Strategic Management and its Applications

This assignment delves into the crucial aspects of strategic management. It examines the process of vision integration, emphasizing the follower-centric approach. The role of effective strategic planning, barriers to its execution, and the influence of leadership are discussed. Additionally, the connection between organizational learning, competitive strategy, and performance is explored. The importance of sustainable strategic management in a global marketplace is also highlighted.

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Document Information
Unit Description ATHE Assignment Answers/ Year:2017
Unit Subject Developing Organizational Vision and
Strategic Direction
Unit Reference Unit A/615/2677
ATHE Learner Name Samer Ellaham
ATHE Learner ID 19488
Task 1
1.0 Introduction
A vision statement lays down an organization`s long term aspirations and goals clearly and in
detail. The main intention of a vision statement is to inspire and induce the workforce by
providing an image of the path and destination of the organization. It also provides a reality
checkpoint for the decision makers of the firm (Mayfield, Mayfield and Sharbrough 2015).
A vision is the future goal of an organization. It is an important aspect of the organization, which
can be used to achieve and align the organizational goals accordingly. Strategy implementation is
a challenging task and it is always not possible to implement a strategy, as there is an existence
of certain factors that tend to have a negative influence on the implementation (CIPD 2017).
This report analysis the meaning of Vision and its importance in the business. It also throws light
on how this vision created can be communicated to the stakeholders and the obstacles faced
during this communication process (Sonenshein and Dholakia 2012). The aim is also to identify
the various negative factors influencing the strategic implementation of the firm and how can a
firm combat against these.
1.1 Relationship between vision, strategic direction, and strategic planning
Very often, the mission statement and the vision statement are confused with one another.
However, this is not the case (Hartmann et al. 2012). A mission statement gives details about the
sector in which the company operates in and sets out the key purpose of the organization. It gives
1

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
precise details about how a company operates and how the employees need to play their role to
help the company in achieving its operations.
Both the vision and the mission statement comprise the strategic management process. Once the
vision and mission of the organization is clearly defined, based on them the key decision makers
can set their objectives and start the strategic planning process.
The vision of the organization which is presented in the vision statement ensures that each
element of the strategic management process is well aligned with the firm`s goals and objectives
(Stead and Stead 2013). These clearly defined visions are used to communicate their aims to the
stakeholders.
1.1.1 Roles Played by Vision
The vision statement plays a key role in:
 Communicating the objectives of the organizations to the stakeholders, - Stakeholders are
those parties which play a key role and influence the organization. Those who are able to
associate with the vision statement, tend to associate better with the company (Brzezinski
2012).
 Inform strategy development- They tend to form the bridge between mission and
strategy. They tend to help the organization in making new developments based on the
visions.
2

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Figure 1: Role of vision and mission (Source: Strategicmanagement.net. 2017)
 Develop the measurable goals and parameters, which shall help the organization,
measure its success- Vision also tends to provide a guide to the objectives portraying the
failure or success of the actions of the organization.
The main objective of a vision is to determine what the organization wishes to achieve in the
end. It is a statement or a view that expresses and organizations ultimate objective. The vision of
an organization is created by the consensus of the key decision makers. It forms a mental image
of future to which the members can relate (Kohles, Bligh and Carsten 2012).
1.1.2 Vision comprises of:
 The core ideology-which stresses on the core values and the core purpose of the
organization. It identifies the permanent character of an organization, which remains with
it until the end.
 Envisioned future- It is the futuristic goal of the organization. It is a detailed description
of the main achievement of the organization
3

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
A good vision is extremely important because:
 it is inspiring and motivating
 It provides a common sense of purpose to the members
 It is unique and competitive
 It fosters creativity and risk taking
 It concentrates on long term thinking
 It represents the integrity of the members.
In simple terms, a vision can be used to send out the message regarding what the
organization stands for and the key principles that guide them to make strategic decisions
(Rothaermel 2015).
1.1.3 Examples
The vision of China Telecom is to place the consumer first and the service which it provides,
foremost. They achieve this goal by providing premium quality telecommunication services,
which are backed by the unbeatable reliability and security; their teams are committed and
attentive. They have a unique approach to provide extraordinary solutions and technical support.
Their main objective is to satisfy the customers.
The telecom company in Namibia named Telecom Namibia has set its vision on the aim to
become Namibia`s most used, high performance information communication technology
provider of world class standards.
Cellnex telecom in Europe has a highly effective team with a workforce of 1300. Their vision is
to become the European leader in telecommunications infrastructure solutions.
Thuraya telecommunications company`s vision is to become the preferred provider of unified
connectivity.
Huawei`s mission statement is to build a company which turns out to become an integral part of
Canada`s information and communications technology ecosystem thus reflecting their
commitment to Canada (Huawei 2017). They have invested huge amount of money in Research
4

