One important part of strategic management is the implementation of strategy. Strategy is most effectively implemented when the people involved in the operations of the business are action-oriented and operations driven. Effective strategy implementation is also a systems management activity that involves leading, motivating, organizing change, engineering business processes, and creating strong fits between strategy and how the business does things. Someone who intends to implement strategy must be able to put the strategic plan into action. He must be able to identify what needs to be done and start working on it in order for the targeted strategic and financial goals to be achieved. With all these factors involved, one can say that strategy implementation is more challenging and time consuming than developing strategy.

Strategy implementation is a tough management job as it involves a variety of managerial activities. There is also a lot of different ways to approach each and every activity involved in implementing strategy, and the whole process also requires distinct and diverse people management skills. Those who are tasked to implement strategy must also have a lot of perseverance in making a lot of waves while various initiatives are being launched. Those involved in strategy implementation must also be able to overcome their resistance to change for the whole process to be successful.

Implementing a new strategy also requires leaders to have adept managerial relationship. This is important because business leaders and executives must be at the forefront of overcoming disagreements and pockets of doubt. They must also lead their people in building a consensus on how to proceed with the various initiatives included in the strategy being implemented. Strategy implementation leaders must also secure the commitment and cooperation of all concerned parties to get all the implementation pieces in place.

In implementing strategy, concerned parties must keep in mind that every manager has an active role. There are also no 10-step checklists and few complete guidelines on the things that need to be done as strategy implementation is the most open-ended part of strategy management. During this phase, dos and don’ts are best derived from personal experiences, case studies, and anecdotal reports, no matter how inconsistent are the wisdom that they yield. This is true since each implementation situation occurs in a different context, often influenced by different business practices, competitive situations, work environments, policies, compensation incentives, and mixes of personalities and firm histories.

Just when you think you can lay back and rest during strategy implementation, think again. Strategy implementation must be approached in a rather customized way and one should not forget that it is the people who implement the strategies, not the business.