?How to Communicate Your Company’s Strategy Effectively ?
大衛(wèi)·蘭斯菲爾德（David Lancefield）| 文?? ?

Most people can’t recall the strategy of the organization they work for. Even the executives and managers responsible for strategy struggle, with one?study?reporting that only 28% of them could list three strategic priorities.

大多數(shù)人都不記得自己公司的戰(zhàn)略，即使是負責戰(zhàn)略的高層和管理者也很難記住。一項研究報告稱，只有28%的高管能列出三個戰(zhàn)略重點。

It’s not surprising. Many organizations don’t have a strategy. The few that do find it hard to communicate effectively, as it requires engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in different situations. They find it easier and less risky to issue?lofty purpose statements, describe big goals, launch initiatives, or publish fixed plans instead.

這并不奇怪。許多公司都沒有戰(zhàn)略。少數(shù)有戰(zhàn)略的公司會發(fā)現(xiàn)很難有效溝通戰(zhàn)略，因為這需要在不同情況下與廣泛的利益相關(guān)者接觸。與之相比，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)發(fā)表崇高的公司宣言、描述宏大目標、發(fā)起倡議或發(fā)布固定計劃更為容易，風險也更小。

Communicating strategy clearly increases the chances of an organization “winning” by helping people decide where to focus their attention, energy, resources, and capabilities. Unclear communication results in wasted effort from lack of alignment and confusion, which leads to inertia.

通過幫助人們決定將注意力、精力、資源和能力集中在哪里，戰(zhàn)略溝通顯然可以增加組織“獲勝”的機會。不清晰的溝通會因為缺乏一致性和不明確而白費力氣，從而導致惰性。

If you’re embarking on communicating your organization’s strategy, here are five ways to do it clearly.

如果你正在著手溝通公司的戰(zhàn)略，下面五種方法和具體措施可以讓你做到明確溝通。

Communicate comprehensively

多維度溝通

Communications sometimes focus on one aspect of strategy to the detriment of others. For example, they lay out how to beat the competition but forget to address how best to serve customers. Or they describe an exciting vision but leave out important details of how the organization will deliver on it. They outline the trends, dynamics, and?disruptions?but fail to clearly articulate the choices they’ve made to address them.

溝通有時會只關(guān)注了戰(zhàn)略的一個方面而犧牲了其他方面。例如，闡述了如何擊敗競爭對手，卻忘了如何最好地服務(wù)客戶?；蛘呙枋隽艘粋€激動人心的愿景，但遺漏了實現(xiàn)它的重要細節(jié)。概述了趨勢、動態(tài)和干擾因素，但沒能清楚地闡明為解決這些問題而做的選擇。

The same goes for the audience. Executives prioritize communicating with employees and investors and then forget to engage with wider stakeholders, such as regulators or community groups, until they raise questions or objections.

受眾也一樣。高管會優(yōu)先考慮與員工和投資者溝通，然后忘記了與更廣泛的利益相關(guān)者溝通，比如監(jiān)管機構(gòu)或社區(qū)團體，直到他們提出了問題或反對意見。

To combat this narrow focus, a chief of staff I worked with developed a central repository of answers to frequently asked questions about her company’s strategy and highlighted the most important ones for each stakeholder group. This better prepared her to customize the message for the audience, which increased the efficacy of the communications. She also invited colleagues to contribute. That improved not just the quality of the answers, but also the consistency of messages across the organization, as those contributors felt a greater sense of ownership.

為了克服這種狹隘的關(guān)注，和我一起工作的一位辦公室主任開發(fā)了一個中央資料庫，里面有關(guān)于組織戰(zhàn)略的常見問題的回答，并列出了對每個利益相關(guān)者群體而言最重要的問題。這讓她可以更好地為受眾定制信息做好準備，從而提高了溝通效率。她還邀請了同事們貢獻答案，不僅提高了回答質(zhì)量，還提高了整個組織信息的一致性，因為那些貢獻者有了更強的主人翁意識。

To communicate strategy comprehensively, you’ll need to:

為了全面地傳達戰(zhàn)略，你需要：

• Visualize your ambition.?To create intrigue, spark?imagination, and build excitement in a better future, focus attention on the opportunities and possibilities ahead. ( “At our best we will become…”)

• 將雄偉愿景可視化。為了激發(fā)好奇心和想象力，調(diào)動對美好未來的興奮感，可以把注意力集中在未來的機會和可能性上。(“最好的情況下，我們將成為……”)

• Describe the contribution you want to make.?Articulate the?impact?of the strategy on customers, wider stakeholders (e.g., citizens), and systems (e.g., the environment). (“We will make a significant contribution to our shareholders and the society we operate in by…”)

• 描述你想做出的貢獻。明確戰(zhàn)略對客戶、更廣泛的利益相關(guān)者(如公民)和系統(tǒng)(如環(huán)境)的影響。(“我們將通過……為我們的股東和社會做出重大貢獻?！?

