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Achieving Competitive Advantage through Collaboration with Key Customers and Suppliers
An Evolving Operational Focus
In the past when companies pondered corporate strategy,
operations had been peripheral to the discussion. Operations
were considered a technical matter with one way of doing things
and therefore not,...
Identifying Candidates for Leadership
A critical task in the succession planning process of any organization is identifying candidates. Traditionally, candidates have been identified based on past performance. While this seems logical, it is problematic in practice.
Past performance...
Not Another Ice Breaker! Team Building with a Purpose.
"We just don't work as a team!" Janet, a group manager for a large insurance company, was complaining to Larry, her human resources consultant. "Everyone just seems to do their own thing, they don't share information, don't try to help each other,...
Preparing to be an Entrepreneur
I believe the free market economy and the wealth of a community is built on the back of the entrepreneur Taking the entrepreneurial business path can be exciting, exhilarating, and an emotional roller coaster of ups and downs. There are a number of...
The Project Management Mindset
Project management as a science and art is undergoing key transformations as a result of countless stories of failed projects, cost overruns, and canceling that project that took 2 years of your employee's lives. Needless to say, these scenarios...
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Setting Goals and Implementing Change
One of the most important aspects of management is implementing change and setting goals. Managers must decide what their goals are and how they are going to achieve them. This is a basic part of strategic planning. Setting small goals is a small part of the bigger picture in making your business or organization successful. Managers must decide what goals they believe will be most effective in improving their business and then decide how they are going to go about reaching those goals. Whatever the goal is you must be committed to it in order for it to succeed.
Commitment to a goal and making decisions are not easily done. Many managers hesitate for various reasons when it comes to making changes in the workplace. Fear of change, failure, and upsetting the staff are just a few of the challenges that managers face when introducing a new concept or idea in the organization. But it is imperative that managers follow through on their goals and replace the fear with positive feelings such as excitement and success. Managers who are afraid to set goals and carry them through will never be successful. Today's ever-changing marketplace makes it imperative that every manager constantly look for ways to improve their processes, systems, and products and/or services in order to compete successfully in a growing global market.
Once goals are established it is the job of the manager to establish a plan for achieving these goals. For beginning managers it is important not to tackle too many goals at once. In fact, I would recommend that new managers begin with one goal and work on meeting that goal before working on another one. Veteran managers, on the other hand, can often work on numerous goals simultaneously through the use of teams and careful project management tools.
Not every one of your ideas or goals will be met with open arms by your staff. That is normal and be ready to face stiff opposition by most to any changes that you may want to make in order to reach your
goal. But do not let this opposition stop you from implementing change if it is for the good of the organization. It is important that you show your staff how strongly you believe in your idea or goal in order to get their support. If they sense that you are hesitant or scared at all, you will never get the new idea implemented. On the other hand, if you stay committed to your plan and work effectively at getting your staff to buy-in to it, you will eventually get the idea implemented.
Effective change management is a whole area of discussion that will not be discussed in detail here but should be researched carefully before implementing new ideas in the workplace. Just remember that you must communicate to your staff the reasons for the changes. Just making changes and implementing new ideas for the sake of "making changes" is not a good idea. You should have a reason for doing so and communicate the reasons to all involved in order to get their support. Once the staff realizes that the new idea will increase revenues or make their jobs easier then you will get the support you need to carry through on your plan.
In conclusion, managers must be ready to make changes in the workplace based on their goals. Careful planning and research is imperative as is effective communication with the staff. Do not be afraid of implementing new ideas or making changes in the organization. It is your job.
***************************************************** Feel free to use with proper copyright information attached and live link to website http://www.thegoodmanager.com.
Written by Jason Liptow, webmaster of The Good Manager. Copyright 2005 © The Good Manager.
The Good Manager
About the Author
Webmaster of The Good Manager at www.thegoodmanager.com, dedicated to helping managers improve their skills in the workplace and in life. MSBA in CQI and Operations Management and certified in Quality Management by AQP (Association for Quality and Participation).
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Strategic Planning (in nonprofit or for-profit organizations) |
Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation. ... First, a Point About For-Profit and Nonprofit Strategic Planning ... |
www.managementhelp.org |
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Basic Description of Strategic Planning (including key terms to know) |
Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation. ... Strategic planning often includes use of several key terms. ... |
www.managementhelp.org |
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Strategic Planning, Strategic Plan, Business Strategy, Strategic ... |
Strategic planning advice with free strategic planner & sample strategic plan covering mission statement, SWOT analysis with business plan software for cash ... |
www.planware.org |
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Strategic Planning |
FAQs regarding strategic planning - geared primarily toward non-profit organizations but with enough detail and general information to provide useful ... |
www.allianceonline.org |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
Strategic Planning · Fundraising · Financial Management · Risk Management · Credit Card Acceptance. The FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) listed on this ... |
www.allianceonline.org |
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Strategic planning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Strategic planning involves defining objectives and developing ... Strategic planning uses "the big picture" to pursue large scale, long term objectives. ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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08/26/96 STRATEGIC PLANNING |
You guessed it: strategic planning. Suddenly, the idea of rising above the ... But if strategic planning is back with a vengeance, it's also back with a ... |
www.businessweek.com |
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Dr. Strategy - Dr. Pete Johnson, Keynote Speaker, Marketing ... |
StrategicPlanning.com “Turning Change Into A Competitive Advantage”. Dr. Pete's Preview Video Click Here. Take-Away Value Sample Program Handouts ... |
strategicplanning.com |
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Strategic Planning Society: Strategy Development and Implementation |
Strategic Planning Society: Strategy Development and Implementation. |
www.sps.org.uk |
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Guide 7 |
Strategic Planning in Smaller Nonprofit Organizations ... In short, as a result of a strategic planning process, an organization will have a clearer idea of ... |
www.wmich.edu |
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STRATEGIC PLANNING MANUAL |
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML |
Your browser may not have a PDF reader available. Google recommends visiting our text version of this document. |
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BPubs.com: Strategic Planning & Business Planning Articles |
Business Publications related to Corporate Strategic Planning. |
www.bpubs.com |
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Strategic Planning Tools |
Strategic Planning is a method for positioning an organization to take ... A strategic planning process incorporates an in-depth planning model that takes ... |
www.nsba.org |
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Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. |
The Center for Simplified Strategic Planning offers training, seminars, consulting, speakers, workshops, a book and a newsletter on strategic management for ... |
www.cssp.com |
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LEADERSHIP: Strategic Planning and Strategic Management |
Introduction: Is strategic planning really worth it? ... The purpose of strategic planning is to encourage thinking about your organization's "big ... |
vskn.ca |
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The CEO Refresher Archives - Strategic Planning |
When done right, the integrated strategic planning process can take a ... Strategic Planning and Project Management: The Key to Successful Implementation ... |
www.refresher.com |
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HEFCE : Publications : 2000 : 00/24 - Strategic planning in higher ... |
This guide reviews good practice in strategic planning in higher education (HE). It originated in a consultation exercise which we held in 1998 to review ... |
www.hefce.ac.uk |
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The Association for Strategic Planning |
The Association for Strategic Planning (ASP), is a non-profit professional society whose mission is to enable people and organizations to succeed through ... |
www.strategyplus.org |
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Amazon.com: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A ... |
Amazon.com: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook: Books: Michael Allison,Jude Kaye by Michael Allison,Jude Kaye. |
www.amazon.com |
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Amazon.com: Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for ... |
Amazon.com: Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast!: Books: Robert W. Bradford,Robert W. Bradford,J. Peter ... |
www.amazon.com |
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