Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

download Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

of 16

Transcript of Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    1/16

    STRATEGIC PLANNINGMATURITY IN DUBAI

    Analysis of the Public Sector Survey

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    2/16

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    3/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 1

    1.Executive SummaryStrategic Planning is a critical discipline in the Public Sector and one that has been established in

    Dubai for a long time. TCO set out to measure the maturity of this discipline across organizations

    and to gauge the level of satisfaction with the process and its outcome. As a basis for our study weasked senior leaders and other strategy practitioners in Dubai a series of questions drawn from the

    TCO Strategic Planning Maturity Model.

    The model is made up of seven key factors which together contribute to a mature process and result

    in an effective strategic plan. These seven factors measure the relevance, inclusiveness, dynamism,

    understanding, measurability, assignment and inter-connectivity of the process.

    In our survey, we found that most respondents (nearly 80%) expressed satisfaction with the strategic

    planning process in their organizations. The responses overall illustrate that the process is very

    mature and that it typically results in a strategic plan that: is used as the basis for decision-making

    and is supported by all levels of the organization; represents all stakeholders; is updated periodically;is supported by research; and contains measurable performance indicators. However, survey

    responses also showed that there is still room for improvement in some areas. For example, when

    asked whether implementation of the strategic plan is cascaded to all levels of the organization,

    agreement was only 72%, and when asked whether employees understand how their work

    contributes to achieving organizational goals, the level of agreement reached only 65%.

    While attitudes were generally positive across the board, there were interesting and significant

    nuances of opinion between management levels on the strategic planning process. C-level

    Executives (Tier 1) and Mid-level Managers (Tier 3) had the highest opinion of the process (89%

    satisfaction on average, compared to 69% for non C-level Executives (Tier 2) such as Directors and

    Heads of Department). And when asked about the stakeholders involved in the strategic planning

    process, C-level Executives were far more likely to include outside organizations, citizens and other

    private actors as key stakeholders. This may indicate that interaction with these outside actors does

    not occur at all levels of the organization.

    Differences in responses were also noted between those working in the Strategy Department and

    those outside of it. Respondents outside of the Strategy Department had a slightly more favorable

    view of the maturity of the strategic planning process at almost every major point, perhaps owing to

    their relative distance from the process.

    To summarize then, we can say that strategic planning in the public sector in Dubai is a highly

    developed and robust process. It exhibits all the characteristics associated with a mature process,

    even if some of its characteristics can still be improved. In our conclusion, we have highlighted four

    areas for senior public sector managers and their strategic planning departments to consider

    improving going forward, namely: linking with critical internal departments, the collection and

    analysis of data, strategic alignment of the organization and individual performance management.

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    4/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 2

    2.Introduction to the SurveyTo better understand the current state of

    strategic planning practices in the public

    sector, TCO conducted a survey of senior

    leaders and other strategy practitioners in

    Dubai to learn how their organizations

    approach strategic planning.

    Using data collected during the survey, the

    respondents can be divided into two broad

    groups: Those playing specific strategy roles in

    an organization (typically those within the

    Strategy Department), and those in non-

    strategy roles (See Figure 1).

    Figure 1: Percent of total respondents, according to

    their role in the responding organization

    The respondents can be further categorized

    as five groups, according to their position, or

    Tier, within each organization (Figure 2):

    Tier 1: C-level Executives (i.e., Directors

    General (DGs), Assistant DGs, CEOs, etc)

    Tier 2: Non C-level Executives (i.e.,Directors and Heads of Department);

    Tier 3: Mid-level Management

    Tier 4: Senior Staff, and

    Tier 5: Staff Members

    Figure 2: Percent of total respondents, according to

    their position in the organization (i.e. Management

    Tier)

    3.Strategic Planning MaturityModel

    The survey questions were developed around

    seven key factors that make up the TCO

    Strategic Planning Maturity Model. According

    to that model, a mature strategic planning

    process should strongly exhibit these 7specific characteristics. It should be:

    Relevant (i.e., used as the basis for

    decision-making and supported by all

    levels of the organization)

    Inclusive (i.e., represent all stakeholders

    and all levels of the organization)

    Dynamic (i.e., not a static one-time

    process, but updated periodically and

    adapted to changed environmental

    circumstances) Fact-based (i.e., informed and supported

    by rigorous research and a deep

    understanding of customers)

    Measurable (i.e., contain clear and

    achievable performance indicators)

    Cascaded (i.e., cascade responsibility for

    carrying out the strategy to all levels of an

    organization)

    Connected (i.e., linked to essential

    departments within the organization,

    such as Human Resources, Budgeting, andPerformance Management)

    Strategy

    47%

    Non-

    strategy

    53%

    Tier 1, 14%

    Tier 2, 46%

    Tier 3, 32%

    Tier 4, 5%

    Tier 5, 4%

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    5/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 3

    To gauge the overall maturity of strategic

    planning, each multiple-choice response was

    given a numerical score (depending on the

    strength of agreement with the question

    statement), the scores were aggregated by

    factor to calculate an overall total for that

    factor, and then the results were plotted on a

    radar chart (Figure 3).

    Overall, the survey found that strategic

    planning is a mature and well -defined

    practice in Dubai and in most government

    entities. Particularly high results were

    recorded for several factors, indicating an

    elevated level of maturity: Relevant,

    Inclusive, and Measurable were rated very

    positively, followed only slightly behind by

    Dynamic. Scores for Fact-Based were good,

    yet below the level of the previous four

    factors, indicating there was room for

    improvement. The remaining and lowest

    scoring factors were Cascaded and

    Connected, which scored at just half the level

    of the other factors, indicating that these are

    areas that can potentially benefit fromimmediate attention.

    Figure 3: Strategic Planning Maturity Radar Chart

    These summary findings also squared with the

    perceptions of individuals: Nearly 80% of

    survey respondents declared themselves

    satisfied or very satisfied with the strategic

    planning process in their organization

    (Figure 4).

    Figure 4: Overall satisfaction with the strategic

    planning process

    Interestingly, the lowest level of satisfaction

    with the strategic planning process was found

    among Tier 2 Managers, just below the C-level

    Executives (Figure 5).

    Figure 5: Overall satisfaction with the strategic

    planning process (by Management Tier)1

    1Some Tier 4 and Tier 5 responses were

    received, but were too few to be able to

    generalize about the opinions of those

    categories

    0%

    20%

    40%

    60%

    80%

    100%Relevant

    Inclusive

    Dynamic

    Fact-BasedMeasurable

    Cascaded

    Connected

    11%

    68%

    16%

    5%

    Ver satisfied Satisfied Not so sat isfied Not at a ll sat isfied

    88%

    69%

    89%

    Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    6/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 4

    4.The Strategic PlanningProcess

    At the start of the survey, participants were

    asked questions regarding the efficiency and

    effectiveness of the process for conducting

    actual strategic planning. The overwhelming

    majority (96%) of respondents indicated that

    there was a dedicated strategic planning

    department in their organization. Those that

    answered No were working in either sub-

    units of larger entities or very small

    organizations. The average length of the

    strategic planning cycle overall was 3 years,although there appeared to be some

    confusion about that timeframe within some

    organizations: Respondents from the same

    organization often disagreed about the length

    of the same planning cycle. However,

    regardless of the specific cycle length, 86% of

    respondents claimed that their organization

    conducts a review of that strategy each year.

    Figure 6: Responses to questions regarding the nature

    of strategic planning staff

    Responses to questions posed about the staff

    that is responsible for the process indicated

    that although it is not considered easy to find

    qualified individuals in the UAE to fill strategy

    positions, the existing strategic planning staff

    was considered highly skilled by most of the

    respondents (Figure 6).

    Perhaps not surprisingly, those in the Strategy

    Department were most negative about the

    possibility of getting qualified staff with more

    than 70% of those respondents disagreeing2

    with the statement It is easy to find qualified

    individuals in the UAE to fill strategic planning

    positions in my organization, compared to

    less than 50% of non-strategy practitioners

    who disagreed with that statement.