• Challenge the status quo.?Encourage people to see the merits in trying a new path, overcoming personal and organizational?inertia. (“We’re not serving our customers as best we can because…”)

• 挑戰(zhàn)現(xiàn)狀。鼓勵人們看到嘗試新方式的好處，克服個人和組織惰性。(“我們沒有盡最大努力為我們的客戶提供服務(wù)，是因為……”)

• Instill belief in the organization.?Signal confidence in the organization’s ability to get there while acknowledging there will be some changes. (“We’ve shown what we’re capable of before when we’ve applied the right mindset…”)

• 在組織中灌輸信念。承認將會發(fā)生一些變化的同時，對組織實現(xiàn)目標的能力表現(xiàn)出信心。(“運用正確的思維方式時，我們展示了有能力……”)

• Focus attention on what matters.?Give people the opportunity to make the decisions they’re most capable of making about where to focus their time in line with the strategy — a process author Roger Martin calls “strategic choice chartering.” (“In my business area, we’ve chosen to focus on serving [x] customers in [these geographies] because [y] and we’ll win by being the best at [z]. The next choice is how and where to…”)

• 把注意力集中在重要的事情上。讓人們有機會做出他們最有能力做出的決定，即把時間集中在符合戰(zhàn)略的地方——流程作者羅杰·馬丁(Roger Martin)稱之為“戰(zhàn)略選擇章程”（strategic choice chartering）。(“在我的業(yè)務(wù)領(lǐng)域，我們選擇專注于為某地區(qū)的某客戶服務(wù)，因為……通過在……方面做得最好，我們將贏得勝利。下一個選擇是如何以及在哪里……”)

• Outline what will change.?Encourage people to start making changes to the way they work. (“To deliver on the strategy, we’ll need to invest in these capabilities, deploy resources in new areas, and change the way we work.”)

• 列出會改變的內(nèi)容。鼓勵人們開始改變他們的工作方式。(“為了實現(xiàn)這一戰(zhàn)略，我們需要關(guān)注提升這些能力，在新領(lǐng)域部署資源，并改變我們的工作方式。”)

• Set out the metrics.?Clarify the behaviors, activities, and outcomes that are central to the strategy and assign metrics to them. (“We will measure our success in delivering on this strategy by the following metrics at the organizational and individual levels.”)

• 設(shè)定標準。明確對戰(zhàn)略至關(guān)重要的行為、活動和結(jié)果，并明確衡量標準。(“我們將在組織和個人層面通過以下指標衡量我們在實施這一戰(zhàn)略方面的成功。”)

• Explain the thinking, logic, and evidence that supports the choices.?Build credibility and confidence in the ambition, choices, and investments. (“This strategy is based on a number of important data points and assumptions.”)

• 解釋背后的思路、邏輯和證據(jù)。在雄心、選擇和投資中建立可信度和信心。(“這一戰(zhàn)略是基于一些重要的數(shù)據(jù)點和假設(shè)?！?

• Describe the process.?Instill confidence in the way you’ve developed the strategy. (“We developed this strategy in open dialogue throughout the process, inviting ideas and suggestions.”)

• 描述過程。灌輸對你制定戰(zhàn)略的方式的信心。(“我們在整個過程中通過公開對話的方式制定了這一戰(zhàn)略，征求了各方意見和建議?！?

In most cases it’s not necessary to do this in one go. The trick is to combine the right message with the audience using the most effective medium, listening attentively to the responses and contributions and refining the communication (if not aspects of the strategy) as required; it’s certainly not a?fixed construct.

大多數(shù)情況下，沒必要一氣呵成。訣竅在于利用最有效的媒介將正確的信息與受眾結(jié)合起來，認真傾聽他們的反應和貢獻，并根據(jù)需要完善溝通；這當然不是一個固定的結(jié)構(gòu)。

Make it personal

個性化溝通

Communications often paint a corporate picture of the world that doesn’t actually convey what’s expected of the audience — or how it benefits them.

溝通往往可以描繪出一幅企業(yè)藍圖，但實際上并沒有傳達出對受眾的期望——或如何使他們受益。

Steve, a CEO I came to work with, walked off stage feeling great after presenting the new strategy to his team. The rehearsals he did had paid off. He landed all the important points and effectively included personal anecdotes and humor. Or so he thought.

