Strategic Public Governance at Government Level - Essay Example

Strategic management is the way of finding gaps in the current performance of the and to design, formulate and implement new steps in order to fill these gaps and to align the state all functions with the pre settled objectives. It is the method of aligning all the activities being undertaken in the state. There are many stages involved in the process of the strategic management. These steps are divided in to three broad categories: 1) Strategy formulation 2) Strategy implementation 3) Strategy evaluation The first step namely the strategy formulation involves the development of the Government mission, evaluation of the opportunities and threats faced by the state, by using tools such as SWOT analysis, examining the strengths and weaknesses of the environment faced by the state, determining the long term objectives of the state and designing the new strategies to eke in the process of achieving the new targets. It also include the processes to determine the investment direction, the public services sector needs to be addressed, extension of the operations of the state, limitations faced by the Government in order to undertake the state activities. Strategy formulation also helps the Government in deciding about the matters to be addressed on priority basis. There is not any state in the world which has unlimited resources. Therefore the states need to evaluate which projects are important and need investment. The future of a state is very much effected by the strategic decision of the Government of the state. Strategy implementation is the process of preparing the culture, stake holders motivation and resource allocation in order to eke the Government in acquiring the on going benefits for the state. The process is constituted on the implementation of supportive policies, redirecting the Governing bodies and the efforts of related stakeholders, planning the financial issues, alignment of the information system with the information needs of the departments and last but not least provisions of high level of facilities to the population. The strategy implementation stage required several actions to be taken by the Government in order to get the most of it. The successful implementation of a strategy is directly related to the ability of a Government to motivate all the stakeholders in the strategic direction and to develop a state culture to adopt the change and take it into practise. It also demands some crucial steps by the related departments. The responsible bodies should depict different qualities such as discipline, high level of commitment and motivation, leadership and enthusiasm of making things possible. Successful implementation of strategy is very important. This is the most crucial step in the whole process since it involves many factors besides the ability of governing bodies. This includes the adoption of change by all the stakeholders, their commitment levels, and the enthusiasm towards their jobs. Most often the states fail to achieve their desired targets since they fail to implement their strategies in a successful manner or fail to get support from their employees. The final stage is the strategy evaluation. After the implementation it is important for the managers to test the effectiveness of the strategy. The strategy of a state requires constant updating. With the changing conditions at national and international level it is important for a state to keep its strategy in tact with the changing environment. An out dated strategy cannot fulfil the needs of today's global environment. In order to go through the updating process the states should carry on an audit to analyse which aspect requires improvement. It also specifies what strategy is necessary to support the state operations, the information people use currently and the gaps in these functions and the goals. Most managers fail to analyse the current situation of their business and lack a sense of intuition and forecasting. Often it is also a draw back that the strategy of some states neglects the change in the functions of some important departments. It is important for a strategy to serve all the needs of departments, which require change. Through a strategy audit it becomes easier to find out which departments and operation require to be revolutionised or updating. By assessing the knowledge possessed by state about its strength and weaknesses the governing bodies can effectively take decisions in order to find the most feasible way for achieving the goal of providing the consumers with maximum satisfaction with lowest possible level of resources. It is also important to calculate the extent to which change needs to be introduced to the state. Although the identification of the problem is a big issue but the finding a solution making sense with world environment is the main purpose of change in the state. The formulation audit of the internal and external environment helps the state in formulating change strategy and the successful implementation of the change. The main purpose of the strategic management is to support states in the successful adaptation of change. The process of strategic management helps the managers to find out the answers of the above questions and designing or reshaping the strategy in order to respond to the needs of change required. These change plans are then implemented in different departments and in different phases by adjusting with the culture, environment and people of the state. With the increasing globalisation the importance of strategic management in bringing about change in the business state is also multiplied. The role of a change manager has become complex due to the multicultural workforce increasing diversity, difference in perceptions and lack of synchronisation in different departments. On the other hand the increasing expectations of customers also add to the challenges facing today's managers. According to Ajayi " Several factors such as distance time, culture, history, demographics and the internal and external forces are needed to adjust in order to undertake an effective change process." (p.51) This is impossible without planning and implementing change in a strategic manner. In order to undertake the change process effectively it is important to change the culture of state. This can be done in a strategic way by communicating with the public and making them getting over their fears regarding the change. The change applications and projects that develop those applications have always been subject to certain behavioural influences. To improve the service system and achieve the capacity and design to address the consumers' concerns, HHS agencies will consider ways to meet the needs for: Increased availability of services and supports as evidenced by Texans who are on waiting lists; Consistent eligibility requirements and definitions of services; Maximized regulatory compliance to ensure health, safety and ethical issues in treatment; Improved coordination of long-term services and supports among the HHS agencies; Addressing workforce issues such as the limited availability of a skilled, stable, labor pool to provide needed services; Self-determination in the development of individual services plans; Increased opportunities for persons with disabilities to be included in the community; Increased prevention and transition strategies - including life skills training; and Expanded dental and prescription services, supported housing, employment support and/or consumer training and education. Ajayi, O. "Leading Change," EXPRESS EXEC.COM, Capstone Publishing, United Kingdom. P. 47-51 One more mistake managers make is confusing operational effectiveness with strategy. Operational effectiveness is, in essence, extending best practices. Good operations can drive performance, Porter said, but added: "The trouble with that is it's hard to sustain. If it's a best practice, everybody will do it, too." None of this is easy, he conceded. "The real challenge of management is you have to do these things together at the same time. You have to keep up with best practices while solidifying, clarifying and enhancing your unique positions." He went on to describe key principles of strategic positioning, including a unique value proposition, a tailored value chain, clear tradeoffs in choosing what not to do, and strategic continuation, or ongoing improvement. The underpinnings of strategy are "activities that fit together and reinvigorate each other." Porter stressed that continuity is critical to successful strategy. "If you don't do it often, it's not strategy," said Porter. "If you don't pursue a direction for two or three years, it's meaningless." Leadership and Strategy Other barriers to strategy include industry conventional wisdom; labor agreements or regulations that constrain choice; inappropriate cost allocation to products or services, and rapid turnover of leadership. Increasingly, he is struck by how important leadership is to strategy. "Strategy is not something that is done in a bottom-up consensus process. The companies with really good strategy almost universally have a very strong CEO, somebody who is not afraid to lead, to make choices, to make decisions." Strategy is challenged every day, and only a strong leader can remain on course when confronted with well-intentioned ideas that would deviate from the company's strategy. "You need a leader with a lot of confidence, a lot of conviction and a leader who is really good at communication." Years ago, corporate strategy was considered a secret known only by top executives for fear competitors might use the information to their advantage, said Porter. Now it is important for everyone in the organization to understand the strategy and align everything they do with that strategy every day. Openness and clarity even help when coping with competition. "It's good for a competitor to know what the strategy is. The chances are better that the competitor will find something else to be unique at, instead of creating a zero-sum competition." Michael Porter Asks, and Answer: Why do Good Managers Set Bad Strategies Published November 01, 2006, Strategic Management, Knowledge@Wharton. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfmarticleid=1594 Read More