BPI (Confirmed) Business Vision – Envision Phase

BPI (Confirmed) Business Vision – Envision Phase

Description

• Description of the kind of organization that the company wishes to become in the     future. It defines the firm’s strategic objectives and stretches the organization (i.e. it challenges individuals to make the company different from what it is at present). The BPI exercise should not proceed unless the senior management team reaches consensus on a shared Business Vision.
• For some organizations, it becomes evident that the existing Business Vision stated by management is inadequate or inappropriate and thus cannot be readily “confirmed”. In such circumstances, it is necessary to embark on a comprehensive exercise to establish an entirely-new strategic vision for the organization.     T

Client Value

• It is necessary to rethink the future direction of the enterprise before major change programs are initiated. Executives will take ownership, be involved and provide strategic guidelines for the direction and goals of the BPI programme. BPI will only be implemented successfully and carried throughout the whole enterprise when the vision is sufficiently strong to mobilize dramatic change.
• Without a confirmed vision, the BPI project cannot ensure that the Focus Areas chosen for improvement are the ones that need to be changed for the client to remain competitive in its industry.

Approach

To confirm a Business Vision, current paradigms of senior management must be challenged and perspectives must be broadened to stretch the organization. The client executive team has to be encouraged to look at their future business from different angles.

1. Design management interview guide.
2. Review and outline competitive environment and business issues (use results from Internal Organizational Overview, Business Position, Holistic Business Model).
3. Design a targeted set of questions to identify:
1. What can we sell? (Core Competency/Product/Market Analysis)
2. Where can we sell?
3. What are we actually capable of doing?   
4. Customers (How do we add value?) (Strategic Analysis Framework)   
5. Competitors (How can we create an “edge” over competitors?)   
6. Stakeholders (How can we leverage stakeholders’ interest to our advantage?)
7. Assets (How do we efficiently convert assets to income?)
8. Interview key executives to gain shared understanding of the business strategy, mission and vision.
9. Synthesize results and develop content for workshops for confirming the vision.For example:   
1. Basis of Competition/Rules: How will we compete? (Five Basic Shared Concepts)
2. Operating Mode: How will we make money?
3. Structural Approach: How will we hold it together?
4. Stakeholder Value: Are we a good buy?
5. Culture: What do I tell my friends?   
10. Conduct a workshop with senior management to confirm its Business Vision. Depending on the size and nature of the Organization, the tools used in this workshop may range from flip charts to computer-assisted brainstorming. (Group Vision)
11. At the outset of the workshop discussions, identify the elements of a Business Vision by asking     the leadership team to answer thought-provoking questions such as:   
1. Why do we exist?
2. Who are our customers?
3. Who are our key stakeholders?
4. What products and/or services do we (should we) deliver?
5. What do our customers and stakeholders care most about regarding how we deliver these products/services?   
12. Reflect the responses back to the     group by “filling in blanks” of a paragraph template such as: “We, Publications and Graphic Services, exist to provide contract management services for graphics and publishing to company headquarters.” This “strawman” format of articulating a Business Vision promotes discussions on the underlying implications of each phrase. These statements typically go through several iterations before they are finalized. Ideally, the final version of the Business Vision should describe the future state, stretch and inspire the organization’s thinking and make it clear that new approaches to operating are needed.
13. If all members of the senior management team have not participated in the confirmation / development of a shared Business Vision, conduct a final presentation/workshop to achieve full awareness and “buy-in”.

Guidelines

Problems/Solutions

• In some organizations, it is not practical to attempt to develop the Business Vision and Critical Success Factors in a workshop setting (e.g. in extremely large organizations or in highly geographically dispersed company). In these instances, it may be necessary to conduct executive interviews, synthesize results, and circulate draft documents for review. The implementation team is encouraged to attempt some type of group session to validate the results of this task and gain commitment.    

Tactics/Helpful Hints

• A powerful Business Vision inspires and compels change, conveys a feeling of purpose,     determines a need for action, and has emotional appeal.    
• When an organization is part of a larger “parent” company, ensure that the Business Vision of the organization is in line with that of its parent.    
• Critical Success Factors can often be developed as an extension to the Business Vision workshop.    

Resources/Timing

• The project manager will need to work closely with the highest levels of executive management. This implies a need for skills and experience in business visioning and executive education. He/she needs to be sufficiently senior to deal comfortably with the customer executives.