What is democratization in strategy?

When we think about democratization, we immediately assume there are political or governance connotations. Democracy is the idea of creating fairness giving power to individuals in deciding how something should operate.

We can apply this same idea to strategy. Democratizing strategy isn’t strictly doing everything by vote, but rather involving employees of an organization, across all levels and business functions, to be more involved in both strategy planning and execution. This diversity in stakeholders helps to support a more comprehensive understanding of the full scope of the strategy – before you commit.

Democratization entails being clear about what needs to be achieved and why it’s important in the context of the business. Defining your ‘why’ and including a variety of perspectives in discussions around what decisions need to be made, and how you will transform these decisions into tangible actions and outcomes, will improve internal engagement with your strategy. These discussions should also cover roles and responsibilities (encouraging a sense of personal accountability) and how adjustments will be made throughout the end-to-end execution process if required.

Why is democratization in strategy important?

Modern strategy is complex, therefore requiring modern solutions. When building a strategy, it’s crucial you aim to consider every possible eventuality – even when working with a limited amount of data. This means strategy plans can consist of myriad ideas, actions, contingencies, and parties. Working with collective yet diverse knowledge and expertise allows you to really explore the possibilities of each idea you have while simultaneously learning about its feasibility when put into practice.

A comprehensive strategy cannot be managed by one person alone. It needs multiple stakeholders, each with varying responsibilities. This ensures that those involved are accountable for their actions and driving outcomes in accordance with timescales that you have set.

How to involve more people in strategy

A practical way to involve more people in strategy is by starting with defining what information you need to build your plans. Consider the different disciplines and skills needed to make your strategy a success. From here, you can create a framework of the roles you will fill and select individuals based on your criteria.

There are also additional formal processes you can take advantage of:

Catchball

The catchball process is a technique that focuses on passing ideas and feedback back and forth. This creates dialogue between those involved, encouraging individuals to build on what they have been passed. Using catchball can help uncover insights from team members you might not usually engage, enriching the perspectives included in your planning.

W framework

The W framework is a four-step process that involves moving through different quadrants (context, plans, integration, buy-in) to help with strategy planning, particularly around alignment and resource allocation. It enables project leaders to integrate people, process, and technology throughout strategy planning and execution. The W framework assists in defining clear roles for individuals: who is responsible for what, when, and how.

What are the benefits of democratizing strategy?

Democratizing strategy will allow you to experience various benefits to improve the outcomes of your execution phase and strengthen internal alignment with the strategy.

Improved framing

By framing the problem you’re trying to solve (i.e., putting it into relevant context) you will get better clarity around the actions you need to take. The ‘why’ of your strategy will be clearly defined from the outset, creating a more convincing reason for what you’re trying to achieve. Using context (combined with diverse perspectives) will also enhance the data that’s guiding your strategy, leading to more informed decision-making, and potentially identifying new opportunities.

Focus

With a definitive reason for your strategy, you will be better positioned when allocating resources – based on skillsets and knowledge – to strategic activities. Designated activities should integrate well with an employee’s daily work so that focus is not constantly shifting elsewhere.

Engagement

Including additional team members in the planning phase means, not only do you benefit from hearing multiple perspectives and experiences, you will build greater understanding of the purpose of the strategy right from the beginning. Encouraging employees to contribute their views will improve their personal investment, while understanding the why behind their actions increases internal buy-in.

What are the challenges in democratizing strategy?

Introducing new processes to improve democratization of your strategy can also present occasional challenges. Getting the exact balance right for your organization may take trial and error, but is worth the time investment.

Too many opinions

If you involve too many opinions, this can reduce clarity in your planning – causing you to waste time that could be better focused elsewhere. This lack of clarity means there will be uncertainty around the actual plan and lead to inaction. Ensure that you are working with critical thinkers, that are able to work through this variety in perspectives, to choose the most effective next steps.

Navigating disagreements

There is also a chance that, when you bring contrasting business functions together, there will be conflicting opinions as to what is the best way for you to progress your strategy. Introducing processes alongside your strategy work, such as feedback loops, and encouraging open communication as business-as-usual should mitigate the risk of disagreements.

Conversely, when managed well, you might find that conflict will help to really work through the difficult parts of the strategy. This collaboration and opportunity to understand false assumptions can lead to stronger, more robust, solutions.

Conclusion

As modern strategies grow in complexity, leaving strategic planning and execution to only a select few individuals is no longer a viable option. Democratizing this process by involving a broad range of opinions, knowledge, and experiences will consistently lead to more informed decision-making and improved outcomes.

Diversity in strategy teams also enables you to identify new opportunities that may have been otherwise overlooked, creating strategic agility and room for contingency. Ideas between members can be challenged, using frameworks such as the catchball process, which allow you to try new ideas and find the best course of action. Variety in perspectives brings more insight to your plans and drives stronger employee engagement thanks to early involvement in the end-to-end process.

Democratizing strategy isn’t solely focused on achieving consensus, but rather a way to elevate your existing strategy processes. By creating an environment where employees feel encouraged to share their experiences and feedback on ideas, you strengthen individual accountability for their role, making it more likely that your strategic priorities turn into meaningful results.