Strategizing
… a core topic in Leadership Skills and Atlas109
and study materials for Week 14 of Atlas206 Internship Reading
Topic description
This topic introduces students to the principles of goal setting, strategy, and measurement and to some of the widely referenced techniques and sources of advice on applying these to public management challenges.
Note: In addition to elaborating a core topic in Leadership Skills and Atlas109, the concepts below constitute study materials for Week 14 of Atlas206 Internship Reading. The Atlas quiz can be found at Quiz 14 – Diagnosing and Strategizing. All 15 quizzes for Atlas206 Internship Reading are available at Concept Quizzes for Atlas206 Internship Reading.
Topic learning outcome
Upon completion of this topic students should be familiar with the basic principles and concepts of goal-setting and strategy, and be able to apply to public management problems.
Core concepts associated with this topic
In addition to Strategy, and Leonard’s Note on Public Sector Strategy-Building, the core concepts associated with Strategizing are the six effective practices listed below. Although these practices are drawn from the Community Tool Box (references below), they are applicable in a wide variety of public management contexts.
6 EFFECTIVE PRACTICES FOR PLANNING AND EXECUTING STRATEGIES
| VMOSA – Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans | Creating Smart Objectives | Developing an Action Plan |
Recommended 2 hours of study for Week 14 of Atlas206 Internship Reading
Concept pages in Diagnosing and Strategizing
Val Renault, SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, Community Tool Box, at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/swot-analysis/main, accessed 6 March 2016.
Leonard, H. B. (2002). A Short Note on Public Sector Strategy-Building, uploaded to the Atlas on 28 December 2015 at http://www.atlas101.ca/pm/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Leonard-Note-on-Strategy-2002.pdf.
Michael Porter, What is Strategy? Lecture at the University of North Carolina, November 3, 2012, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvYwKM5bY0s, accessed 31 December 2015.
Complete Quiz 14 – Diagnosing and Strategizing.
Recommended 10 hours of study for Atlas109 Leadership and Communication
Concept pages above and concept comprehension questions at bottom of this page.
Leonard, H. B. (2002). A Short Note on Public Sector Strategy-Building, uploaded to the Atlas on 28 December 2015 at http://www.atlas101.ca/pm/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Leonard-Note-on-Strategy-2002.pdf.
Michael Porter, What is Strategy? Lecture at the University of North Carolina, November 3, 2012, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvYwKM5bY0s, accessed 31 December 2015.
Economist, November 2, 2013. Strategies too often fail because more is expected of them than they can deliver, at http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21588834-strategies-too-often-fail-because-more-expected-them-they-can-deliver-why, accessed 31 December 2015.
Michael Porter, What is Strategy, Harvard Business Review, November-December 1996, reprint 96608, at https://hbr.org/1996/11/what-is-strategy, accessed 28 December 2015.
Jenette Nagy and Stephen B Fawcett, An Overview of Strategic Planning or “VMOSA” (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans), Community Tool Box, at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/vmosa/main, accessed 21 March 2016.
Jenette Nagy and Stephen B Fawcett, Proclaiming Your Dream: Developing Vision and Mission Statements, Community Tool Box, at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/vision-mission-statements/main, accessed 21 March 2016.
Jenette Nagy and Stephen B Fawcett, Creating Objectives, Community Tool Box, at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/create-objectives/main, accessed 21 March 2016.
Jenette Nagy and Stephen B Fawcett, Developing Successful Strategies: Planning to Win, Community Tool Box, at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/develop-strategies/main, accessed 21 March 2016.
Jenette Nagy and Stephen B Fawcett, Developing an Action Plan, Community Tool Box, at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/develop-action-plans/main, accessed 22 March 2016.
Ed Wadud, Identifying Opponents, Community Toolbox, at http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/advocacy-principles/identify-opponents/main, accessed 29 February 2016.
Abramson et al. (2008). Eight Essential Tools for Achieving Your Goals. Washington D.C.: IBM Center for the Business of Government, at http://www.businessofgovernment.org/sites/default/files/forum_operatorsmanual_fall08_1.pdf, accessed 31 December 2015.
Rey, F. John. (2015). Key Performance Indicators (KPI) – How an organization defines and measures progress toward its goals, at http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/keyperfindic.htm, accessed 31 December 2015.
Robert Kaplan and David Norton, Using the Balanced Scorecard as Strategic Management System, Best of HBR, 1996.
Robert S. Kaplan, Conceptual Foundations of the Balanced Scorecard, Working Paper, 2010, at http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/10-074.pdf, accessed 31 December 2015.
Christopher Meyer, How the right measures help teams excel, Harvard Business Review, May-June 1994, at https://hbr.org/1994/05/how-the-right-measures-help-teams-excel, accessed 25 December 2015.
Robert Kaplan and David Norton, Integrating Strategy Planning and Operational Execution: A Six-Stage System, Harvard Business Review, 1 May 2008, HBSP reprint B0805A, at https://hbr.org/product/integrating-strategy-planning-and-operational-exec/an/B0805A-PDF-ENG, accessed 28 December 2015.
Bob Behn, On why all public officials need to remember that for every outcome There Is Never A Single Cause, Bob Behn’s Public Management Report, Vol. 10, No. 9, May 2013 at http://www.hks.harvard.edu/thebehnreport/All%20Issues/May2013.pdf, accessed 31 December 2015.
