Why Is Strategy Important to Employees?

Lack of engagement has cost the business world 8.8 trillion dollars in lost productivity. To further raise alarm: 77% of worldwide workforce members consider themselves disengaged.

Disengaged team members make mistakes, refrain from volunteering for new opportunities, and detach from the entire organization. Disengagement can spread among other vulnerable team members, leading to a much larger problem for your organization.

In contrast, when team members know and understand company strategy, they are more likely to feel engaged in their work. Engaged team members are better contributors and increase retention while reducing turnover.

Learning how to clearly and effectively communicate company strategy with team members will help build unity, foster a clear purpose, and increase engagement across your entire team.

Communicating Strategy Accomplishes Goals

Employees need to know the strategic plan for any project because it provides them with a goal. Without direction, team members may not be as productive and could be more prone to work on less essential tasks. Communicating strategy helps team members work smarter, not harder.

Having direction improves communication and collaboration among team members as well. Knowing what is expected encourages team members to efficiently progress towards their objectives. As the plan comes to fruition, everyone on the team can feel the positive effects of strategic thinking.

However, it’s not just redundancies and inefficiencies you have to worry about. As a leader, you have the responsibility to understand how being directionless will affect team morale.

When team members don’t feel they are being used to their full potential or feel like they don’t make an impact on the business, they start to disengage. Being part of a strategy and understanding the goal makes them feel part of the team. Contributors then put more effort into their work—because they’re invested.

Strategy Offers Opportunities to Develop Skills

Including team members in strategic planning gives them the opportunity to develop skills critical to the success of the company strategy. It’s an opportunity for leaders to encourage team members to grow their strategic thinking skills.

Enabling team members to work smarter, not harder, helps them develop strategic thinking at work. They can practice and apply these skills under the watchful guidance of team leadership. As they grow confident in their newly developed skills, they will take on more difficult tasks and contribute more to the team.

Encouraging strategic thinking is something that team leaders can implement on a team-wide or personal level. Learn how to ask the right questions to highlight strategic thinking in performance reviews.

Strategy Builds Company Culture

A strong company culture is one where everyone works together and shares a clear vision. It bolsters company success and keeps team members engaged. When team members lack an understanding of your company culture, they feel lost and disengaged, which can lead to miscommunication between team members and their leaders.

Including team members in strategy-building sessions is one way to help them feel invested in and engaged with company culture. As goals that they helped define are accomplished, team members can recognize the contributions of everyone in the organization to successful outcomes. As this happens, the company culture grows stronger on all levels.

Strategy Fosters a Forward-Thinking Workplace

If you want team members to feel confident in your organization’s future, you must help them picture it. Involving contributors in strategy meetings for short- and long-term goals is a simple way to achieve this.

They’ll understand the company’s direction and how it will get there. Including team members can also show them their future through potential career advancement.

Learn How to Include Team Members in Strategic Planning

If you’re concerned about a lack of team member engagement, it’s time to review how you communicate your strategy. Working with CMOE will help you effectively communicate strategy and encourage engagement. We’ve worked with a variety of industries, companies, and leaders, so we can curate the perfect service for you.

Learn more about our team strategy services today.