the whole organisation. This requires that the directors no longer be 'the makers', but that they must let go and rely on the wisdom of the organisation.
The courage to let go
For many drivers, letting go is one of the biggest challenges. And that is understandable, because they often have a lot of knowledge of content and a sharp vision of the course of the organisation. But the power of a good leader is also in creating space for other perspectives that are not their own. It takes courage to say, "I am giving direction, but I leave the content to you."
Frameworks provide guidance
Release does not mean that there is no direction. Franc stresses that steering remains essential, but in the form of pre-setting clear frameworks.
"A director, for example, provides the mission, the legal tasks or the organisational structure as a framework. Within the frameworks there is room for employees or stakeholders to fill in the 'what' and 'how'." It is then the art of driving not to intervene directly if he or she thinks he or she knows better. "Once you choose an inclusive process, there is no going back. Interventions directly undermine the ownership and energy of everyone who has started. It requires backbone to accept that the outcome can be surprising, and to remind each other: this is different than I thought, but within the frameworks I have given this is a nice outcome."
The reward: ownership and movement
Why should you enter into this exciting process? Because the result is really different. A strategy imposed from above often has to be sold to the organisation with great difficulty. In an inclusive approach, this dynamic changes. People do not need to be convinced of a plan they have built themselves into. Ownership, enthusiasm and a natural willingness to put their shoulders on it.
As Franc advises to doubting directors: "Talk to those who have already done it. The process is intensive, but the foundation you lay with it is priceless."
Ready to turn strategy into a joint process?
Contact us and find out how to use the thinking power of your entire organisation.
Sharper, faster, smarter: I want that too!
Contact us to explore the possibilities together.