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
and Development and partnered with leading research institutions throughout Canada and aims
to become Canada`s top ICT company.
Saudi Information Technology co. Ltd`s vision statement is to become the premier IT Company
in Saudi Arabia, thus providing world class solutions to our customers, meeting their needs and
serve them beyond their expectations (Sit.com.sa 2017). They want to benefit the communities in
which they operate to deliver superior returns to the investors.
1.2 Factors affecting the Vision of the Organization
There are four main factors affecting the vision of the organization are Ideology, Purpose, Core
values and the Leadership (Rothaermel 2015).
 The ideology elaborates on the belief system and the enduring characteristic of the
organization. It controls and inspires the vision of the organization. It is the spirit and
soul of the firm. A sound ideology leads towards a clear vision.
 The purpose is the main reason of existence of a firm. It captures the soul of the firm and
provides the basis for a clear vision (Strategicmanagement.net. 2017). A purpose is
ideology driven.
 The core values are the universal framework of behavior of an organization. They tend to
justify the reason behind existence of an organization.
 Leadership tends to have an influence on the spirit, direction and discipline of an
organization. Actual leadership is driven by purpose, ideology and core values.
Other factors also influencing the formation of Vision include:
 Organizational Direction- Organizational Direction also tends to have an impact on the
set vision of an organization. The direction, which an organization aims to lead into,
tends to affect the vision of the organization.
 Competitors- Competitor Vision has a major influence on the vision of the company. The
competitor often tends to provide a source of inspiration for the company and they
understand which points to avoid while engaging in the formation of a vision.
5

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
 Socio-Ethical- The socio-ethical condition of a country also tends to have an impact on
the vision of the organization. Many organizations aim to serve an organization and
therefore, tend to affect the thinkers.
 Political- The political scenario of a country also affects the vision for example , the
Saudization regulation in Saudi Arabia will influence the vision of local service
companies in Saudi that relay mainly on Human resources in generating the company’s
revenue
1.3 Building a Support of Organization`s Vision and Strategic decisions.
It is extremely important for any firm to have a clear and sustainable vision, which has been
described as a statement that guides the chief decision makers, managers and the employees in
working towards a similar goal. The primary question asked by a vision statement is to define
and determine what the business wants to become. It is not a lengthy statement but usually a one
line which is clear and a memorable statement that expresses the company`s long term
placement. Since money rewards are successful in motivating the employees partly, the vision
statement tends to increase their motivation (Managementhelp.org 2017).Explaining to
employees and keeping them well informed also helps them understand the vision. Once they
bond with the vision, they may become ambassadors of their company. An organization may also
connect to consumers and they may become ambassadors. Word of the mouth is usually positive
and does not cost much. Uber is an example of drivers and customers sharing positive
information about the company. With Google and Facebook many click are needed until one
really results in purchase, while recommendations from friends and family (which cost nothing)
usually drive people more easily to purchase. LEGO is also the company which employees even
brand ambassadors (people who on social media represent values of the company).
Vision is the aim goal of the company. The vision of a company plays a key role in formulation
and strategic planning. The strategic planning is based on the goals laid down in the vision of the
company. It is to achieve this goal laid down that the whole them of strategic planning is
directed. A vision tends to influence the workers as well as the decision makers in an
6

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
organization to work even harder. It helps them in constantly reminding themselves what the
organization aims to do and what they are supposed to do in case they lose the path.
The successful implementation of this strategic planning guides the organizations towards its
strategic direction. The strategic direction is the main direction, which the company should be
adopting towards the path to its main goal. A strategic direction is extremely important for any
organization. It aims to lay down the path, which the organization can follow. Hence, these three
terms are interlinked.
Additionally, the statement also indicates the required resources, skills and competencies are
required to achieve the future objectives of the firm. In this manner, it guides the decision-
making and resource allocation more effectively and efficiently (Managers.org.uk. 2017).
1.4 Vision for the company- Hi-tech
To excel in the field of Software programming by 2025 by delivering creative
solutions toward gaining mass popularity.
Rationale
This vision was achieved by considering the other visions of top Software
programming companies. As Hi-Tech is a new company in the industry, in
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in order to determine its vision, it need to analyze
first many competitors’ or companions vision statements and their
understanding of how to reach their targets.
As a first step: Hi-tech determines its main purpose of existence: to be
excellent in software programming, after that, the period of the organization
spent in small-medium size segments of local market must be considered.
The list of achievements of the organization must be considered accordingly.
After the above-mentioned steps have been taken then various ideas from
various stakeholders can be taken, and a vision statement can be formed.
1.5 Strategic direction determined for the Hi-tech, based
on its vision.
7