我共事過的一位CEO史蒂夫，一次在向團隊介紹完新戰(zhàn)略后自我感覺良好地走下了舞臺。排練沒有白費，他抓住了所有重點，有效地運用了個人趣事和幽默感。至少他是這么認為的。

As they shared their reactions with me, I could see that the audience members were less convinced: “That was some performance,” “It’s clear what the future looks like. But I have no idea what it means for me. What should I change? How will I change?,” “How will this strategy help my career?,” “The other executive committee members were nodding, but are they truly on board?”

然而觀眾與我分享反饋時，我卻可以看出他們并不怎么買賬?！澳鞘窃诒硌??！薄拔磥砗芮逦?，但我不知道這對我意味著什么。我應該做出那些改變？我將如何改變？”“這一戰(zhàn)略會如何助力我的事業(yè)？”“其他高管都在點頭，但他們真的贊同嗎？”

Take four actions to avoid this scenario:

想要避免這一情況，可以采取四個措施：

• Show that you’re implementing the strategy yourself through the choices you make. Prioritize spending your time, attention, and energy on the activities that best enable the strategy. Talk through areas of confusion or disagreement in your team in order to build alignment and commitment. Reflect on how your decisions and words are consistent with the strategy.

• 通過切身選擇，表明你正在親身實踐這個戰(zhàn)略。優(yōu)先把你的時間、注意力和精力放在最能實現(xiàn)戰(zhàn)略的活動上。討論團隊中存在的困惑或分歧，以建立一致性和承諾。反思你的決定和話語是如何與戰(zhàn)略保持一致的。

• Describe the new activities, capabilities, and?behaviors?that enable the strategy, and establish pilots to start rolling them out.

• 描述實現(xiàn)戰(zhàn)略的新活動、能力和行為，并建立試驗點，開始推廣這些活動。

• Tackle nostalgia, fears, or?frictions?that might hold people back, such as, “We’ve tried this before and it didn’t work, so what’s different this time?” or “How can we improve our speed to market when we have to wade through so much bureaucracy?”

• 解決可能阻礙人們前進的懷舊情緒、恐懼感或摩擦。例如，“我們以前試過但行不通，這次會有什么不同呢？”或“不得不在如此多的官僚主義中艱難跋涉時，我們?nèi)绾尾拍芗涌爝M入市場的速度？”

• Help people upskill — for example, through training programs (which should include teaching people about strategy, not just their functional skillsets), coaching, or mentoring.

• 幫助員工提升技能。例如通過培訓計劃或指導提升技能，應該包括向人們傳授戰(zhàn)略，而不僅是職能技能。

Match the message to the moment

匹配信息與時機

Communicating strategy often involves long, bombastic slide presentations or brief, bland statements online. By themselves, these rarely create the excitement, engagement, advocacy, or recall required to effect change.

溝通戰(zhàn)略往往涉及冗長、夸夸其談的幻燈片演示或簡短、乏味的在線聲明。這些做法本身很少能產(chǎn)生影響變革所需的興奮、參與、倡導或回憶。

Instead, design your communication as a series of engaging and dynamic exercises — with an emphasis on brevity and clarity. This requires three steps:

相反，可以把溝通過程設(shè)計為一系列強調(diào)簡潔清晰且有吸引力的動態(tài)練習。這需要三個步驟：

• Map out the critical or “imprintable” moments?— including the people involved — where you want to communicate strategy. This could be an interview with a recruit, a pitch to investors, a board meeting, a townhall presentation, a team huddle, or a performance appraisal.

• 規(guī)劃好期望傳達戰(zhàn)略的關(guān)鍵時刻，或“可以留下深刻印象”的時刻，及相關(guān)人員。可以是面試新員工、對投資者的推介、董事會會議、對全體員工的講話、團建活動或績效評估時。

• Decide what messages you want to emphasize. If you’re with a potential partner organization, you might want to focus on the ambition and opportunity ahead, whereas with a group of managers, you’ll want to articulate the choices and changes you’ve made and encourage them to make their own.

• 決定想強調(diào)的信息。如果對方是潛在的合作伙伴，你可以把重點放在未來的愿景和機會上；如果是面對管理者，則最好闡明做出的選擇和改變，并鼓勵他們做出自己的選擇和改變。

• Select the tool or asset that best works for the people, moment, and message. For a one-on-conversation, you might use a two-minute (or even?shorter) elevator pitch, or an anecdote about the organization’s advantage. In a larger group setting, a visualization that describes elements of the strategy, or a?story?that illustrates how the organization will overcome the challenges it faces, works well. In an email, you might use a one-paragraph summary of the strategy, along with some answers to frequently-asked questions, and a personal reflection on what it means to the you.

