Here are a few common pitfalls that teams can encounter when engaging in the process of developing their strategy, and what to do to avoid them.
Over-planning
Strategy is not synonymous with planning, but it can be easy to conflate the two. Many leaders are more comfortable with planning rather than strategising, as planning is much easier. However, planning does not really focus on the rationale and reasons for what the early childhood setting chooses to do and why. It does not question assumptions, and can often be constrained by what is feasible, affordable, and easy to manage, rather than finding new ways to meet lofty aspirations. It is important to ensure that planning does not become a comfortable exercise that dominates strategy formation. At the same time, while some strategising can be emergent in responding to unforeseen problems and opportunities, it is important not to use the idea of being responsive to events as an excuse not to engage in deliberate strategic choices[1].
A lack of engagement
Getting people to engage in analysis of the internal and external environment, and deliberation about strategy, can be difficult. People may feel that they have no time, or lack confidence to offer opinions[2]. Reflecting on people’s social ties and networks, their passions, hobbies, and experiences, can be helpful to the leader in identifying the people most connected to a particular aspect of strategic planning[3].
A lack of attention to emotions
The strategy formation process can provoke a range of emotions in participants. These might be negative, such as fear and anxiety, or positive, such as excitement and adventurousness, or perhaps a combination of the two. People will need to feel a strong sense of psychological safety in order to explore potentially threatening ideas. It is important also to allow time for teams to break their emotional bonds to existing practices, which may result in feelings of confusion and distress, and then to develop new emotional bonds to new ideas. Having meetings to review proposed strategies can be a good time to allow teams to vent emotions and suggest modifications which will ease emotional concerns[4].
Getting stuck
It is quite common to get stuck, particularly in the stage of identifying strategic issues and formulating strategies to deal with the issues. It is important to acknowledge these difficulties, whilst being aware that they are common, and to keep up constructive dialogue and deliberation. When teams get stuck, leaders can help them to reframe situations, find sources of optimism, or provide resources that help. Ongoing evaluation can help teams to identify obstacles to achieving strategic goals. Goals may need to be modified. Here it is important to remind teams of the potential benefits of persevering and working through difficulties and to count and celebrate every small positive step. Leaders may need to demonstrate strengths, such as their sense of humour, self-awareness, and personal commitment to learning. A sense of humour can help groups through tension, frustration, and boredom during the strategic process[5].
Resistance to implementation
Resistance to implementation of a strategic plan can occur because of individuals holding attitudes and beliefs that are incompatible with the desired changes. Often this can be due to a lack of sufficient opportunity to engage in the development of strategy, or because a sense of shared community and collaboration was not sufficiently developed around strategy formation. There might be too many other competing agendas for teams to attend to, a lack of resources to dedicate to the implementation of a particular plan of action, or other priorities may become apparent. Professional learning opportunities, one-on-one conversations, and assistance with tasks can reduce some people’s resistance[6].
It is useful if intelligent, creative, experienced, and skilled team members are given leadership for creating the systems and structures for change and strategic innovation, so that they can help channel all efforts towards achieving goals for practice. Choosing these team members well, and getting them on-board early, can have positive pay-offs as others watch to see if they embrace the changes or resist them[7]. Select enthusiastic people who are seen as wise, experienced, and committed by others, and who act as natural role models for others, as well as people who can communicate well.
The development of outlines and guides about what needs to be done, how, why, and by whom can help concentrate teams’ attention on making the needed changes, and support an understanding of how the new strategies will be reconciled with existing and emergent strategies. People can be really motivated by the possibility of ‘psychic income’, that is, the reward of feeling they are doing good and of being part of a new and important innovation. Others may be motivated by the opportunity to learn new skills. In some cases, leaders may just need to think about how to work around or avoid team members who are not likely to support efforts to change for whatever reason[8].
Leaders might like to seek out opportunities to challenge existing meanings and understandings about practices, which may reflect assumptions that support particular modes of practice. Here teams might focus on understanding themselves and their own beliefs, as well as their colleagues and their beliefs. Personal professional learning which matches team members’ different styles of learning and interacting, as well as coaching and mentoring, can be highly useful to support teams to fashion new meanings and new modes of practice. Leaders should pay attention to any unexpected difficulties that come up as strategies are put into place, and plan how to address them, remembering that adaptive learning is a key part of strategy implementation[9].
Endnotes
[1] Martin, R. L. (2014). The big lie of strategic planning. Harvard Business Review. HBR Reprint R1401F
[2] Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/auckland/detail.action?docID=5215307.
[3] Zaccaro, S. J., & Torres, E. M. (2019). Leaders’ social acuity. In M. D. Mumford & C. A. Higgs (Eds.) Leader thinking skills: Capacities for contemporary leadership (pp. 307-339). Routledge.
[4] Bryson, 2018.
[5] Bryson, 2018.
[6] Bryson, 2018.
[7] Bryson, 2018.
[8] Bryson, 2018.
[9] Bryson, 2018.
