When it comes to improving employee engagement, you have to think of methods and opportunities for engaging employees. In recent years, companies have resorted to employee engagement programs to maintain a motivated and productive workforce. These include workplace training programs, rewards schemes, recognition programs, and wellness programs. While employee engagement is necessary to keep employees challenged, motivated, and engaged, there’s another critical aspect that employers need to consider to maximize their organizational capabilities.
Organizational alignment is one of the central themes in management research. It refers to a state of cooperation or agreement among groups with a shared viewpoint concerning long-term and short-term business initiatives. It is also a powerful corporate strategy that allows companies to achieve its goal faster, promote a unified workplace culture, and address operational challenges. In fact, business consultancy services in Singapore offer guidance on organizational alignment to help companies achieve their ultimate vision.
Companies invest so much time, resources, and effort towards building a strategic organizational plan. But sometimes, not everything goes as planned because of unexpected challenges or specific gaps. These include missed deadlines, delays, unexpected costs, and conflicting opinions. If not managed well, these aspects can lead to major obstacles that affect the strategy’s ability to produce the desired results.
Insufficient or lack of resources
Any organization requires a laser-focused vision with an organized timeline for its objectives combined with a comprehensive strategy to promote strategic execution. Business leaders should drive decision-making and implementation downward through daily business operations while providing enough resources to implement the strategy.
Poorly defined actions
There is an existing gap between people who create strategies and those who tactically implement these strategies. Managers and team leaders at all levels need a deeper understanding of corporate strategies so that the work plan and daily responsibilities of employees synchronize with the company’s objectives.
Organizational leaders should organize regular consultations to discuss existing goals, strategies, and other external factors that can potentially influence business operations. At the same time, work discussions should be expected and encourage to set the expectations and strategic goals with employees.
Poor communications strategy
Like any business relationship, communication is an ongoing requirement and a critical part of creating organizational alignment. It should be two-way and consistent at all organizational levels.
Today, you’ll find a variety of communication channels to communicate essential information. Find out the most convenient tool to get your message across to your target recipients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has greatly challenged virtual collaboration in the corporate environment. Having digital communication tools put companies at a great advantage to keep their remote workforce intact.
Communication mechanisms are also a vital part of the customer experience. One example is the customer feedback loop, a customer experience strategy that helps companies constantly enhance their products and services based on feedback, opinions, and user reviews. It helps in building healthy customer relations by actively responding to their feedback.
Accountability issues
It’s easy for managers to develop a strategy and resume their daily tasks without setting accountability for implementing these strategies. Leaders should determine the point persons of each strategic initiative, including the key milestones and expectations, so everyone can keep their momentum and stay aligned in relation to strategic outcomes. Furthermore, managers should involve employees in supporting milestones and goals while communicating their responsibilities towards attaining the desired strategic outcomes at all organizational levels.
Organizational silos
If the company’s strategy and vision require transformations or opportunities for collaboration across employee divisions, existing cultural factors or organizational silos will affect the company’s path towards success. In this case, managers should get everyone involved and aligned to adapt to the new strategy and company vision. This approach can be tricky as it requires a well-planned change management method and employees at different levels should be informed.
To ensure a successful change management strategy, leaders should look deeper at social dynamics, employee behaviors, performance expectations, leadership structures, organizational culture, and other aspects that will strengthen and build the company towards a better future.
Insufficient performance tracking
Most companies measure business performance based on financial outcomes alone. In reality, the financial status of a company doesn’t always provide significant value when forecasting future performance. Also, companies pay too much attention to internal elements since they’re easy to control and measure. But this internal approach can result in threats and missed opportunities that can eventually affect overall performance.
Alignment concerns naturally happen as companies grow, technology develops, and new competitors emerge, or an outcome of a myriad of factors cause shifts in the work environment. Creating and maintaining organizational alignment calls for ongoing attention and focused action. Knowing how to identify potential hurdles and applying the best practices, you’re on your way to developing an effective and powerful organizational alignment in your company.
