Developing an Execution Management System: Cultural Evolution, Stage 1

Scott Regan, Founder and CEO of AchieveIt -
The following is an excerpt of a blog post reprinted with permission from AchieveIt.

Developing a culture of execution doesn't happen by accident. It takes focus, hard work, consistent effort and a proven roadmap by which to navigate. While we can't make the first three components any easier for you, we certainly can make your journey more directed and successful by providing a comprehensive methodology for implementing a best-of-breed execution management system.

Components
As organizations develop a true execution management system, they naturally evolve through four stages of cultural evolution, each with its own distinct characteristics. The speed and pace in which an organization transforms itself varies in response to many factors, including size, leadership, competitive rivalry within the industry, the threat of new entrants or market substitutes, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, internal constraints and capabilities and external environmental conditions.

Typically, an organization should take no more than three years to fully evolve into a culture of execution and thus begin the final transformation to a culture of innovation. However, we've seen organizations complete the journey in as little as six months. The decision of how fast to move is critical to successfully hardwiring a strategy development and execution management program into the organization's framework.

Stage 1: Culture of Collaboration
For most organizations, developing a culture of collaboration develops naturally. As organizations create a common vision, executive and middle managers rally together in support of one or more long-term goals. Work plans are developed and a great amount of activity takes place, but the collaborative organization often mistakes activity for results. At this stage, there is very little effort to track tactical implementation against performance targets, and being busy is often an organizational substitute for being strategic. Oftentimes, a lot gets done, but not a lot is ever accomplished.

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