When you think of the word strategy, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of an involved strategic planning system. Maybe you think of directors having retreats, coming up with the future direction. One thing people rarely think of is the front line staff of the organisation. Fewer still think of strategies as ephemeral, applicable only to the moment.
Perhaps, though, some of the best strategies are exactly that. Transient strategies that are developed by the people who know the business the best – those at the heart of the value creation. We call these emergent strategies. They aren’t planned, but are instead revealed by operations. Too often, those lower level managers and staff know what works and what doesn’t. To ignore their thoughts and ideas means discarding a great deal of knowledge.
Luckily, some have clued in to this incredibly valuable source of strategy. Take a look at the television show “Undercover Boss”, for example. The show follows Chief Executive Officers around who go undercover, gaining rare insights from the front line staff within your organisation. Taken a step further, you’ll garner some wonderfully insightful strategies.
Does this mean managers should push strategy down the organisation? No, definitely not. Managers need to act as the thread, sewing together the best bits of strategy from around the organisation. Lower level staff lack the perspective to be able to do this. A broader view is needed to select and really harness the best strategies.
When you think of strategy, think about it differently. Include lower level employees. Wring every piece of valuable knowledge out of them that you can. Don’t limit your strategy to the output of an annual planning process. Harness opportunities as they arise. You’ll find yourself developing a serious competitive advantage, through the use of emergent strategy.