Bob Behn, On why all public executives need to think if they are to Avoid Being Caught in the KPI Quagmire, Bob Behn’s Public Management Report, Vol. 12, No. 3, November 2014, at http://www.hks.harvard.edu/thebehnreport/All%20Issues/BehnReport%202014Nov.pdf, accessed 31 December 2015.
Bob Behn, On why every public executive needs to be Both a Hedgehog and a Fox, Bob Behn’s Public Management Report, Vol. 11, No. 11, July, 2014, at http://www.hks.harvard.edu/thebehnreport/All%20Issues/BehnReport%202014Jul.pdf, accessed 31 December 2015.
Recommended readings in MPP and MPA courses
[TO COME]
Concept comprehension questions
CCQ206.14.07. Among the statements a-d pertaining to vision statement choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. An organization’s vision statement describes what the group is going to do, and why it’s going to do that.
b. Your vision communicates what your organization believes are the ideal conditions for your community.
c. Vision statements are brief proclamations that convey the community’s dreams for the future.
d. Vision statements should be understood and shared by members of the community.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.08. Among the statements a-d pertaining to mission statement choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Mission statements are similar to vision statements, but they are more concrete and more action-oriented.
b. Mission statements provide substantial detail of how an organization might go about fixing their problems.
c. An organization’s mission statement describes what the group is going to do, and why it’s going to do that.
d. Some general guiding principles about mission statements are that they are concise, outcome-oriented, inclusive.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.09. Among the statements a-d pertaining to objectives choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Objectives refer to specific measurable results for the initiative’s broad goals.
b. An organization’s objectives describe in precise detail how strategies will be implemented.
c. There are three basic types of objectives: behavioural objectives, community-level outcome objectives, and process objectives.
d. An organization’s objectives generally lay out how much of what will be accomplished by when.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.10. Among the statements a-d pertaining to strategies choose the one that is most valid or choose e if none are reasonably valid.
a. Strategies explain how the initiative will reach its objectives.
b. Strategies refer to specific measurable results for the initiative’s broad goals.
c. An organization’s strategies generally lay out how much of what will be accomplished by when.
d. An example of a strategy is: By the year 2006, increase by 30% the percentage of families that own their home.
e. None of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.11. Among the statements a-d pertaining to action plan choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. An organization’s action plan describes in great detail exactly how strategies will be implemented to accomplish the objectives developed earlier in this process.
b. The key aspects of the intervention or changes to be sought are outlined in the action plan.
c. The action plan refers to specific changes to be sought and the specific steps necessary to bring about changes.
d. Generally, organizations will have a wide variety of action plans that apply to people from the different parts, or sectors, of the organization and community.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.12. Among the statements a-d pertaining to developing mission and vision statements choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. It often takes several drafts of vision statements to fully capture the dreams of those involved in the effort.
b. The process of writing a mission statement is much like that for developing your vision statements, and the same brainstorming process can help you develop possibilities for the mission statement.
c. Learn what is important to people in the community by conducting public forums or listening sessions.
d. Developing effective vision and mission statements are two of the most important tasks an organization will ever do.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.13. Among the statements a-d pertaining to creating SMART objectives choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. You can collect your own baseline data for the information related to your specific issues and ways to gather this information include the use of surveys, questionnaires, and personal interviews.
b. Changes in behavior, outcome, and process must be able to be tracked and measured in such a way to show that a change has occurred.
c. SMART objectives should be aspirational because their main role is to inspire greater commitment and effort.
d. Your organization will need to take a good look at its resources, as well as talk to experts who have a sense of what is not only possible, but likely.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.14. Among the statements a-d pertaining to developing successful strategies choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Organize a brainstorming meeting and remember that people will work best in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
b. A strategy should point out the overall path without dictating a particular narrow approach.
c. A good strategy takes advantage of current resources and assets, such as people’s willingness to act or a tradition of self-help and community pride.
d. Check the alignment of your strategy with the mission and vision, and adjust the mission and vision accordingly.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.15. Among the statements a-d pertaining to developing an action plan choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. Develop an action plan composed of action steps that address all the proposed changes with a plan that is complete, clear, and current.
b. While the plan might address general goals you want to see accomplished, the action steps will help you determine the specific actions you will take to help make your vision a reality.
c. While developing an action plan, you may realize that you need to go back and refine your mission, vision, and strategy so they fit with the action plan.
d. Keep everyone informed about what’s going on and communicate to everyone involved how his or her input was incorporated.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
CCQ206.14.16. Among the statements a-d pertaining to countering opposition choose the one that is invalid or choose e if all are reasonably valid.
a. One of the best ways to prevent opposition is to plan in advance what you’re going to do, and convince potential opponents to either join you, or at least to not actively oppose you.
b. Convey the issue in terms of how your group thinks about it; you don’t want to be constantly on the defensive, only responding to your opponent’s arguments.
c. In most cases, when you settle your dispute with your opponent, there will be a compromise. Your group should be aware of signs that might indicate such a negotiation is possible.
d. You should respond to your opponents counterattacks with a variety of strategies, including deflecting the issue and discrediting your opponent.
e. All of a-d are reasonably valid.
Page created by: Ian Clark, last modified on 19 April 2017.
Image: Hill+Knowlton Strategies, at http://www.hkstrategies.com/blogs/research-data-insights/how-use-media-measurement-assess-what-worked-2015-and-plan-2016, accessed on 29 January 2016.