Roger Kaufman, CPT, PhD
Abstract
Mega planning has a primary focus on adding value for all stakeholders. It is realistic, practical, and ethical. Defining and then achieving sustained organizational success is possible. It relies on three basic elements:
1. A societal value-added “frame of mind” or paradigm: your perspective about your organization, people, and our world. It focuses on an agreed-upon focus on adding value to all stakeholders.
2. A shared determination and agreement on where to head and why: all people who can and might be impacted by the shared objectives must agree on purposes and results criteria,
and
3. Pragmatic and basic tools.
This article provides the basic concepts for thinking and planning Mega in order to define and deliver value to internal and external partners.
The required frame of mind for Mega thinking and planning, one’s guiding paradigm, is simple, straight forward, and sensible. It puts a primary concern on adding measurable value for external clients and society using one’s own job and organization as the vehicle. From this shared societal value-added frame[1], everything one uses, does, produces, and delivers is linked to achieve shared and agreed-upon positive societal results. This societal frame of reference, or paradigm, I call the Mega level of planning.[2]
If you are not adding value to our shared society what assurance do you have that you are not subtracting value?[i] Starting with Mega as the central focus is strategic thinking and provides the data based for strategic planning.
A central question that each and every organization should ask and answer is:
If Your Organization is the Solution, What’s the Problem?
This fundamental proposition is central to thinking and planning strategically—using a Mega focus--represents a shift from the usual focus only on oneself, individual performance improvement, and one’s organization to making certain you also add value to external clients and society.
An Overview of the Basic Concepts and Tools for Mega Planning
There are three basic guides, or templates, that will be helpful to define and achieve organizational success. Each is defined in much greater detail in several books (see the references), but for our entry into Mega Planning and strategic thinking, here is the short introduction to these three guides:
Guide One: The Organizational Elements Model (OEM) –Table 1--defines and links-aligns--what any organization uses, does, produces, and delivers with external client and societal value added. For each Element, there is an associated level of planning. Note that Strategic planning (and thinking) starts with Mega while Tactical planning starts with Macro and Operational planning at Micro.
Table 1. The five levels of results, the levels of planning, and a brief description.
|
Name of the Organizational Element |
Name of the Level of Planning and Focus |
Brief Description |
Type of Planning |
Outcomes |
Mega |
Results and their consequences for external clients and society (shared vision) |
Strategic |
Outputs |
Macro |
The results an organization can or does deliver outside of itself |
Tactical |
Products |
Micro |
The building block results that are produced within the organization |
Operational |
Processes |
Process |
The ways, means, activities, procedures, methods used internally |
|
Inputs |
Input |
The human, physical, financial resources an organization can or does use |
|
These elements are also useful for defining the basic questions every organization must ask and answer as provided in Figure 2.
Guide Three: Six Critical Success Factors. Following are what provides a vital framework of this approach and for Mega planning. Unlike conventional “critical success factors,” these are factors for successful planning, not just for the things that an organization must get done to meet its mission. These are for Mega planning, regardless of the organization.
Six Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for any organization.[ii] Six critical success factors for Mega planning (not targeted for any one organizational business but only for the planning process and concern) are shown in Table 2.
Table .2. The six critical success factors for Mega level strategic planning (and strategic thinking).
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR 1 |
|
Move out of your comfort zone - today’s paradigms- and use new and wider boundaries for thinking, planning, doing, evaluating, and continuous improvement. |
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR 2 |
|
Differentiate between ends (what) and means (how). |
|
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR 3 |
|
Use all three levels of planning and results (Mega/Outcomes; Macro/Outputs; Micro/Products). |
|
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR 4 |
Prepare all objectives - including the Ideal Vision and mission - to include precise statements of both where you are headed as well as the criteria for measuring when you have arrived. Develop “Smarter” Objectives. |
|
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR 5 |
|
Use an Ideal Vision (what kind of world, in measurable performance terms, we want for tomorrow’s child) as the underlying basis for planning and continuous improvement. |
|
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR 6 |
|
Defining “need” as a gap in results (not as insufficient levels of resources, means or methods. |
Guide Three: A six-step problem solving model, Figure 1 that includes (1.0) identifying problems based on needs, (2.0) determining detailed solution requirements and identifying (but not yet selecting) solution alternatives, (3.0) selecting solutions from among alternatives, (4.0) implementation, (5.0) evaluation and (6.0) continuous improvement (at each and every step):
Figure . The six-step problem solving process: A process for identifying and resolving problems (and identifying opportunities).