How do you manage group participation in strategy formulation?

In my experience of managing this process , there are several key elements required elements such as the importance of creating an inclusive and collaborative environment where all members feel comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions. Encouraging open communication and active listening among the group can foster a sense of trust and teamwork. Also establishing clear goals and objectives for the strategy formulation process, allowing the group to stay focused on the desired outcomes. Lastly, regular evaluation sessions can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the group's efforts are driving meaningful progress towards the overall strategy.

It's important to remember that a strategy does not exist in a bubble. To engage key people effectively, you must put the purpose of the strategy in context of the overall plan for your business or organisation. If people don't understand this context, the strategy will not be as effective.

Ensure your purpose is clearly understood, articulated simply, and with words familiar to the target audience. Seek inputs also to ensure early buy-in.

Consider the different roles needed in developing strategy when you are assembling the team. Some people are big picture thinkers, while others can develop the details to bring a concept to life. You’ll need a champion to push a strategy forward. That person may need to be involved in development to get invested in the project early.

Avoid diversity bias, build a diverse group functionally, in terms of experience and geography to broaden the data set from which you will pull your insights.

One of my favorite exercise is asking for answers with anonymity. I had out notecards or sticky notes and ask for people to answer questions independent of each other. Then we bring all the answers together and formulate a strategy thereafter. This addresses the tendency for group-think to contribute toward unrealistic objectives. But once the independent answers are provided, we can use them to build from.

SWOT analysis (or its variants) is NOT a tool or technique to be used within the Strategy Formulation process. The external environment is scanned, and its trends and weak signals interpreted, within the Strategic Analysis process. That includes long-ranging potential opportunities and threats. But the "strengths & weaknesses" don't make sense here and may be strongly misleading. Strategy mandates us to change what we do, or to do the same, but in significantly different ways, through other approaches and processes. In many cases, this leads to doing new activities that we never did before and requires new capabilities that we never had. How can we evaluate "strengths & weaknesses" about something that we never did or had before?

Set up a workshop with pre-reads to give background. minimize presentations and use templates and frameworks to channel conversation.

Ensure you can capture the strategic document in a 1 page summary that contains the vision, strategic KPIs, the 4-6 battlefields and key actions for each battlefield.

I think communicating the results is fine, but strategy requires narrative the reason why we should and also the risks if we don't. Often the difference of sharing and executing a strategy is making sure you answer the why it matters and whats in it for the business

then? Celebrate! Celebration is essential for successful collaboration. It recognizes team members' hard work and contributions, reinforcing their motivation to the team's success. Celebrations can take many forms, and acknowledge the progress made towards achieving the team's goals, fostering a sense of belonging and enhancing team spirit. Celebrations can also help build trust and improve communication among members, identify areas for improvement, and build resilience and a growth mindset, essential to successful collaboration. In conclusion, the importance of celebration in reinforcing collaboration and group participation cannot be overstated and should be part of any strategy formulation process.

A strategy owned only by the top will live only on the C-floor, hence useless. Involving a broader group ensures alignment, a richer plan, and higher morale.