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Most organisations suffer from too much planning that does not achieve the desired results.
More planning is not the answer!
How often do your plans achieve the results you desire?
This short video will show you how to apply the Art of Action to close the gaps between
plans, actions and results. There are three critical gaps you need to
recognise and overcome. Knowledge Gap The difference between what
we would like to know, and what we actually know
Alignment Gap The difference between what we want people to do and what they actually
do Effects Gap The difference between what we
expect our actions to achieve and what they actually achieve
These three gaps are compounding.
The usual reaction is to overcome the Knowledge Gap With more detailed information
The Alignment Gap With more detailed instructions And the Effects Gap With more detailed and
often tighter controls
This only makes matters worse! The correct approach is “Directed Opprtunism”
Knowledge Gap Limit direction to defining and communicating the intent
The Alignment Gap Allow each level to define how they will achieve the intent of the next
level up and “back brief” And the Effects Gap Give individuals the freedom
to adjust their actions in line with intent.
Cascading Intent shows how each level is more specific.
The WHAT of one level becomes the WHY of the next level down.
The "back brief" is critically important. Firstly, it checks the understanding of the
intent. Secondly and more importantly, the superior gains clarity about the implications
of the intent and this may lead to changes. Thirdly, it facilitates alignment across the
organisation. Here is an example of how this all fits together
and you can see more clearly how the WHAT of one level becomes the WHY of the next level
down. So how much autonomy do you give?
Do you need to reduce autonomy to increase alignment?
There is no choice to make. "Alignment needs to be achieved around intent and autonomy
should be granted around actions."
Intent, alignment and autonomy are the three key elements that go hand in hand.
If the intent is clear and understood, the teams become aligned because they understand
their role in achieving the intent. They have sufficient autonomy to work within the boundaries
and achieve the desired result.
“What cannot be made simple cannot be made clear and what is not clear will not get done.”
I would like to thank Stephen Bungay for kind permission to use material from the Art of
Action.
I encourage you to give it a go. Remember that "common sense" is not always common practice.
Even small steps can have a big impact. Thank you for watching. Don’t forget to
press the Like button and share the video on Facebook and Twitter.Make sure you subscribe
to my channel and please leave a comment. I enjoy responding to feedback.