    5.Specific Questions on theFactors

    a) The Relevance FactorBy far, the highest scoring factor was

    Relevant, indicating that the strategic plan is

    used as the basis for decision-making and that

    the strategy is supported by all levels of the

    organization. Most respondents (86%) agreed

    that new initiatives are approved based on

    their contribution to achieving the overall

    goals of the organization. 84% agreed that

    management was committed to the strategy,

    while commitment was perceived to be

    somewhat lower among employees. 88% felt

    that the strategic planning process let them

    understand clearly what role their

    2For simplicitys sake throughout this analysis,

    unless specifically noted otherwise, we will

    refer to all respondents who agreed or

    strongly agreed with a statement as having

    agreed with it, and likewise refer to those

    who disagreed or strongly disagreed as having

    disagreed.

    17%

    63%

    18%

    2%

    7%

    35%

    49%

    9%2.5 It is easy to

    find qualified

    individuals in

    the UAE to fill

    strategic

    planning

    positions in my

    organization

    2.4 The

    strategic

    planning staff

    at my

    organization

    are highly

    skilled

    Strongly AgreeAgreeDisagreeStrongly Disagree

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    7/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 5

    organization plays in achieving the broader

    Federal and Emirate strategies. There were

    certain noticeable differences here between

    the respondent groups although opinions of

    non-strategy practitioners on the relevance of

    the strategy to the operation of the

    organization were 10% higherthan the

    opinions of individuals who were actually

    working in the Strategy Departments.

    b) The Inclusiveness FactorOverall, there was strong agreement among

    the respondents that the cultures of their

    organizations do encourage strategic planningand those who have to carry out the strategy

    are actually involved in setting it. Substantial

    minorities, however, disagreed that everyone

    is encouraged to contribute to the process or

    that the strategy is always communicated well

    to stakeholders (26% and 30%, respectively).

    Respondents were also asked to identify the

    different stakeholders involved in the

    strategic planning process. On the whole,there was broad agreement that the Strategy

    Department and the senior leadership are

    closely involved in the process. Beyond this

    point, the responses diverged significantly,

    illustrating a difference in the perceptions of

    strategy and non-strategy practitioners and

    between management levels at the

    organization.

    For example, more than 80% of strategypractitioners consider employees to be a key

    stakeholder; yet only 70% of non-strategy

    practitioners do. That difference is significant.

    On the other hand, when compared to the

    opinions of the strategy group, the non-

    strategy practitioners consider every

    remaining stakeholder group to be more

    involved in the process, including residents,

    NGOs, government departments and the

    private sector (Figure 7).

    Figure 7: Difference in perception between strategy

    and non-strategy stakeholders

    When considering the differences in

    perception among tiers of management, the

    picture is even more interesting. For

    example, Tier 1 managers believe more

    strongly than the others that all stakeholders

    are involved in the process, especially

    employees (Figure 8). When considering

    NGOs and residents as stakeholders, the

    difference in perception between Tier 1 and

    Tier 3 becomes extremely divergent. Tier 1

    managers are 15 times more likely to point to

    NGOs, and almost 5 times more likely to

    point to residents than are those in Tier 3.

    One plausible explanation for this discrepancy

    could simply be the distance of these tiers

    from these external stakeholder groups. The

    higher that one rests in the hierarchy, the

    more outward looking ones focus becomes.

    This explanation is reinforced by the fact that

    Tier 2 perceptions are situated generally

    between Tier 1 and Tier 3. Some respondents

    also highlighted additional stakeholders not

    mentioned in the survey questions, such as

    Boards of Directors and International Expert

    Advisers.

