Tweet

Bringing Passion Back to Corporate Planning

Guest post by: Joe Evans

Article Overview: Many well-meaning managers and leaders assume that because members of the organization are “active” that they are also “effective.” In reality, activity does not equal effectiveness; and it’s not representative of indispensability. To accomplish strategic goals, energy must be focused on productive activity related to the accomplishment of sub-tasks that lead to the ultimate realization of strategic outcomes as well as those business essential tasks that are part of the employee’s job description. That takes dedication, commitment and drive.

Bringing Passion Back to Corporate Planning



Many well-meaning managers and leaders assume that because members of the organization are “active” that they are also “effective.” In reality, activity does not equal effectiveness; and it’s not representative of indispensability. It is certainly not representative of furthering the corporate strategic goals. Rather, effectiveness, especially when it comes to strategy execution, is the result of “doing the right things, right”. The right things are the magical mix of routine business duties and those incremental activities and actions that make organizational goals a reality. To accomplish strategic goals, energy must be focused on productive activity related to the accomplishment of sub-tasks that lead to the ultimate realization of strategic outcomes as well as those business essential tasks that are part of the employee’s job description. That takes dedication, commitment and drive. Yes, what we are talking about the importance of creating passion in our workforce for strategic goal accomplishment - and there is research to back up this assertion.

A 2003 MIT Sloan study identified four corporate energy zones that can either stimulate or handicap competitiveness. This in-depth study proved that organizational energy and focus is a critical component to success.

Some key points that arose from the MIT study are worth considering:

• After more than 50 years of largely ignoring soft factors, like emotions and feelings, organizations are recognizing the powerful role that emotions play in shaping corporate behavior.
• Corporate leaders are responsible for unleashing organizational energy and guiding it toward key strategic goals.
• Organizational energy is the combination of the company’s emotional, cognitive, and physical states. While difficult to measure, organizational energy is evident in the intensity, endurance, and innovation processes of a company’s work.
• Individual energy, especially of leaders, influences organizational energy. Likewise, the energy state of the organization affects the energy of individuals.
• It is the intersection of intensity and quality that determines an organization's energy state, which usually falls into one of four categories – “The Four Energy Zones.”

“The Four Energy Zones”

Most organizations can be characterized as being in one particular zone at any given time. The four energy zones are as follows:

Aggression zone (responding to threat)

Passion zone (responding to an exciting goal)

Comfort zone (coasting dangerously on past success)

Resignation zone (has nearly given up)

^{Reference: Bruch, Heike, Ghosal, Sumantra,“Unleashing Organizational Energy” MIT Sloan Management Review, Sept. 22, 2003}

Strategic goals translate to change. In any strategic transformation of a business (large or small), leaders conventionally focus their attention on devising the best strategic and tactical plans, without regard to the changes their plans may mean to the people of the organization. To be successful, they also must have an intimate understanding of the human side of change management — particularly the alignment of the company’s culture, values, people, and behaviors — to encourage the desired results. Plans themselves do not capture value; value is realized only through the sustained, collective actions of the tens, hundreds, thousands or perhaps the tens of thousands of employees who are responsible for designing, executing, and living with the changed environment the vision and strategy indicate.

These situations impact the people that make up the organization and must be considered and planned for in terms of fostering acceptance within the workforce and moving to our high productivity gear. To reach the magic quadrant of intensity and quality, we need passion in their hearts of our employees and that means work from the leadership team to instill it.

Suggested Reading Download our Guide to Change Management

Our guide to successful change management, called "Transforming the Organization", is a 17 page complimentary resource to help your organization initiate a successful corporate change management program, accomplish organizational transformation and make it stick.

In this change management guide, we cover the following:

• Defining change management
• Exploring why change management is a big deal
• Examining why change management is considered difficult to do well
• Describing how to do change management effectively
• Discussing what challenges to expect during the change process
• Setting expectations about what to expect if change management is done well

Download Transforming the Organization in PDF format now.

