The Strategy Alignment Problem
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
Why strategy execution drifts — and how the Results Map brings everyone back onto the same page
A few years ago, I was brought into an organization of about 13,000 people. It had a strong leadership team and had just finished a major strategic planning cycle involving all the senior executives and division leaders. They created a polished strategy document and conducted an active rollout led by the CEO and the executive team.
Four months later, the organization already had more than 68 initiatives across only two-thirds of its divisions. Every initiative was mapped back to the strategy. Every team leader could explain why their project mattered. But the executive team still couldn’t see how it all added up.
The Strategy Alignment Challenge
Even when organizations have a well-documented strategy, alignment across the organization can be surprisingly fragile. Interpretations vary, initiatives multiply, resource requests balloon, and performance reports begin to tell different stories about progress.
Before long, strategy execution begins to drift — not because people don't care about the strategy, but because teams don't actually have the same understanding of the results the strategy is intended to achieve.
The strategy alignment problem is common. Teams pulling in different directions away from the strategy that was supposed to be executed. More communication, more governance, and more dashboards don't solve it.
The root cause lies in the assumption that documenting and cascading strategy creates shared clarity about the intended results and how the organization will collectively accomplish them.
In this webcast, Stacey Barr and I, don't just discuss why this happens. We put you inside the problem with a series of interactive activities to experience how quickly interpretations diverge -- even among people looking at the same strategy. Then we show you how to address it by using a Results Map to move from a loose collection of initiatives to a shared understanding of the results the strategy is intended to produce.
You will learn how using a Results Map:
makes the intended results of the strategy explicit
surfaces different interpretations before they turn into execution problems
gives leaders visibility into how all the work adds up
builds a line of sight so every team can take the right actions for the right results
The webcast is especially useful for strategy professionals and leaders who have been there and want a practical way to bring clarity, focus, and shared direction back to strategy execution.
Watch the video and then download the companion Strategy Alignment Self-Check.
The Strategy Alignment Self-Check
Use this short self-check to see whether your organization is aligned around the results your strategy is meant to achieve — and where that alignment may be breaking down.
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Brook Rolter, Managing Director and Founder of Rolter Associates, helps organizations integrate strategy, performance, and management practices to improve results and mission outcomes.
You can reach Brook at 703-628-0340 or by email.
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