• 選擇最適合受眾、時機和信息的工具或資產(chǎn)。在一對一談話中，你可以用兩分鐘甚至更短的電梯游說，或者講一段關(guān)于公司優(yōu)勢的趣事。面對更多受眾時，用視覺化的方式描述戰(zhàn)略元素，或者用一個故事來說明組織將如何克服挑戰(zhàn)，都會很有效。在電子郵件中，你可以用一段話來概括戰(zhàn)略，回答一些常見問題，并就戰(zhàn)略對你的意義進行個人反思。

As an example of online communication, telecommunications company BT uses a single?visual?on its website to connect purpose, ambition, values, and strategy. BP (British Petroleum) set out its strategic?narrative?in a well-written press release, while carmaker Renault presented its “Renaulation” plan in a highly visual, content-rich presentation.

在線交流的一個例子是英國電信集團(BT)在網(wǎng)站上使用視覺化方式連接了目標、雄心、價值觀和戰(zhàn)略。英國石油公司(BP)在精心撰寫的新聞稿中闡述了戰(zhàn)略，而雷諾汽車公司(Renault)則以高度視覺化、內(nèi)容豐富的演示文稿介紹了“重振”計劃。

Empower people through transparency

通過透明度賦能員工

The responsibility for communicating strategy is often?restricted?to a select few, based on two mistaken beliefs: Only the top team has responsibility for strategy and strategy is too complex for others to communicate. Information is also restricted based on two other mistaken beliefs: Too much detail will distract people and competitors will gain an advantage from knowing more about the strategy.

戰(zhàn)略溝通的責任通常被限定在少數(shù)人身上，這是基于兩個錯誤信念：只有高層團隊才有責任制定戰(zhàn)略，以及戰(zhàn)略太過復雜，其他人無法傳達。信息的限制還基于另外兩個錯誤信念：細節(jié)過多會分散人們的注意力，而競爭對手會因為了解更多戰(zhàn)略而獲得優(yōu)勢。

This approach limits the opportunity for employees, partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders to contribute to, advocate for, and deliver on the strategy. They want to hear from people they work closely with — not just the top team — and to understand the full picture.

這種方法限制了員工、合作伙伴、供應商和其他利益相關(guān)者為戰(zhàn)略做出貢獻、倡導和實踐戰(zhàn)略的機會。他們希望聽取與他們密切合作的人的意見，而不僅僅是高層團隊的意見，并了解全局。

One CFO I worked with made a point to explain on calls and in meetings how what she and her team were doing contributed to the strategy. She also encouraged people involved in the development of strategy to play a prominent role in the program of communications and to act as advocates in their daily activities. This ranged from people who contributed ideas and perspectives in?crowdsourcing events?to those who played a central role in designing the strategy (including representatives from corporate development, sales, customer service, operations, and HR).

我共事過的一位CFO在電話和會面中強調(diào)了她和團隊所做的事情對戰(zhàn)略有何貢獻。她還鼓勵參與制定戰(zhàn)略的人員在溝通計劃中發(fā)揮重要作用，并在日?；顒又谐洚敵珜д?。這些人包括在集體獻策活動中貢獻想法和觀點的人，以及在戰(zhàn)略設(shè)計中發(fā)揮核心作用的人，包括來自企業(yè)發(fā)展、銷售、客戶服務(wù)、運營和人力資源的代表。

Help people understand the strategy and make their own choices by:

以下方式可以幫助人們理解戰(zhàn)略并做出自己的選擇：

• Sharing as much of the strategy as possible, explaining the critical decisions,?assumptions?made, and uncertainties. Provide the assets and information in one place so people can select what they’re interested in.

• 盡可能多地分享戰(zhàn)略，解釋關(guān)鍵決策、做出的假設(shè)和不確定性。一站式提供資產(chǎn)和信息，方便人們選擇他們感興趣的東西。

• Describing how important decisions enable the strategy, such as a new investment, closure, restructure, or partnership.

• 描述重要決策，如新的投資、結(jié)束、重組或伙伴關(guān)系等會如何助力實現(xiàn)戰(zhàn)略。

• Communicating progress honestly.?Share?updates?on what’s working and what’s challenging and invite people to contribute ideas.

• 坦誠交流進展。分享并更新有效的措施與挑戰(zhàn)，邀請大家提出想法。

• Holding back detail wisely.?Only?restrict information?if it has the potential to overwhelm or confuse people or undermine commercial activity (e.g., a potential acquisition or new venture).