    Residents

    NGOs

    Citizens

    The Private Sector

    Central Government

    Other Government

    Departments

    Employees

    The Strategy

    Departments

    Senior Leadership

    96%

    97%93%

    70%52%

    93%

    70%82%

    40%

    53%48%

    57%44%

    53%44%

    33%

    37%30%

    Non-StrategyStrategy

    Which of the following stakeholders are involved in the

    strategic planning process (Responses by Role)

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    8/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 6

    Figure 8: Differences in perception among management tiers on the stakeholders involved in strategic planning

    c) The Dynamism FactorThe recent global economic crisis has caused

    many organizations to rethink their strategies

    in light of changed circumstances. Having a

    flexible and dynamic planning process makes

    adapting to changes easier for an

    organization, and by extension also for its

    employees. It was, therefore, encouraging to

    see that 86% or respondents agreed with the

    statement, Our strategy can change quicklywhen faced with sudden environmental

    changes.

    Among strategy practitioners as a group,

    positive responses exceeded 96%! A large

    proportion of respondents (79%) also felt that

    negative performance results led quickly to an

    investigation of the problem and corrective

    actions to address it, including a rethink of the

    entire strategy, if necessary.

    Less positive, but still good, were the

    responses recorded when we asked about

    reviewing progress against the strategy with

    stakeholders and whether the strategic

    planning process adequately identified the

    risks that an organization faces (Figure 9).

    Both of these aspects support a flexible and

    adaptive strategic planning process, and the

    uncertain responses indicate that more work

    can be done in this area.

    88%

    88%

    100%

    88%

    75%

    75%

    75%

    88%

    50%

    11%

    6%

    44%

    28%

    44%

    44%

    72%

    100%

    94%

    35%

    35%

    42%

    50%

    46%

    58%

    73%

    92%

    96%

    Residents

    Citizens

    The Private Sector

    NGOs

    Other Government

    Departments

    Central Government

    Employees

    The Strategy Department

    Senior Leadership

    Which of the following stakeholders are involved in the strategic planning process

    (Responses by Management Tier)

    Tier 1

    Tier 2

    Tier 3

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    9/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 7

    Figure 9: Responses to the question The strategic

    planning process at my organization adequately

    identifies the risks we face.

    d) The Fact-Based FactorIt is well known that compiling good data

    from which to make strategic

    recommendations can be difficult in Dubai;

    indeed, more than 40% of the respondents

    agreed that this was a problem. Yet

    respondents also felt overwhelmingly that an

    absence of existing data can be somewhatcompensated for by a structured and formal

    strategic planning process that explores all

    issues thoroughly -- 91% felt that the strategic

    planning process itself helps them better

    understand what drives the issues they face.

    The net result was that 78% of respondents

    believed that their organizations were able to

    understand their customers and their needs

    well, despite the well- known absence of

    precise data.

    Respondents were also asked to identify

    which items had the most influence on

    strategic decision-making in their

    organizations. Overall, the most relevant

    items were seen to be facts and data,

    reactions to crises, and forecasts about the

    future (Figure 10).

    Figure 10: Factors influencing strategic decision-

    making

    Yet as weve seen before, the perceptions of

    the relative importance of each of the items

    varied by role and position of the individual

    doing the choosing. For example, with

    respect to external pressure from government

    decision-makers, non-strategy practitioners

    were twice as likely to see this aspect as an

    important factor as those in the strategy

    department (Figure 11). Still, there was

    unanimity of opinion among all three

    management levels on the subject (Figure 12).

    Figure 11: Difference in perception between

    practitioners on the factors that influence strategic

    decision-making

    14%

    54%

    32%

    Strongly Agree Agree Disagree

    76%

    27%

    65%

    27%

    62%

    55%

    Reaction to crises

    Political bargaining between

    powerful stakeholder groups

    Facts and data about issues

    Personal interests of individuals

    Forecasts about the future

    External pressure from government

    decision makers

    Strategic decisions in my organization are made

    based on: (Please select all that apply)

    70%

    63%

    67%

    67%

    27%

    27%

    76%

    64%

    48%

    36%

    28%

    28%

    Strategy

    Non-Strategy

    Personalinterests of

    individuals

    Political bargaining between

    powerful stakeholder groups

    External pressure from

    government decision makers

    Forecasts about the future

    Reactions to crises

    Facts and data about issues

    Strategic decisions in my organization are made based on:

    (Responses by Role)

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    10/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 8

    Conversely, a persons role in the organization

    had no impact on his or her perception of the

    role played by personal interest in strategic

    decision-making, yet Tier 2 managers were 6

    times more likely than Tier 3 Managers to see

    this point as relevant.

