What Kind of Organisation To Become?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 09:16PM
A friend rang me today asking for a favour. She is the Chief Exec of a large public service organisation (not in the NHS) and was due to run a 3 hour session next week with her direct reports. The meeting was to 'get a fix' on what kind of organisation they want to become over the next 5 years. The vision thing if you like. Did I have any ideas?
This is what I suggested:
Imagine it’s 5 years in the future (2013) and org x has become the kind of organisation you really want it to become. It's been an incredibly successful 5 years. As a group, pick out 6 or 7 questions from the list below that appeal most and then, in turn, tell colleagues what the answers are. Capture the most salient or intriguing points made on a flipchart.
- Who are the main stakeholders of org x in 2013?
- How do you work with them?
- How do you produce value with them?
- What are the most influential trends in your industry?
- What is org x's image and reputation?
- How and with whom do you compete?
- Who are your major customers now and how are they helping to make the organisation succesful?
- What is org x's unique contribution to the world?
- What is the most important impact your organisation has on the local economy ?
- How do you make money?
- What does org x look like?
- In what ways is org x now a really great place to work?
- Why do customers love org X?
- What is org X's most significant contribution towards making region y a great European destination?
- Why do you personally love working for org x?
- When your kids ask you what you do for a living what do you tell them?
Review the points that made it to the flipchart. How can you state the essence of these aspirations in a compelling way? Express your new Vision so that it is:
- succinct;
- unexpected;
- seen as credible; and
- has a big emotional pull
Now, return to the present and take a hard look at org x as it is now. How do you need to change? List the 5 most important changes you, collectively as a team, need to help the organisation to make.
What do you think about this process and the questions? What questions did I miss? Which ones do you really like and why?
nhs
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