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
A strategic direction defines the course of actions to be taken by the
organization to achieve its goals. The role of Hi-Tech is to achieve in the
field of Software programming by developing some creative solutions that
reflect values to customers then gaining mass popularity accordingly.
Hence, the course of actions to be taken by the company is as follows:
1. Engaging in providing quality services
2. Divide the market into segments
3. Analyze the pain points and values of customers within relative
segments.
4. Use customized advertisement techniques for each segment to gain
popularity
5. Provide up-to-date and optimum programming solutions that fit with
related segments.
6. Conduct seminars and workshops to spread awareness regarding the
advantages of using programming solutions in business and other
activities.
The time to realize the vision is until 2025. The organization is primarily
based in KSA, and is organized around different projects. Each team is
responsible for one project and they report to the manager in terms of
planning and execution of activities. Team meetings are frequent, but more
frequent are informal chats in very modern and relaxed environment in
offices. Employees are male and they engage in activities even outside
working hours. This is a way for them to build team spirit. Working from
home is practiced, as well as, flexible working time. Results are what counts
and the manager do not impose strict working hours. Employees are
motivated through various ways: salary, bonuses, free days, training, and
promotion.
8

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Task 2
2.1 Creating a shared vision for an organization
In order to involve the whole organization in creating vision for the
organization, the following steps must be taken:
1. Deciding the participants: The people who will be involved in the
process should be determined. Generally, it involves all the
stakeholders of the organization. Team members and key stakeholders
can contribute in implementation of the shared vision (Wheelen 2012).
The directors of Hi-Tech should identify the key stakeholders and get
the task started.
2. Proper timings must be allocated to encompassing the shared vision.
The shared vision is the primary goal of the organization and hence it
should be given proper time and schedule.
3. The meeting should be prepared for well in advance. The relevant
documents should be gathered and sent out so that the stakeholders
can prepare their schedule well in advance. The various stakeholders
of Hi-Tech should be informed. Conducting a follow-up will also be a
great idea to make sure that people understood their roles and did
their pre-work
4. The next step involves setting of the stage. In the beginning of the
meeting, the required agenda, process, ground rules and outcome
must be reviewed. Once the base is set, the flow takes place on its own
(Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson 2012).
5. If the directors of Hi-Tech want a full participation, they must ensure
creativity and efficiency. A trained facilitator may help in this, or the
directors can plan it out on his or her own.
9

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Time should not be wasted in writing the vision statement. The firm must
spend the valuable time of the stakeholders and directors in discussing a
shared vision. The vision statement can be viewed later. The leaders can do
it themselves or ask some manager to do it.
Not everyone will agree to the shared vision. Some who will disagree must
be dealt with separately (Wilson and Gilligan 2012). Their problems must
also be addressed, and they could be dealt with privately and made sure by
the Directors of Data Track that they are committed to the vision discussed.
Once the vision statement has been drafted, another meeting should be
held, and the statement must be reviewed.
There will be some stakeholders who have not been able to attend the
meeting. Hi-Tech should make sure that the vision statement is shared with
them as well. They may be suppliers, customers and peers. This time may be
used to get some additional input, making the statement better and gain a
larger support.
In order to get their vision statement into action, the vision should be
communicated, thereby making it a reality. This communication may require
another meeting and Hi-Tech must do this well in advance to ensure that all
the stakeholders and partners are involved in the process of bringing the
vision to life (Short et al. 2013).
When following this method, the team members and stakeholders become
more involved. This shared vision helps inspire alignment, commitment and
ownership.
Next, we shall review how this shared vision must be communicated to the
stakeholders.
2.2 Communicating the Vision to the Stakeholders
10