• 明智地保留細節(jié)。只有在信息有可能過多、令人困惑，或會破壞商業(yè)活動（例如潛在的收購或新的風險投資）時，才限制信息。

• Creating open channels.?Make it easy for people to?share ideas, raise challenges, and ask questions.

• 創(chuàng)建開放的渠道。讓人們?nèi)菀追窒硐敕?、提出挑?zhàn)和問題。

Repeat, listen, and refresh

重復，傾聽，再刷新

After the launch of a strategy, life often goes back to “normal” as people revert to old habits, practices, and routines — especially in many large, traditional companies. Communications fade away. Apart from the wasted effort, it leaves the organization less resilient and more susceptible to disruption.

一項戰(zhàn)略啟動后，隨著人們恢復到之前的習慣、做法和慣例，生活往往會回歸“正?！?，特別是在許多大型傳統(tǒng)公司中。溝通逐漸消失。除了浪費精力，它還會減少組織韌性，讓組織更容易受到破壞。

Strategy needs to?evolve?in a world that is more volatile and uncertain than before. Its communication, therefore, needs to be both systematic and flexible. This requires you to:

在一個更為動蕩和不確定的世界中，戰(zhàn)略需要不斷發(fā)展。因此戰(zhàn)略的溝通要系統(tǒng)又靈活。這就要求：

• Map out clear sequences of communications?with different stakeholder groups in different moments to ensure clarity and consistency of messages.?Research?suggests it takes about two months to embed a new habit, even with the best communications and incentives — so this needs to be a sustained effort and include some repetition. You’ll know it’s resonating when stakeholders start to use the same language, and, most importantly, start making their own choices about where to focus and how to work differently.

• 在不同時間與不同利益相關(guān)者群體制定明確的溝通順序，確保信息的明確性和一致性。研究表明，即使有最好的溝通和激勵措施，養(yǎng)成一種新習慣也需要兩個月的時間，所以這需要持續(xù)的努力，包括一些重復。當利益相關(guān)者開始使用同樣的語言，并且最重要的是，開始自己選擇關(guān)注的重點以及如何以不同方式工作時，你就會知道溝通正在產(chǎn)生共鳴。

• Ask questions to encourage participation?and overcome obstacles.?Think, “What can we do to accelerate the changes?” or “What can we remove to make our lives easier?” Listen carefully to the answers.

• 提出問題以鼓勵參與并克服障礙。想一想“我們可以采取哪些措施來加速改變？”或 “哪些減法可以讓我們的生活更容易？”并仔細聆聽答案。

• Monitor?weak?signals of change?within and outside the organization that should change the content and nature of communication (let alone the strategy). For example, if there’s a change in consumer sentiment or aggressive competitor activity, communications should call out the resilience of the strategy (or the reasons for changes).

• 追蹤組織內(nèi)外變化的微弱信號，這些變化會改變溝通的內(nèi)容和性質(zhì)，更不用說戰(zhàn)略。例如消費者的情緒變化，或競爭對手的激進行為發(fā)生改變，溝通就應該強調(diào)戰(zhàn)略韌性或變化原因。

• Surface and highlight success stories?to reinforce the messages, maintain interest, and build commitment.

• 突顯并強調(diào)成功案例來強化信息，保持興趣，并塑造承諾。

For too long, communicating strategy has been an afterthought. Executives have shared long, bombastic documents or withheld critical information and expected people to just “get it.” And it hasn’t worked. Greater external uncertainty, collaboration, employee anxiety, and organizational openness demands a change of approach. These five actions will improve the clarity and quality of communication, enabling people to make a more substantive and meaningful contribution to the strategy.

長久以來戰(zhàn)略溝通都是事后諸葛。高管們或分享冗長又夸大其詞的文件，或隱瞞了關(guān)鍵信息，還希望人們能“懂”。但這并不奏效。更大的外部不確定性、協(xié)作、員工焦慮和組織開放性都在要求改變溝通方法。上面五項行動將提高溝通的清晰度和質(zhì)量，使人們能夠?qū)?zhàn)略作出更實質(zhì)和有意義的貢獻。

關(guān)鍵詞：戰(zhàn)略

大衛(wèi)·蘭斯菲爾德是領(lǐng)導者的催化劑、戰(zhàn)略師和教練。他為40多位CEO和數(shù)百名高管提供過建議，是Strategy&的高級合伙人，也是倫敦商學院的客座講師。?

賈慧娟 | 譯? ? ?劉雋 | 校? ? ?孫燕 | 編輯