Chapter 39

strategic
Implementation
A-Level

What is Strategic
Implementation
It is simply concerned with Turning

of ideas into reality.

The reason why many strategic plans
die in the Boardroom is that no
one has the responsibility of turning
ideas into reality. If you want your
strategic plan to be more than a
brainstorming exercise, get specific
about who will do what.

Assign deadlines and get feedback from

the people involved. Meet with

departments (or individual employees,
depending on the size of your
company), discuss what needs to get
done and explain how those
responsibilities fit in with the larger
strategic picture.
communication shouldn't stop after
you've explained everyone's duties. Ask
for regular progress reports from
employees, then hold meetings to

.
What is Organisation Culture
The culture of a business represents

the values, attitudes & beliefs of the

people working for it.
It describes the way we do things
around here.

Types of Culture
Power Culture
In an organisation with a power
culture, power is held by just a few
individuals whose influence spreads
throughout the organisation.
There are few rules and regulations in
a power culture. What those with
power decide is what happens.

Employees are generally judged

by what they achieve rather than

how they do things or how they
act. A consequence of this can be
quick decision-making, even if
those decisions aren't in the best
long-term interests of the
organisation.

Role Culture
Organisations with a role culture are

based on rules. They are highly

controlled, with everyone in the
organisation knowing what their roles and
responsibilities are. Power in a role culture
is determined by a person's position (role)
in the organisational structure.

Role cultures are built on detailed

organisational structures which are

typically tall (not flat) with a long
chain of command.
A consequence is that decisionmaking in role cultures can often be
painfully-slow and the organisation is
less likely to take risks. In short,
organisations with role cultures tend
to be very bureaucratic.

Task Culture
Task culture forms when teams in an

organisation are formed to address

specific problems or progress
projects. The task is the important
thing, so power within the team will
often shift depending on the mix of
the team members and the status of
the problem or project.

Whether the task culture proves

effective will largely be determined

by the team dynamic. With the right
mix of skills, personalities and
leadership, working in teams can be
incredibly productive and creative.

People Culture
In organisations with person

cultures, individuals very much see

themselves as unique and superior
to the organisation.
The organisation simply exists in
order for people to work.

An organisation with a person culture

is really just a collection of individuals

who happen to be working for the
same organisation.
For example, school or college,
consultancy work etc.

Importance of Culture
It is a part of a business matters

because it determines how employees

will behave in any given situation.
For example, Google have a culture
that recognises & rewards creative
talent & technological skills. Bright
computer programmers will go far in
this organisation regardless of their age,
personality & to some extent,
regardless of their, formal qualifications;
if they can do it & prove they can do it &

This type of culture encourages

ideas & new thinking which helps

keep Google ahead of its rivals.
A culture can limit a firms success.
In some retail firms the customer
seems an unwelcome visitor.
Customers are not truly valued &
employees do not make the effort to
provide good customer service. This
will lose business over time.

The culture of unwillingness to take risks

may mean market opportunities are

missed.
The culture of unquestioning may lead to
ineffective decision making in various
areas like 4ps.
whatever strategies managers bring in,
whatever ideas you have, the culture of the
business will influence whether they are
implemented, how they are implemented &
the level of commitment to them by
employees.

Contingency Planning
Plan develops for unlikely or

unexpected events is called

contingency plan.
A contingency plan can be develop for
the following events;
1. A fire
2. Insolvency of a major customer
3. The closure of an important supplier
4. A major computer virus attacking the
database

Contingency plans might include:

1. Using two suppliers for the same

component
2. Paying a fee to be able to use
computer facilities elsewhere in case
of fire, flooding, earthquake or a
terrorist attack.
3. Training employees in multi-tasks so
they can take over from others if there
are major absences, illnesses, strikes.

Usefulness of
Contingency Plan
It highlights the dynamic nature of

business & the need to be prepared for the

unexpected.
Managers will be Proactive

(anticipating & preparing for change)

rather than Reactive (having to react
to crises as they develop).
This does not mean that businesses that
have contingency plans are safe from
disaster; unfortunately managers cannot
foresee all unexpected events.

Reduces risk of business failure due to

occurrence of unexpected events.

It requires expensive resources so only
those firms can do it that are financially
sound.
It requires high profile managerial skills.
It should help managers set their
priorities & allocate resources.