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
One of the most essential elements in stakeholder communications is to identify the medium of
communication and make relevant use of the target market concept.
Following are certain communication approaches that may help Hi-Tech in effectively reaching
out to employees and other stakeholders.
2.2.1 The message should be kept simple but must have a deep effect. This
tends to have an influence on the decision-making, strategy and
behavior at higher levels. Strategy specific messages linked to the
purpose of the organization help in connecting with the employees and
harness their efforts.
2.2.2 In order to make the stakeholders understand the vision and strategy,
they need to be made aware of the market realities. The realities
should be conveyed properly so that the stakeholders can be
influenced. Internal campaigns, which are based on those realities, can
help bringing the strategy to life (Cassidy 2016). Easy formats must be
applied to bring in the different teams together and gain the
understanding
2.2.3 A proper framework must be applied and the important messages that
need to be adhered to first must be sequenced and prioritized.
2.2.4 The competitors of the company utilize emails and visual aids as a
mean of communication. They tend to send out emails quite often and
constantly aim to make them aware of the different events in a
company and their outcomes.
2.3 Challenges faced while communication of the vision
Communicating to a large and complex group of stakeholders is a challenging task. The
challenges that come in way of the vision communication are given below:
2.3.1 Quantity- When dealing with a large set of information, it becomes difficult to
distinguish between important and unimportant data (Albrecht 2013). The most important
information regarding a company is often given in the emails, newsletters and
11

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
newspapers, which people often tend to ignore. Thus, the stakeholders might not think of
emails as an important medium and ignore important data.
2.3.2 Size- The size of the organization also matters. Hi-Tech is a new company and hence
may not have many stakeholders. However, companies, which have a large group of
stakeholders, perform in an environment, which is complex, and it is often not possible to
reach out to all the stakeholders (Haines 2016).
2.3.3 Relevance- Very often the stakeholders tend not to take a message very seriously and
ignore relevant messages.
2.3.4 Accountability— the employees in charge of carrying forward the message of the
organization to the stakeholder, may sometimes fail to forward the message and thus
create a misunderstanding between the company and the stakeholders.
2.3.5 Culture—Sometimes there might be cultural differences between the stakeholders and
the company. This difference tends to form a gap between the stakeholders and the vision
of the organization.
These obstacles in communicating the vision with the stakeholders are real; however, they can be
easily overcome. (Santos-Vijande, López-Sánchez and Trespalacios 2012). The directors of the
company very often fail to communicate with the organization stakeholders and lack
transparency. In democratic leadership environment, as that of Hi tech, there is a possibility to
communicate the vision and to have employees follow the leader who only sets major directions
and let employees develop their projects. External stakeholders are informed about the vision and
as a young company; HiTech takes good care of having the vision and strategy aligned with
regulations, trends in the society, local culture and development of the industry. It is important to
have such communication with external stakeholders, as to stress on major points and remind the
stakeholders of their advantages in dealing with the company (Karim and Arif-Uz-Zaman 2013).
Many competitors often face a problem when their messages are not understood clearly. If a
message is not transmitted clearly then it may lead to a lot of problems and miscommunication
between the stakeholders and the company. Therefore, it should be seen to it that unlike some of
its competitors, the company should make sure that its messages are transmitted clearly.
2.4 Communication plan for Hi-Tech
12

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
The company needs to convince its vision and strategic direction to the external as well as
internal stakeholders. Therefore, the plan to do so is given below:
Task 3
3.1 Implementing the vision and strategic direction-
Handout
Strategy implementation is a term used to describe the activities within a
workplace or organization to manage the activities associated with the
delivery of strategic plan. Strategic implementation can be described as
activities that take place in an organization or activities, which are performed
in order to deliver a strategic plan (Santos-Vijande, López-Sánche and
Trespalacios 2012).
Just the planning phase is not enough; the strategies must be implemented
as well in order to achieve the vision of the organization. The organization`s
vision has been developed after discussion with the organization`s
stakeholders. This vision is supporting the strategy and values of the
organization.
The vision statement of Data Track has been developed as to become
popular among large mass of population (Rummler and Brache 2012).
However, just forming the vision statement is not enough. The real work
begins after the plan has been formed. Before implementing, it is as stated
important for the leader to understand his role.
13