    Figure 12: Differences in perception among the

    management tiers on the factors that influence

    strategic decision-making

    e) The Measurable FactorThe strategic planning process should result in

    a selection of a few strategic goals for the

    organization to achieve; performance targets

    need to be defined for each of these goals

    and performance measurement systems used

    to ensure progress toward the desired

    outcomes.

    Our survey found that respondents believed

    that their organizations do an excellent job of

    defining strategic outcomes (93%),

    understanding what drives them (89%),

    choosing performance indicators (85%), and

    measuring results (81%). Opinions within the

    Strategy Department on this subject and on

    whether Performance Management is a key

    stakeholder in the process were 6% higher

    here than in the rest of the organization

    (Figure 13), probably because these activities

    represent the core competencies of the

    Strategy Department and its vision.

    Figure 13: Percent of respondents agreeing with the

    statements (by Role)

    Tier 1 managers resoundingly lent their

    support to this positive opinion, with an

    average agreement rate in response to each

    of these questions exceeding 97%!

    f) The Cascaded FactorThe results of the study become less positive

    when we move to assigning ownership of

    initiatives and cascading responsibility for

    achieving the strategy to different levels of

    the organization. While 83% of respondents

    agreed that every major initiative in the

    strategy has a clear owner, there is also a

    perception that strategic Initiatives that

    involve more than one department are not

    coordinated as well. And when asked if

    responsibility for achieving strategic

    objectives is cascaded to all levels of the

    organization, agreement fell to just 72%

    overall (Figure 14), and to 70% among actual

    strategy practitioners.

    Personal interests of

    individuals

    Politicalbargaining between

    powerful stakeholder groups

    External pressure from

    government decision makers

    Forecasts about the future

    Reaction to crises

    Facts and dataabout issues

    13%38%

    13%31%

    50%

    50%

    6%

    19%

    50%

    69%

    56%

    69%

    54%

    65%

    77%

    75%

    75%

    88%

    Tier 1

    Tier 2

    Tier 3

    Strategic decisions in my organization are made based

    on: (Responses by Management Tier)

    Our strategy defines a clear set of

    strategic outcomes for the

    organization

    We understand what drives the

    outcomes we are trying to achieve

    We are able to satisfactorily measure

    our progress as an organization

    against our s trategic outcomes

    We have selected the right

    performance indicators to measure

    progress

    Performance Management is a key

    stakeholder in the strategic planning

    process

    96%

    92%

    83%

    90%

    87%

    80%

    83%

    77%

    88%

    87%

    Non-StrategyStrategy

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    11/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 9

    Figure 14: Responses to the question: Responsibility

    for achieving strategic objectives cascades to all levels

    of the organization.

    g) The Connected FactorThe last factor we considered in the survey

    was whether the strategy is connected to the

    rest of the organization in a meaningful way.

    For example, do employees in the Budgeting

    and HR departments understand, and are

    they rewarded for, how their work

    contributes to achieving the overall strategy?

    The results in this area were the most

    problematic of all of them.

    Given the positive sentiment around the

    measurability of the strategic plan, we should

    expect that the Performance Management

    Department is considered a key stakeholder in

    a strategic planning process -- and that is

    indeed what we found: 81% of respondents

    believed so. Finance and Budgeting were

    also seen as important stakeholders, but not

    by as high a margin: this time only 72%

    agreed. And as for Human Resources, the

    picture became more mixed: fully 45% of

    respondents disagreed with the notion that

    HR is closely linked to the strategic planning

    process (Figure 15). Tier 2 managers had theleast positive perception of any on this issue.

