StrategyDriven

Organizational alignment to common goals suggests executive, manager, and employee motivation is largely driven by its strategic plan.  However, there are likely some additional, hidden performance drivers unintentionally created by the organization’s processes or imbedded as an integral component of the organizations’ history and culture.

When performing an organizational assessment, it is important to seek out and identify these hidden performance drivers and then to evaluate their alignment with the organization’s overarching purpose.  Likewise, it is important to understand where misalignments exist and whether or not they are resulting in behaviors detrimental to the achievement of the mission.

Hidden drivers are characterized as such because they are not the highly publicized measures of performance or operating philosophies commonly known by all members of the organization and often by stakeholders, shareholders, and the general public.  Instead, hidden drivers often go unrecognized; uniquely influencing the individuals or small groups to whom the policy, procedure, or history applies.

Hidden drivers can be in both documented and undocumented form.  Examples of documented drivers include:  performance incentive program measures, performance incentive program time horizons, policies, procedures, and individual and work group performance measures.  Undocumented influencers typically represent organizational culture and biases, including:  complacency resulting from unevaluated, repetitive, and long-standing successes; an organizational tendency to shoot the messenger, and preferential treatment given or deferment of decisions to particular business units or individuals perceived as being important.

Hidden drivers are not necessarily detrimental to the organization’s performance.  It is important, however, that they be understood and assessed to ensure business planning and execution efforts are not diminished or undermined by these influencers of behavior.

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