"I don’t know whether doing something differently means it is done better,
all I know is that to do something better, it has to be done differently”
(John Chambers)

Cascading and Alignment

Once the strategy has been clearly formalized and is shared by the members of the management team it then has to be cascaded throughout the organization, not only in relation to its objectives (strategic drivers) but also in terms of resources (strategic initiatives) and priorities.

Our experience shows that cascading the company’s strategy map provides added value at a lower level only if this level is managed by a management team (country, BU, functions etc). Cascading makes it possible to obtain a strategy map that is interpreted at the level concerned with more specific, more detailed and more operational content. It is pointless and sometimes dangerous to cascade down to lower levels where there is no good reason for the notion of strategic steering room to exist. That is why, from this level, we suggest cascading the strategic objectives, integrating them into MBO (Management By Objectives). In this way all employees can position their contribution to achieving the strategic objectives and align themselves with the corresponding level of priority.

In interpreting your strategic objectives by cascading the Balanced Scorecard to the departments, then by making the link between the individual objectives for each of your colleagues and the strategic objectives on your departments’ strategy maps, you will align the objectives to be achieved with the associated priorities throughout your organization.

The Work-Out

The Work-Out is a forum for constituting teams and for fast decision-making. A team of experienced people that are well informed and involved in the subject is made up with a view to finding solutions and developing action plans. The team is empowered by the main stakeholders to implement them. Monitoring ensures the action plans are fully implemented.
The Work-Out can be used to resolve problems, improve or design processes, establish trust, train teams and draw up action plans.
It may be in several forms: Session Work-Out, Action Work-Out, Town Meeting or Customer Work-Out which allows a strong partnership to be established between the customer and supplier.

The central element in a Work-Out is facilitation. . Facilitation is the desired and reasoned intervention of the facilitator in the events and the dynamics of a group with the aim of helping the group to achieve its objectives faster and more effectively.

Network of Change Champions

As soon as you want to deploy a project throughout your organization you are confronted with the issue of change management. In order to encourage ownership and remove resistance at all levels in the organization, we rely on a network of change champions that we develop within your organization. This network will enable you to cascade the deployment of the strategy by breaking down hierarchical and functional barriers as well as any barriers outside your company, in particular with your customers and suppliers, and of course geographical barriers. In order to create and then develop this network of change champions, which relies on high potential operational managers, we use different tools such as the Work-Out, the CAP model, Town Meetings, Team Building events…

The CAP model is a pragmatic approach that encourages the ownership of change on very concrete operational subjects. The model is neither a purely procedural approach to change nor a purely human approach to change but quite simply a business approach adapted to concrete problems, in tune with your company’s culture and takes account of the actual constraints of your business and environment.
Projects are ideal for the CAP model when they are very culturally or organizationally complex such as: team diversity, optimizing the customer ordering process – debt collection, reducing turn around times, risk management, introducing new products, the efficiency of the technological organization, deploying Balanced Scorecards, reorganizations, re-engineering, merger – acquisitions etc.

THE WORK-OUT CULTURE?
FINDING A BETTER WAY… EVERY DAY