ACTION PLAN

Action Plan



Action Plan

Introduction

The Organisational Development Plan purpose is to provide clear direction for the development of the organisation over the next three years. The Plan reiterates the existing Vision, Mission, Values and Principles for the organisation. It reviews contemporary and emerging influences and endeavours to establish objectives and strategies to manage the influences; both external and internal. The Organisational Development Plan identifies four key objectives and fortysix initiatives, all designed to address issues arising from the identified internal and external influences.

Importantly the Organisational Development Plan will also serve as the basis for ongoing review and measurement of our achievements. The Organisational Development Plan must be read in conjunction with other planning documents such as the Corporate Plan and Operational Plans, but due to its currency will act as an update or refinement of these planning instruments. In due course each will be amended to ensure absolute alignment. The Organisational Development Plan is largely focussed internally and is primarily intended for operational purposes, however many of the objectives and strategies have implications for matters external.

The Three-Step Staging Process

In many companies, internal communication plans are a loose collection of seemingly random communication activities. There will be a video here, an email there, perhaps a memo to all hands, an informal employee survey, or a town hall meeting. But while these activities are indeed the activities of internal communications, results occur when these events are staged according to a simple, three-step plan.

Stage 1: Creating A State Of Awareness

In any organization, absence of communication creates a crippling environment. When there is an information void, employees make up their own. And their version is usually much worse than the truth. So, in this stage, employees are given their wakeup call. The focus is on making everyone aware of exactly what is about to be implemented, with some high level commentary on why it is important. It's a good time for sensitive bluntness.

Critical messages should be delivered by a single voice - the leader of the executive team. Employees need to know that what they are hearing comes from management's top rung.

It's important to remember that employees respond positively to truthfulness and candor. They don't usually respond at all to what they perceive as corporate hype or management puffery. You just want them to become aware of what's going to happen and why.

In each of these stages, use your full arsenal of communication instruments: the written word, creative innovations, videos, e-mail, the intranet, face time, and unique ideas like conversation pits to spread awareness.

Hold focus groups and conduct formal employee surveys to determine if people are getting this first stage message. While “cascading” the information downward, from senior executives, to mid-level managers, and finally throughout the entire organization, keep in mind that important feedback must have a path back up the corporate mountain.

Stage 2: Building An Informed Workplace

At this stage, employees need to understand why change is necessary and how everyone will get to the same place at the same ...