By now you are aware of our theme of this series of INSTINCT DECISION MAKING. In the last blog post we spoke about one element of the PPE of this decision making model, which is Being Pro-Active. Today we continue with the second one called planning.
PLANNING
Planning is an integral part of decision making. All decisions made outside of the planning process can be disastrous.
Merriam Webster dictionary defines planning as the act or process of making or carrying out plans with specific focus on establishing goals, policies and procedures for social or economic unit.
The above definition encompasses a lot of my assertion. As a leader your responsibility is to fully drive the process of establishing goals for your organization, policies that will govern the implementation processes and the monitoring of these processes.
Earlier I spoke about the South African government’s long-term plan, the National Development Plan 2030. Let me remind you about the three areas of focus which this plan identifies, which are Strong Leadership, Effective Governance, and Active citizenry. To effectively implement instinct decision making as a concept, lot of planning needs to be done to respond to each and every one of these three areas identified.
Organizations evolve rapidly and they are driven by new ideas. Leaders in government should ask themselves if they are ready for the roll out of this vision (NDP 2030) which now has only ten years to achieve the results. I find it slightly difficult to believe that most of the current leaders in government are ready to implement this vision in their current mindset. Many of the political appointees do not have the requisite educational, skill and administrative knowhow to position them in the right direction. Their incapacity has become very clear over the years through their comments and statements made in public, as well as how they have responded to the challenging situations which have cropped up in governance from time to time. This incapacity challenge was created by the party loyalty principle which in many ways has hindered progress. Many of these leaders are old and may not even be present in 2030. This threatens the process of continuity within government. To achieve the envisaged NDP goals, the leadership must race against time or risk to make the plan obsolete.
To have access to new ideas, it is imperative for organizations to prioritize their workforce and recruit strategically according to the various generations. There are things that leaders of organizations have to look into for them to plan accordingly to place their organizations on a trajectory of success. The following are important for leaders to look at with urgency: STAFF INTAKE, STAFF CAPACITY and POLICY IMPERATIVES. Look at the breakdown of these issues that leaders need to take into cognizance.
STAFF INTAKE
An organization that plans effectively does not just hire people, it gets guided by its current and most importantly, future needs. For an organization that aims to digitize its service offerings in a few years, its staff intake in the present becomes reflective of that direction as the organization will need people who are knowledgeable with where it is going. The marketing division of such organization should comprise of individuals who are well versed with digital and social media marketing. An organization that seeks to diversify its services in the future should recruit with that in mind in the present so that when the time to implement its new divisions comes, the new divisions will be filled up with people who are not only ready to implement, but are also already soaked into the vision and the values of the organization.
Proper and strategic staff intake provides a link between generations. It allows for better and smooth transition from one generation of employees to the other, and from one generation of leaders to the next. Does the government have such kind of transitions for the vision 2030? If yes, are those leaders inclined and ready to take over without compromising the strategic goals of the country?
STAFF CAPACITY
The workplace should be filled with capacity and potential. Every organization should make potential a buzz word in the Human Resources Department. Potential simply means possible future capacity. This means that there should be individuals who are both qualified and teachable. From time to time because of skills redundancy, some people have the relevant skills today but tomorrow those skills may become obsolete due to the demands of the time. Those who are rendered redundant at some point of the lifespan of the organization, should be ready to be capacitated for the benefit of the organization. This enables the organization to have both skilled and loyal workforce because of their understanding of the vision of the organization.
POLICY IMPERATIVES
Decision making through policies simplifies matters for the leaders and supervisors. Policy imperatives dictate how things are done in the organization to create uniformity of thought and ideas, aligned with the vision and goals of the organization. There are many policies that guide how the organization operates on a day to day. There are policies that guide the growth of the organization. There are also policies that guide how people are employed within the organization.
- Policy on minimum entry qualifications
- Policy on qualification improvement.
- Policy on skills development and retention.
Policies that guide the 21st century workplace should align with the current conditions in order to get the organization moving in the same direction as the world.
Planning is crucial for decision making. Organizations like governments, should be active in embedding planning within their normal functionality so that their decision making flows within the objectives of what they want to achieve. Prioritizing your staff intake, staff capacity and policy imperatives in your planning creates a better possibility of implementing the INSTINCT DECISION MAKING MODEL.
Thank for taking your time to go through this post, and the follow-up will be next Monday when we talk about the last element of the PPE which is EXECUTION!
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Maano Ramadwa
www.maanoramadwa.com (Powered by www.tshumelo.co.za)
