Wednesday, November 28, 2018

The Boons Of A Strategic Planning Workshop Facilitation

By Jessica Cole


Every organization runs with some sort of end goal in mind. These goals are many and sundry, the possibilities are endless, but they are usually achievable. However, there are cases when the organization is merely running in perpetual circles, speeding up and pressing down on the pedal with seemingly no end in sight, in fact very much comparable to a hamster on a running wheel. In order to set this metaphorical rodent free from this rat race, one would need to tailor some strategic planning workshop facilitation.

When a company or organization is losing sight of its goals, they usually arrange a meeting of sorts, which is very much synonymous to a workshop. In this regard, facilitation will work to ensure that the steps taken are effective and easily achievable. When orchestrated properly, all plans and aims will undoubtedly be a cinch.

Planning in an organization, or virtually every group with an objective, involves the refocusing of its targets. The constituents will have to reevaluate whether their plans are feasible and viable. Following that they would have to look at their so called SWOT. That is, their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

A successful strategic plan subsumes the targets as well as the forecasts of a team. The constituents ably analyze their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their opportunities and threats. All in all, these last four mentioned are abbreviated SWOT, and are very much featured as stables in organizational considerations.

Strategic decisions will then have to be made, but they must be effectively brought about. Some strategic planners advocate three important elements. First is structured conversation, which is the constructive communication among the constituents of the group. Opportunities and responsibilities are also carefully balanced out.

There are also all the standard statements of a company. Foremost in this is the vision and the mission. The former underscores the companys trajectory ever since it started, and that which gives an inkling of what end it has in mind. The mission outlines the purpose of a company, establishing why it exists and also who it serves.

The core competencies of an org would also have to be reiterated, if not reconsidered. After all, these are the organizations competitive advantages, and not putting them to good use will result in a knock down drag out languishing in whatever sphere the group is operating in. Its values and guiding principles would also need to be straightened out, that which outlines the culture of a company and giving a sneak peak on how things are done.

The purpose of facilitation is then pretty much straightforward. The elements and variables enumerated above are quite a chore to memorize by heart, let alone collate altogether in any particular moment. A facilitator will ensure that all these are faithfully adhered to. Plus, he will machinate some kind of connection in the group, which will enable some channel of communication and information.

Also, effective facilitation ably provides direction and focus. The meeting will not stray into irrelevant and non exigent areas, thereby speeding up the accomplishment of tasks. A good facilitator will be able to draw on communication between participants, and exhort them to communicate constructively. The participants will then be able to question and challenge each other, sort out differences between them, and collate or compromise plans and ideas. With these networking of ideas and information, the objectives and goals of any organization will be speeded up to a considerable extent.




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