The Successful Manager: Create Strategic Alliances

To develop a better understanding of your organization's goals, consider using this approach to learn about your organization's corporate strategy:
Talk with people who were involved with setting goals to learn about the options that were discussed and the reasoning behind why they were chosen.

• Talk with leaders in the organization to develop an understanding of the organization's approach to its strategy, and the reasons for that choice.
• Meet with an experienced manager and learn the organization's history, the evolution of the company's mission, and the origin of the company's strengths and weaknesses.
• Read articles about your company as well as recent executive briefings to security analysts.
• Develop contacts in other departments to learn about their strategic issues and new developments.

Organizational strategy is not static. It's essential to constantly scan the environment to understand changes that may change your organization's strategy. Research the latest developments in your industry - talk with people, read industry reports.

Some common forces of change:

• Industry Changes
• Globalization
• Technology Changes
• Shifts in Competitive Advantage
• Human Capital Changes
• Government Regulations; either new or ending

The purpose of having a strategy is to help keep an eye on the ball. Use it to decide where to spend your time and energy and to stay focused on what's important. Evaluate decisions to ensure that they adhere to your strategy. Unless you are at the top of the organization, the corporate direction is set by others, then your role is to bring the corporate vision down to the next level.

Your group's strategy needs to be an evolving guide to what you and your team do.

Adapted from The Successful Manager's Handbook, by Lisa A. Stevens, Carol J. Skibe, and David G. Lee,  Personnel Decisions, Inc.; 6th edition (May 2000)