Sidebar: Embedding Growth Into Your Corporate Culture
Exercise: Thinking About Vision
Before The Planning Group Meets
A Planning Group Activity (allow at least four hours)
A. Vision Needs Assessment
In your opinion:
1. Is there a need to take command of our organization's future?
Yes
No
Not sure
2. Is our organization's long-term reason for existence clearly understood (and that does not mean maximizing profit or shareholder value)?
Yes
No
Not sure
Is there agreement:
3. across our organization on which customers/users have priority?
Yes
No
Not sure
4. On which of our organization's products, services, and strategies are most important?
Yes
No
Not sure
5. On the most significant challenges facing our organization's growth and survival?
Yes
No
Not sure
6. On the most significant opportunities available to our organization?
Yes
No
Not sure
7. Are people in our organization unhappy or confused about its current direction?
Yes
No
Not sure
8. Is our organization losing its reputation for:
a. quality products/services?
Yes
No
Not sure
b. innovation/creativity?
Yes
No
Not sure
c. its ability to attract and retain the best talent?
Yes
No
Not sure
9. Do you think our organization is not responding to:
a. new technology?
Yes
No
Not sure
b. socioeconomic changes?
Yes
No
Not sure
c. political changes?
Yes
No
Not sure
d. Other external changes or conditions?
Yes
No
Not sure
10. Are we losing our:
a. unique and distinctive reputation?
Yes
No
Not sure
b. sense of pride and commitment among employees?
Yes
No
Not sure
c. desire to change to remain competitive and stay at the top of our game?
Yes
No
Not sure
11. Are we faced with significant issues or problems that require a new vision?
Yes
No
Not sure
12. Where do you think we'd be in one to three years if we refuse any changes. Would you like such an outcome? Briefly summarize your thoughts:
B. Organizational Strengths
1. Consider the values that you think are part of our culture. Which of these, in your judgment, significantly influence the daily interaction/behavior of employees, for better or worse?
2. What do you consider to be our unique strengths?
Please list:
3. Do we enjoy any of these strengths significantly more than someone we perceive as a "competitor"?
Yes
No
Not sure
Please list:
4. Can you think of any current organizational traits or elements that could become future strengths?
Yes
No
Not sure
Please list:
5. As you experience us trying to implement our current strategy, do you see strengths and/or weaknesses that are underutilized?
Yes
No
Not sure
Briefly Explain:
C. Organizational Weaknesses
1. Do we have any unique weaknesses?
Yes
No
Not sure
Please list:
2. Do you think we have greater weaknesses than our "competitors"?
Yes
No
Not sure
Not applicable
Please list:
3. Do we have any current traits that may become future weaknesses?
Yes
No
Please list:
4. Do you think our current strategy requires greater competencies and/or resources than it now possesses?