    Figure 15: Opinion of respondents on whether HR is

    closely linked to the strategic planning process in their

    organizations.

    This result leads us finally to the questions of

    whether employees understand the role they

    play in achieving the strategic goals of their

    organization and if they are in fact rewarded

    for a positive contribution. Agreement on the

    first aspect reached only 65% among survey

    respondents, indicating that improvements

    could be made to individual performance

    management processes within organizations.

    If employees are unaware of how their work

    contributes to achieving organizational

    outcomes, they can be improved through a

    structured performance management system

    that sets goals according to the role each

    individual plays in that strategy.

    Moreover, this lack of awareness by

    employees is tightly bound to a perception

    that employees whose work does help

    achieve the strategic objectives are not

    rewarded well enough. Survey respondents

    were the least positive on this subject of any

    in the entire survey, (Figure 16), and this was

    one of only two survey questions where a

    majority of respondents disagreed with the

    statement (see Section 3: Strategic Planning

    Process for the other).

    Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly DisagreeAgree

    58%

    26%

    13%

    2%

    Strongly AgreeDisagreeAgreeStrongly Agree

    43%38%

    11%8%

    Disagree

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    12/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 10

    6.How organizational roles affect perceptions of strategic planningOne of the most interesting findings of our survey was the difference in perception that was found

    between the Strategy Department and the rest of the organization on the subject of strategic

    planning. In addition to the areas we have already discussed, the Strategy Department overall had a

    measurably less positive outlook for the overall process (Figure 17).

    Figure 17: Percent of respondents agreeing with the question (based on Role in the organization)

    This finding begs the question of whose perception is the correct one. However, perhaps the

    opinions are nothing more than a reflection of the expectations of the groups, rather than an exact

    measure of fact. Taking this approach, opinion in the Strategy Department may be lower since

    employees here begin with higher expectations. For the non-strategy practitioners, the opposite

    may be true. Whatever the cause, it is likely that the real answer lies somewhere between the twopositions.

    Employees understand how

    their work contributes to

    achieving corporate goals

    Employees are rewarded for their

    contribution to achieving the

    strategic objectives

    35%

    65%

    It is easy to find qualified individuals in the UAE to

    fill strategic planning positions in my organization

    There is a lot of good data available to accurately

    understand the current situation we face

    Employees understand how their work contributes

    to achieving corporate goals

    We hold regular meetings with stakeholders to

    review progress against the strategy

    Employeesat my organization are committed to

    the corporate strategy

    Negative performance results are used to drive

    corrective action

    Our strategy is used as a guide for management

    decision making

    How satisfied are you overall with the strategic

    planning process in your organization?

    My organization understands well our customers

    and their needs

    The culture of my organization encourages

    strategic planning

    New initiatives are approved based on their

    contribution to achieving the strategic objectives 93

    90

    87

    83

    83

    83

    80

    80

    73

    63

    53

    78

    70

    68

    74

    70

    74

    59

    56

    54

    52

    30

    Non-Strategy

    Strategy

    Figure 16: Percent of respondents agreeing with the statement

    I am satisfied with the overall strategic planning

    process in my organization

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    13/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 11

    7.RecommendationsTo summarize then, we can say that strategic planning in the public sector is a highly developed and

    robust process. It exhibits all the characteristics associated with a mature process, even if some of

    its characteristics can still be improved.

    Based on the results of our survey, we propose four recommendations for consideration to assist

    senior public sector managers and their strategic planning departments to enhance performance:

    Improve links with critical internal departments:

    The strategy department is not the only department responsible for developing a strategic plan;

    there is an entire planning value chain that includes Budgeting, Human Resources, Performance

    Management, and many other units.

    A collaborative mindset must be fostered where all concerned departments work together toalign with a common strategy to achieve the organizational objectives. Achieving this goal

    means that barriers must be broken down between departments and business units that have

    historically performed their work in isolated silos. Senior management especially has a critical

    role to play in creating this culture of collaboration.

