Imagine that you approach, at random, half a dozen of your employees and ask them what they do, how it fits into the larger scheme of things, and how their work contributes to the overall accomplishment of your corporate mission and strategy. Do they know the answer? Are you satisfied that they have a clear line of sight that allows them to optimize their contribution?

Organizations are dynamic systems and, like all other systems, they function best when their components are designed to work together smoothly and efficiently. Any change an organization introduces, then, must be aligned to fit the existing system — or must modify the system to accept the change.

There are two interdependent paths moving from a broad statement of organizational mission and vision to specific organizational results. The first is strategic which emphasizes what needs to be done; The second is cultural which emphasizes how things should be done.

Organizational alignment requires compatibility between the strategic and cultural "paths," and consistency within them. Organizations have traditionally emphasized the strategic path. Most invest considerable effort in defining strategic goals and objectives. Fewer address the cultural path with clearly defined statements of values, yet the way we do things influences results fully as much as what we do.

Performance Edge works with you to plan for change and implement processes and events internal to your company or organization that improves the synergy and productivity of your people by:

• Providing them with essential information about the direction, strategy, and intended results of your organization
• Clarifying big picture connections, context, and meaning
• Facilitating individual and functional reflection and planning about change, its plans and goals, what they mean, and how they can best contribute
• Inviting feedback and dialogue about the plans and goals and what it will take to accomplish them
• Identifying and arranging key interdependencies and points of required collaboration
• Providing regular updates about progress toward goals, accomplishments, discoveries, etc.
• Ensuring that organization learning occurs