By: Maria Williams
All organizations, regardless of size, will benefit from having a well-made strategic plan to inform their actions, identify goals and objectives, and define their vision for the future. Because no two organizations are the same, their needs are also varied, calling for tailored plans that consider the differences in goals, philosophies, and approaches.
According to Cathryn L. Dhanatya, PhD, President and Co-Founder of business development consultancy Growing Good, Inc., her approach to working with client organizations, which are primarily nonprofits, is one of authenticity and focuses on creating an organic environment rather than using cookie-cutter tools to create strategic plans. This approach involves a deep and purposeful integration within the client organization. Instead of coming in one day and telling an organization what to do based on a pre-made model, Dhanatya takes a more meticulous route, getting to know the organization inside out through a stakeholder-centric approach.
She adds that strategic planning and organizational transformation require buy-in from the entire organization. That includes everyone, from the C-suite down to the rank-and-file staff, who traditionally aren’t included in these conversations. An effective strategic plan must work for the entire organization, or it will most likely run into implementation issues. This is where she observes many organizations get it wrong. They don’t create opportunities for meaningful engagement and input from the entire organization from the beginning, often leading to problems later on.
“If the entire organization is not included early on, there’s more resistance,” Dhanatya says. “First, if leadership creates goals in silos and then implements them by a directive, it is much more difficult to get organizational buy-in and cooperation. Second, as great and capable as an organization’s leaders can be, they’re not on the ground daily. They don’t see everything that’s happening, so they may have blind spots that people who have day-to-day experience can fill in. Third, including everyone in the decision-making process can accelerate implementation because once the organization is done with the planning, everyone can get straight to work because they already understand what needs to be done.”
Dhanatya shares a recent case where she worked with a large public media company. The organization was struggling with confusion in terms of messaging and branding. Their core values were not articulated clearly, and there was no solid process for leadership to provide direction to the rest of the organization. To help address these problems, Dhanatya embarked on a six-month strategic planning process that sought to build up the capacity of the company’s leadership.
The process involved not just the C-suite and the middle management but the rest of the organization, allowing them to contribute to creating the strategy. This helped everyone understand the company’s goals and how each department will be working to achieve them over the next five years. According to Dhanatya, this is especially important for the media industry due to changing demographics, media consumption patterns, and shifts in the funding landscape. She adds that because everyone has been briefed about the strategic planning process from early on, team members are not going into it blind, allowing them to dedicate more focus to implementation.
By taking a more organic and research-based approach, Dhanatya believes she can better understand an organization from the inside. Building robust data collection and baseline assessments through different stakeholder interviews allows her to tailor the organization’s strategic plan to their needs.
“My job is to help facilitate difficult conversations and to give a more neutral perspective from the outside,” she says. “But, ultimately, my advice and recommendations have to resonate throughout an organization to be effective. I see myself as an honest broker who will tell the client the truth but also help manage some of those conflicts that may arise. In some ways, it’s like being a mini organizational therapist – helping people identify the problems and historic barriers to success, helping them resolve those, and allowing them to move forward in the best direction for the entire organization.”
On the other hand, Dhanatya also acknowledges that her approach is not what all organizations need because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to strategic planning. Thus, organizations need to evaluate whether the consultant they will be working with fits their needs.
“A strategic plan can be an essential document, but, for some organizations, they must focus on other organizational priorities and allocate time and resources accordingly,” she says. “Organizations that prioritize more surface and a generalized approach are probably not the right type of client for me, and I’m not the right consultant for them. I want strategic plans to make the greatest possible impact on my clients and become a valuable resource. They’ve invested a huge time, human resources, and money into it, so it should serve them well and set them up for future success.”
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional, legal, or financial advice. Readers are encouraged to evaluate their specific needs and consult qualified professionals when selecting a consultant or developing a strategic plan. The opinions and strategies shared by Dr. Cathryn L. Dhanatya reflect her expertise and approach but may not be applicable to every organization.
Published by Nicholas A.