---

For permission to use or reprint any portions of this copyrighted article, contact Method Frameworks at articles@methodframeworks.com.

About the Author:

Joe Evans is the President and CEO of Method Frameworks. Joe is a published author, frequent speaker and recognized expert in corporate strategic planning. To contact Method Frameworks about scheduling Mr. Evans about an upcoming speaking engagement, visit www.methodframeworks.com/business-speaker or email requests to media_relations@methodframeworks.com.

---

Do not miss these two important downloads for executives and business strategy professionals.

---

Join the Strategic Planning Xchange group.

Learn More

Method Frameworks is a leading business strategy and management consulting company, based in the Dallas / Fort Worth area and serving clients nationally and internationally.

Discover our capabilities and learn why Method Frameworks is the strategic planning partner chosen by Fortune-500 companies and small businesses alike. Let us show you how to realize 140%+ ROI on your strategic planning efforts through our unique Plan4^SM process that brings together strategy and execution into a powerful plan. Plan4 is our proprietary business planning process that involves an integrated set of actions designed to help companies gain sustainable advantage. Download our brochure to learn more about Method Frameworks and our services or download our Plan4 Planning Process Overview.

You can contact Method Frameworks at 877-317-5264 (877-31PLAN4) or follow this link to request a meeting with a planning consultant. Check our articles and blog often at www.methodframeworks.com to get many more planning tips and information about our Plan4 process.

Related Articles
  “Bringing The Power of Passion Into Your Business”
  Start With Passion!
  How to Align your Corporate Strategy
  What is Passion
  LEADER REDEFINE SUCCESS.
  3 Common Causes of Corporate Strategy Misalignment
  Passion First, Profits Second!
  Passion is a Pair Of Ruby Slippers
  The Keys to Business Success
  Planning and Passion – Keys to a Successful Business
  Passing the Leadership Torch
  The Importance of International Tax Planning
  Business and Entrepreneurship Passion not required
  What are you Passionate About?
  Corporate Wellness Plan
  Does Your Strategic Planning Process Suffer From ADD?
  A Fresh Approach to Obtaining Global Perspectives on Corporate Strategic Planning
  THE VALUE OF A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
  The Art of Passion
  Passion for Business

Article Tags: business consulting, business strategy, corporate planning, joe evans, management consulting, method frameworks, strategic planning, workforce dedication
Referred by: http://www.imageworksstudio.com/



Related Forum Posts
The Old Girl's Network - (2003) - Haven't read this one yet... Contents A business of one's own: setting the stage Passion: Turning what you love into a real business Vision: Bringing Your Idea Into the World Pioneering Spirit: Discovering new frontiers Tenacity: Passions Bulldog Raising Capital: Translating your vision into dollars and cents Focus, feedback and flexibility Leadership lessons Life after the survival stage: Managing onward There's a Took Kit in the back that has lots of good stuff, including: Outline for competitive analysis: the basic issues to address before starting your company Outline for executive summary and business plan, with sample summary Explanation of non-disclosure agreement Milestone setting "Do you have what it takes" quiz Sample financing term sheet Due Diligence checklist Sample advisory agreement Process and systems review Outsourcing overview
Corporate Resource Speakers in Australia - Where can we find one of the best Corporate Resource Speakers in Australia?
Re: How do you make the most of your day? - Planning, To Do lists, and deadlines all help me. Also being self critical of my own time management helps me raise the bar. I still check email too often though.
Seeking advice on working procedure of Convenience Store Fra - I have some queries about the working of the franchises. How does the relationship between the Store Owner, Suppliers and Corporate works exactly? How does the store owners get reimbursed when they sell commodities like coke in fewer prices than others?
Recruiting - Bringing in the right people into the company is definitely the first step. I've only given on and hired a few people I wasn't confident about and each time I beat my head against the wall to train them. Its just not worth it to bring in the wrong people. Much better to hold out and hire people that are "rigth" for the job. Shri


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Sales is a Flawed Model

Join Conversations Politely, Part 1

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.