People are essential to any organization’s strategy. The “Blue Ocean Strategy” lays out the groundwork for motivating people to execute the plan. Even the best planned strategies can be derailed by people within the organization. They may not understand the need for the changes or the they may not be in their personal best interest. The authors of the “Blue Ocean Strategy” call their principle “Fair Process” which considers the concerns and thoughts of employees in the process.
Proper execution requires “engagement, explanation, and clarity of expectations.” Encouraging the engagement of the employees gains the buy-in of the people that are going to execute new strategy. Today I spoke to the Director of Innovation for a fortune 500 company. We discussed the importance of feedback from field level employees in order to gain insight as to ideas to develop that customers will value. By engaging employees and gaining their agreement, people will be more motivated to fully try to make the new strategy successful.
The second step is explain the need for the new strategy. Organizational workers may not have all the information needed to understand the rationale behind a need for change. Some might think that upper management is simply trying to get the most out of them. When in reality the company is under enormous competitive pressure. Without a new strategy, their job might be in jeopardy.
The final step is clarity of expectations. All must be fully aligned with the plan so as to not deviate. The final vision of the company needs to be understood by all so the entire organization can work in the same direction.
The value and profit proposition support the people proposition. Value is what the customer receive considering price. Profit is what the company receives considering cost. There are many people that are involved along the way. They may include customers, employees, and vendors. The key to successful execution is aligning all three according to the authors of the “Blue Ocean Strategy.”
I do believe that people are a company’s most important asset. They can make or break the best planned strategies. Proper leadership from management along with the simple philosophy to treat your people like people make the difference.
The last section of the book discussion renewing the “Blue Ocean Strategy.” Continuing to be innovative is every successful business’s mission.
Kim, C. And Mauborgne, R., (2015), Blue Ocean Strategy, Harvard Business School Publishing, ISBN 9781-62527-449-6
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