Using Archetypes in Strategic PlanningI have developed a six-step model for making best use of the Archetype Assessment in strategic planning and decision making. To use this model most effectively, the entire process should be driven by the leader of the organization and championed by all members of the leadership team.
If the organization doing the planning is an individual department - say, human resources - then the people to involve would probably be limited to a handful of department managers, some key HR employees, and the vice president of operations. But if the entire division is creating a strategic plan, then all top managers from the division, all department leaders, and key people from the larger organization should be included. In the case of division-wide and organization-wide planning, each relevant unit needs to go through a similar process so that there is consistency in the results.
Here are the steps in this process:
1) Have all the relevant managers complete the Archetype Assessment individually. Collect and tabulate their answers to each question. Also collect all their Organization/Environment Profiles. (Individual answers, scores, and profiles should of course be kept confidential or - preferably - anonymous.)
2) Hold an initial retreat, forum, or discussion based on the assessment. Top management should lead this event.
Begin the event by displaying the range of responses to each question. Then let managers ask questions about each others' responses. These questions will help determine who else needs to be involved in the decision-making process, and who else can provide helpful insight or information. For example, front-line people and others close to customers can often provide down-to-earth knowledge that will keep everyone focused and realistic.
One goal of these discussions is to develop a common understanding of the questions themselves, as a step toward creating an agreed-upon view of the present market and the organization's culture and structure.
Toward the middle or the end of this session, participants should create a common Organization/Market Profile that includes or acknowledges the full range of responses. This should be done through discussion, disagreement, debate, and an eventual consensus; the common profile should
not be a statistical composite.
3) Distribute copies of this common profile, and the range of responses to each assessment question, to all relevant parties for their review.
4) Hold a second retreat, forum, or discussion. This should include all the people from the first session, as well as anyone else who was identified as necessary or helpful to the strategic planning process.
Anyone who will be central to the implementation of the strategic plan should also be involved in planning. Partly this is an issue of buy-in and commitment; partly it is one of efficiency. The addition of more people to the process means that it may take longer to create an acceptable plan; but the implementation process will be much faster and easier as a result.
The goal of this retreat should be to establish a consensus on the future direction of the organization in terms of its market(s), its structure, and its culture. However, don't rush to reach any quick decisions about what markets to compete in and what type of organization to become. Allow a consensus to evolve, rather than attempt to construct a hurried, mechanistic solution.
In many organizations, what top management sees - both in the marketplace and in the organization itself - may be at odds with what is seen by people further down in the organization, where the needs and expectations of customers are more obvious. Neither group has a full 360-degree view, and some departments' views will be skewed by the type of functions they perform. For this reason, it is critical to collect and consider all of these views, and then to reach consensus at the top on each key issue.
Lastly, it is not unusual for people - even those who work closely together - to express very diverse views. Indeed, in any group of ten managers, 4-8 are going to disagree on some key issues. This is an unavoidable fact of organizational life. This is yet another reason why the strategic planning process should involve whomever will be needed to make change happen.
5) Top management should create a draft document that spells out the details of its strategic vision and how it will be implemented. This tentative strategic plan should then be distributed to everyone who took the Archetype Assessment, along with a request for their review and comments. Each should also be asked what they feel it would take to successfully implement the suggested changes.
6) Using this feedback, top management should design, implement, and fervently promote a final strategic plan.
