Posts

Recommended Resource – The Accountable Organization


The Accountable Organization: Reclaiming Integrity, Restoring Trust
by John Marchica

About the Reference

The Accountable Organization: Reclaiming Integrity, Restoring Trust by John Marchica illustrates how executives and managers can build a corporate culture based on integrity, accountability, and trust. Mr. Marchica provides practical methods for building a principled organizational culture through planning, communication, leadership, conflict resolution, and risk taking.

Benefits of Using this Reference

Highly accountable organizations realize several strategic advantages, including the ability to attract and retain the best talent and to more readily recognize and seize upon emerging business opportunities, because of their more engaging and productive work environment. While these rewards are substantial, many executives and managers will not embark on the journey of creating an accountable organization because attaining and maintaining high levels of accountability is extremely difficult.

StrategyDriven contributors believe there exists an interrelationship between an organization’s strategic planning and tactical execution and its level of accountability. We like The Accountable Organization because it illustrates this relationship and provides methods for leveraging planning and execution to build a culture of accountability. Many of the best practice recommendations found on the StrategyDriven website elaborate on the actions recommended in The Accountable Organization; making this book a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Strategic Planning Warning Flag 1 – Business Unit versus Goal-Based Planning

StrategyDriven Strategic Planning Warning FlagExecutives and managers maximize their company’s value when they focus the efforts of the entire workforce on the organization’s prioritized mission goals and supporting objectives. Some executives and managers, by making the mission measurable, prioritizing those measures, and sharing accountability for identifying and executing the most value adding initiatives, ensure their workforce focuses on those activities that maximize the organization’s overall value. In other organizations, planning and/or execution shortfalls allow the pursuit of initiatives that do not optimally support mission achievement; diminishing the organization’s value creation capacity. While many factors result in misaligned focus at all levels of the organization, one in particular, the failure to align the organization’s programs, budgets, and procedures to the mission’s prioritized goals and supporting objectives is the most devastating.


Hi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.

Subscribe to the StrategyDriven Insights Library

Sign-up now for your StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription for as low as $15 / month (paid annually).

Not sure? Click here to learn more.

Buy the Article

Don’t need a subscription? Buy access to Strategic Planning Warning Flag 1 – Business Unit versus Goal-Based Planning for just $2!

Additional Information

The following StrategyDriven recommended best practices are designed to reduce the likelihood of business unit based planning while simultaneously fostering mission goal based planning:

StrategyDriven Contributors have created several illustrations to visually depict the mission to programs, budgets, and procedures alignment. The Strategic Pyramid Model highlights the alignment that should exist between an organization’s mission and its programs, budgets, and procedures. The Strategic Organizational Alignment Model reveals the typical executive and managerial responsibilities associated with identifying, reaffirming, and translating the organization’s mission into goals and objectives and then into programs, processes, and procedures.


About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Evaluation and Control Program Best Practice 1 – Data Synthesis

StrategyDriven Evaluation and Control Best PracticeEvaluation control programs must be credible in order to add meaningful value to the organization. Credibility is built not only by the quality of the data collected but also by the method by which it is collected, how it is combined, and how it is interpreted to create useful information in support of decision-making.


Hi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.

Subscribe to the StrategyDriven Insights Library

Sign-up now for your StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription for as low as $15 / month (paid annually).

Not sure? Click here to learn more.

Buy the Article

Don’t need a subscription? Buy access to Evaluation and Control Program Best Practice 1 – Data Synthesis for just $2!


About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Recommended Resource – Manager Tools

Manager Tools
by Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman

Website Address: www.Manager-Tools.com

About the Reference

Manager Tools by Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman is a weekly podcast that provides managers with the step-by-step tools and techniques for becoming more effective. Updated weekly, the Manager Tools podcasts provide insight to a broad range of topics including feedback, one-on-ones, coaching, and mentoring. Manager Tools was recognized as the best business podcast in 2006 and 2007 by Podcast Awards.

Benefits of Using this Reference

A great strategy is nothing more than a tome of good intentions until executed. The more accountable the organization and the more effective the execution of its processes the greater the likelihood the organization will achieve its mission objectives.

Professional executives and managers are responsible for establishing and reinforcing a culture of accountability and effectively leading execution of the organization’s processes. StrategyDriven contributors like Manager Tools podcasts because each of these approximately 30 minute discussions provides a clear, step-by-step method executives and managers can immediately implement to increase their organization’s accountability and their leadership effectiveness. We particularly encourage all of our readers to listen to the Manager Tools Basics podcast series focused on feedback, one-on-ones, coaching, delegating, and conducting meetings.

Many of the Manager Tools recommendations support the effective execution of StrategyDriven best practices; making Manager Tools podcasts a StrategyDriven recommended listen.

Final Thought…

The vast majority of Manager Tools content is FREE! We encourage all members of the StrategyDriven community to take a moment and visit the Manager Tools website and begin to benefit from Mike and Mark’s advice today.

Diverse Indicators

StrategyDriven Organizational Performance Measures Best PracticeA picture comprised of only one color is not a picture at all; rather, it is simply a field of color. Likewise, a single performance indicator cannot paint a picture of performance.


Hi there! This article is available to StrategyDriven Personal Business Advisor Remote Access and Dedicated Advisor clients and those who subscribe to one of the article's related categories.

If you're already a Remote Access or Dedicated Advisor client or a related category subscriber, please log in to read this article.

Not a client? We'd love to have you on board. Check out our StrategyDriven Personal Business Advisor service options.