    One successful strategy to encourage a collaborative mindset could be to develop a permanent

    Strategic Planning Advisory Committee that includes senior managers from each of the critical

    departments and meets periodically to review performance and consider new directions. This

    committee should be convened by the Strategy Department and would ensure that all voices are

    heard in the process.

    Improve the collection and analysis of data:

    Accurate information is critical to defining a successful strategy. Better data can reveal

    more information about the risks your organization faces and improve forecasting about

    the future. Trying to build a strategy in the absence of precise data carries the risk that

    your initiatives will not be the right ones.

    One immediate way to improve the collection of useful data is to bring more

    stakeholders into the planning process and enhance the interactions with them for

    example, through periodic reviews of the strategy and dialogue with outside entities.

    Household surveys are another excellent way to collect data and also include residents

    in the process at the same time. Making use of central statistical departments can

    greatly facilitate these studies. Scenario planning is another successful tool for

    forecasting and preparing for various alternatives. The data generated will ultimately

    reduce the reactive nature of strategy and allow strategic planners to place more of

    their emphasis where it belongs on planning.

    Improve strategic alignment:

    Your strategic plan should be the engine that drives the activities of your organization. The work

    of each department must be linked directly to achieving the mission of the organization. To do

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    14/16

    | Strategic Planning in the Public Sector 12

    this, the organization may need to be restructured if your strategy has changed substantially in

    the last 18 months. You cannot expect to deliver a new strategy with an old organization.

    Make sure that each strategic initiative has a clear owner, especially if the initiative spans

    departments. One effective tool for managing cross-cutting initiatives is to formalize the

    responsibilities of each department in a Memorandum of Understanding or PerformanceAgreement, and then assign one owner who is responsible for managing tasks.

    Assigning ownership of initiatives and cascading responsibility to all levels will give your

    organization better clarity of purpose that can invigorate even the oldest and most conservative

    of public sector entities.

    Improve the individual performance management process:

    Organizations are ultimately made up of individuals, not departments and business units; so in

    the end, the achievement of any strategic objectives will depend on the performance of

    individuals. If employees understand the role their work plays in the larger structure and believethat good performance will be recognized, the outcomes for the entire organization are likely to

    improve.

    Employees can be shown how their work contributes to achieving the organizational objectives

    through the application of a structured performance management system that explicitly links

    individual performance goals to specific initiatives and activities that then become a part of the

    full organizational strategy.

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    15/16

  • 8/3/2019 Strategic Planning Maturity in the Public Sector in Dubai

    16/16

    TCOs Strategic Planning Maturity Survey

    The survey took place between the 6th

    and 17th

    of June, 2010, and included more than 200

    individuals working in 31 public sector entities in Dubai, both large and small. The anonymous

    survey was conducted online in both Arabic and English, and the responses received weredivided roughly 50/50 between the two languages.

    Most of the questions were presented in multiple-choice format, allowing respondents to either

    strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. There was no option for neutral or Dont

    Know responses.

    The response rate for our survey was excellent: 60 individuals took the time to answer the

    questionnaire, and we received at least one response from more than 70% of the entities

    surveyed.

    TCOManagement Consulting is an initiative born out of the need for first-class consulting support in

    the delivery and implementation of strategic initiatives across all forms of government. We provide

    advisory services to public sector organizations in Dubai, other Emirates, and the MENA region.

    Through our precise focus on the quality of service delivery, capability development, and knowledge

    management, TCO aspires to be a Strategic Partner in Public Sector Innovation.

    This survey and White Paper were prepared by Daniel Whitehead, a Management Consultant with TCO

    based in Dubai. Daniel leads TCOs Public Sector Strategy & Policy Practice and has managed numerousstrategic planning engagements across the Middle East, Europe, and North America.

    Support for this White Paper was provided by Turan Malik, a Principal Consultant with TCO.

    For more information please contact:

    Daniel Whitehead, +971 (0)50 189 7263 or

    [email protected]

    Visit www.tcoconsulting.com to learn more about TCO

    2010 TCO. All rights Reserved.

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]