{"id":13540,"date":"2021-09-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lei.flywheelsites.com\/the-lean-post\/articles\/breaking-the-cycle-of-ineffective-strategic-planning-and-execution\/"},"modified":"2023-11-17T14:18:37","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T19:18:37","slug":"breaking-the-cycle-of-ineffective-strategic-planning-and-execution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lean.org\/the-lean-post\/articles\/breaking-the-cycle-of-ineffective-strategic-planning-and-execution\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the Cycle of Ineffective Strategic Planning and Execution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Face it: Few people are happy with their organization\u2019s strategy development and execution process. Each year, as the time for the next year\u2019s strategy review and planning nears, executives, division and middle managers, and supervisors wrestle with a mix of optimism and dread. Thoughts of a fresh start \u2013 maybe this year we\u2019ll get it right! \u2013 mingle with doubts as they dust off last year\u2019s plan, not seen since sometime last April, let alone completed. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Bill
Part one of a three-part series exploring hoshin kanri through the experience of Bill MacPherson, managing director of Mercer Celgar, Mercer International.<\/em>

Read part two, Continually Improving the Strategic Planning and Execution Process.<\/a><\/em>

Read part three, Becoming — and Developing — More Effective Leaders.<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be this way. Even if your process isn\u2019t that dysfunctional, it likely needs to be improved. Research shared in a 2015 Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/em><\/a> article<\/a> found that two-thirds to three-quarters of large organizations struggle with execution.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To break free of this annual cycle of frustration and confusion that leads nowhere, consider what the Mercer Celgar team has done. Led by Bill MacPherson, its managing director, the British Columbia-based team has embarked on a total overhaul of its planning and execution process. The new approach? Hoshin kanri, which, it just so happens, addresses each of the five reasons cited by that HBR <\/em>article about why strategy execution fails \u2013 and then some.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a Better Way<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In Mercer\u2019s case, it was <\/span>MacPherson\u2019s leadership philosophy and belief in the importance of self-development, not a dire situation, that drove the change. “I find, as a leader, that the most important thing I do is develop others,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd so, I have to develop myself so that I can lead as a teacher and a coach.\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Download<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

MacPherson explains that he had gained some experience with lean thinking and practice in an earlier position. So, he started reading and learning, eventually being directed to the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) by a colleague. Soon after he arrived at Mercer, he read <\/span>Getting the Right Things Done<\/a>,<\/span><\/em> a Shingo award-winning book published by LEI. \u201cIt just connected with me and resonated,\u201d MacPherson recalls. \u201cAnd I thought, you know what? Let\u2019s give it a try.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Hoshin Kanri?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n