A Business Strategy Workshop is a process where matters of a strategic nature are tackled, worked through and resolved; where:
- participants focus on developing the best businesses response to business conditions, opportunities and challenges
- value improvement opportunities within a business or business division can be identified and addressed
It should be noted, that business strategy is quite distinct from business planning, and that a successful business plan is only as good as the strategy it is derived from. A Business Strategy Workshop is thus a vital and valuable input to the business planning process and as such should be conducted at the same frequency.
Other events such as important changes in the business environment, serious problems, market or acquisition opportunities, ownership or senior management changes can also trigger a Business Strategy Workshop.
Most well run businesses have an established communication and collaboration process where relevant matters are regularly covered. Examples of these are sales meetings, operations meetings, management meetings etc. These need to held at a frequency that makes business sense in relation to ongoing business operations. Compared to these topics, business strategy is relatively static and as such is worked far less frequently. Sometimes too infrequently or perhaps not at all.
Whilst a business strategy is usually set for the 3-5 year timeframe, you should review and update it every year (at least) to keep in sync with market, economic and competitive developments.
A Business Strategy Workshop should should focus on important matters of a longer term nature without being too distracted by non-strategic issues covered in other meetings. It is for these reasons, that most businesses use external facilitators who can keep the focus and ensure that the required outputs and results are produced within the allocated time.
The benefits of an external facilitator for your Strategic Workshop
- The facilitators experience and strategy experience will greatly enhance the value of the process and its outcomes
- With no vested interest one way or another, the facilitator will make sure you get to a satisfactory and pleasing result
- Having a facilitator will make it easy to tackle challenging or contentious issues without any personal risk
- You get guidance in terms of preparation as well as materials ahead of time to prepare the strategic team properly including:
- organisation wide survey
- leadership team interview summaries
- You will be able to participate fully in the workshop instead of having to conceive. organise or run it
When completed, the workshop will reveal a set of clear strategic recommendations that squarely address the original purpose and objectives of the workshop.
- Your team will appreciate the opportunity to collaborate and have their ideas and thoughts discussed
- You and your team will gain clarity and confidence in the knowledge that your thinking and strategic response is up to date
