CUZ: ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

NDIRINGEPI
Surname
RICHARD C
First Name/s

R201716H
Student Number

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Subject

01
Assignment Number

Lecturer’s Name Dr. P. Nemashakwe

Examination Venue

23/10/23
Date Submitted

Submission (√) First Submission* √ Resubmission

Postal Address

E-Mail R201716h@cuz.ac.zw, richard@jandpsecurity.co.zw

(Work) 0242 745934

(Home)
Contact Numbers (Cell) 0789988312
Course/Intake

Declaration: I hereby declare that the assignment submitted is an original piece of work produced by myself.

Date:
23/10/23
Signature:

QN- Poor implementation has been blamed for a number of strategic failures. With the aid of
examples, discuss any five pre-requisites of successful strategy implementation (100)

Strategy implementation is the process of turning plans into action using a specified strategy.
It requires careful planning and project management skills. There are several key
prerequisites that must be met in order for it to be successful. Clear and consistent
communication and employee involvement are critical for successful strategic
implementation as everyone is involved and they must have a clear understanding of the
strategy and its goals. Adequate resources and support are essential for carrying out the
strategy and effective and committed leaders on the forefront to drive and motivate
employees to buy the strategy thus implement it. Other prerequisites to be discussed are,
continuous improvement, metrics and tracking progress and aligning the company culture to
the strategic goals. This essay shall explain each point in detail and how is aids a successful
strategy implementation.
First and foremost, clear and consistent communication is a key prerequisite for successful
strategy implementation. Any delay caused by poor communication or coordination could
create conflict between the parties and have an impact on the business and relationships
(Kumar et al, 2006). Without a shared understanding of the strategy, it's impossible for
employees to work together to achieve the company's goals. Effective communication with
different stakeholders is very critical for strategy implementation. When a new strategy is
introduced, it's important to hold meetings, distribute memos, and provide training to ensure
that everyone is on the same page. A practical example would be of Innscor Africa Limited, a
food and beverage company in Zimbabwe. Innscor implemented a new strategy to improve
efficiency and customer satisfaction. However, there was a lack of clear and consistent
communication about the strategy, which led to confusion and misunderstanding among
employees. As a result, the strategy was not implemented successfully which then shows the
importance of clear and consistent communication.
Involving employees in the strategy development and implementation process is another key
prerequisite. This gives employees a sense of ownership over the strategy, and makes them
more likely to work hard to make it a success. In support, Pitelis and Wagner (2019) pointed
that Strategic implementation improves the ability of employee to be innovative with new
idea and adaptive to sudden changes among firms. For example, when developing a new
strategy, it's a good idea to hold brainstorming sessions with employees from all levels of the
organization. This allows for a variety of perspectives to be considered, and creates a more
robust and effective strategy implementation. For example, an article by John O. Tarusarira
discusses how Zimbabwe Platinum Mines (Zimplats), a major platinum mining company in
Zimbabwe attempted to implement a new strategy to improve safety and productivity, but the
employees were not involved in the process. As a result, there was resistance to the strategy,
and it was not implemented successfully. Therefore, this is a clear indication that involvement
of employees in the strategy development and implementation process is key.

The third point is that adequate resources and support are essential for successful strategy
implementation. Without the proper resources, employees will be unable to carry out the
strategy, no matter how well-developed it is. For example, if a strategy involves investing in
new technology, it's important to make sure that the necessary funds are available. Without
the proper funding, the strategy will be doomed to failure. One example is Econet Wireless
Zimbabwe, the country's leading telecommunications company. Econet attempted to
implement a new strategy to expand its network capacity and coverage, but the strategy
required significant financial investment. However, the company did not have the necessary
financial resources, and the strategy was not implemented successfully. This example
highlights the importance of having adequate resources in place when implementing a new
strategy (Jacob S. Sabi, Journal of Management Research, 2012).

Moreover, establishing metrics and tracking progress is another vital part of successful
strategy implementation. Without clear metrics, it's impossible to measure the success of the
strategy, and make necessary adjustments. For example, a strategy that aims to increase
customer satisfaction should include metrics such as net promoter score (NPS) and customer
retention rate. With these metrics, it's possible to track the progress of the strategy and make
changes if necessary. For example, a case study by Julie Livingstone in 2009 on OK
Zimbabwe, one of the largest supermarket chains in the country implemented a new strategy
to improve customer service, but it did not have an effective system in place to track progress
and measure success. As a result, the strategy was not implemented successfully, and the
company lost a significant number of customers. In-light of the above one can safely agree
that establishing metrics and tracking progress is another vital part of successful strategy
implementation.
In Addition, continuous improvement is essential for a successful strategy implementation.
Even the most well-developed strategy can always be improved upon, and it's important to
always be looking for ways to make it better. In Quality management system of ISO
9001:2015 CONTIONOUS IMPROVEMENT is mentioned as one of the most key
prerequisites for the achievement of organizational goals. For instance, after implementing a
new strategy, it's important to hold regular meetings to review the progress and make any
necessary changes.

The company's culture must be aligned with the strategy. If the culture is not supportive of
the strategy, it will be very difficult to implement it successfully. For example, if a company
has a culture of strict hierarchy and top-down decision-making, it will be hard to implement a
strategy that relies on bottom-up innovation and creativity. Mission and Vision of the
organization must therefore be taken into consideration in the day to day running of the
business.
Another point is that the leadership must be fully committed to the strategy. If the leadership
is not fully on board, it will be difficult to get employees to buy in to the strategy. For
example, if a CEO is constantly talking about how the strategy is not working, it will be hard
to get employees to believe in it. Leader with Charisma will drive and motivate the
employees towards the attainment of organizational goals.

In a nutshell, this essay has demonstrated the importance of several key prerequisites for a
successful strategy implementation. These include clear and consistent communication,
employee involvement, adequate resources and support metrics and tracking, committed
leadership and a company culture that is aligned with the strategy among others. Failure to
meet these prerequisites can lead to problems and challenges during the strategy
implementation process as highlighted in the examples cited, however, these prerequisites
ensure co-operation, efficiency and effectiveness in strategy implementation of any
organization.

References
1. Jacob S. Sabi, Journal of Management Research, 2012.
2. Chirima, Darlington Tinashe. Strategic planning practices in manufacturing firms
operating in Zimbabwe. Diss, 2018.
3. J. O. Tarusarira, Journal of Business Management 2016.
4. Pitelis and Wagner, strategic leadership, 2019.