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
3.2.1 Steps to successful strategy implementation
1. Align your initiatives
In order to achieve the vision of the organization a new set of strategies
outlining the new priorities of the organization. Every activity of the
organization must be aligned with the new strategies that have been
planned to achieve the vision of the firm (Sonenshein and Dholakia 2012).
Data Track can alter its existing activities and align them with the plans so
that they can work towards the achievement of the goals of the organization.
A good method of doing this is to adopt a strategic value measurement role
for both existing and new initiatives. These initiatives should be compared
and analyzed against their value in strategy and impact on the organization.
A scorecard can be developed by Hi-Tech that can measure the initiatives of
the organization against a scorecard, which helps in highlighting the
priorities of the firm, and ensure each initiative is relevant (Iyamu 2012).
2. Align budgets & performance
The budgets also need to be aligned with the requirements, which help in
achievement of the company. Same way the performance of the organization
also needs to be aligned with the strategy. The measures of performance
should be placed against the goals. The jobs of all the staff will have an
impact on the strategy. It must be ensured that the employees are aware of
their roles. Data Track can also link performance incentives to the
performance against strategy.
3. Structure follows strategy
The structure of the organization may also need to be altered in favor of the
strategy of the organization. In case, the structure is already assigned (Latif
et al. 2013). In cases where they are not aligned, proper steps must be taken
to make them one with the vision of the organization.
14

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
4. Engaging Staff
The staff can be described as the bloodline of the organization hence; their
engagement is of supreme importance. If the staff and stakeholders do not
understand the strategy then, the strategy will fail. Therefore, they must be
engaged in the following manner:
Humans are very often resistant to change. It does not matter whether the
strategy is enlightening and inspiring, staff may not be prepared to adapt the
change. Hurdles like cognitive, motivation, political hurdle and
resource. These hurdles must be understood so that they can be overcome
(Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson 2012). They must include no just the team
members but also the influential employees. It has been proven that some of
the best ideas come from employees and not from the executive team.
Regular communications must be made with the employees and it must be
insured that they understand their role in delivering the strategic vision.
Updates must be given to them and it should be made a point to engage
them emotionally with the firm. The employees also need to be made aware
of their expectation. It is the duty of the individual to understand their fun
action in proper implementation of the strategy.
5. Monitor and Adapt
A strategy must be a living being. The strategies must be adaptable to the
various changes that take place in the global environment. The strategy
meetings muss is held regularly where the important aspects are discussed
(Chang 2016). A full review needs to be made at least one a year. The vision
of the organization is owned but the organization and hence it must be
continuously monitored. The strategy has to be a pillar against which the
organization functions.
Only when all the steps are taken, the organization can grow and be
productive.
15

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
3.2 Role of leadership in promoting vision and strategic
direction-Handout
Vision can be described as the core of leadership and forms the heart of
strategy. It is the sole job of a leader to create the vision for the organization
in a manner that will affect the energies of the people positively. A vision
must be tied to what an organization values the most and this is the main job
of the leader, he must make this connection in a mannerism, which the
company can understand, and support (Northouse 2015). Vision looks
towards the future and moves the enterprise.
The leader engages in the task of distinguishing between the vision and the
mission of the organization and articulates upon the existence of the
enterprise.
The leadership can take up the following steps to promote the achievement
of organizational vision:
Set goals and objectives:
Visions need to be achieved by a set of goals and objectives. It is the duty of
the leader to arrive at this vision, which calls for a disciplined thinking in
order to throw light on the focus of the organization. Great leaders tend to
focus their firms towards the right path and a single great idea of success
(Hargreaves and Fink 2012). They tend to highlight their primary focus on
what they can do the best, which economic denominator drives their
business and the most cared about aspect of the business. It is the duty of
the leader to ask these questions.
The leader also needs to set up goals for the organization. The goal for which
the attainment cannot be measured is deemed to be worthless. It is the job
of a leader to make the goals, which are measurable effective by building
incentive schemes for attainment. These incentives induce goal-attaining
behavior among employees.
16

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Creating a Strategy:
The leader must also be responsible for creating the strategy. Once the
leader takes a strategic position, it means that there will be a tradeoff with
other positions. Various choices need to be made in order to prioritize the
tasks to be done and not to be done. The leader has to be the one doing so
(Antonakis and Day 2017). It also comes under the duty of the leader that to
make sure that the new employees, the stakeholders and also the
management are at par with the decisions and the strategic planning. It is
important to take a strategic position to create value and deliver inside as
well as outside the organization.
Executing the Strategy:
Once the strategies have been formulated, it is the job of the leader to
implement the chosen strategy. While the plan involves the execution of
various activities, the task of a leader is to carry out everything at par with
the core strategy of the organization.
The leader must root the strategy deep into the organization and choose a
good team, assign the right roles and let the team make other strategic
decisions and moves. The organization structure should be kept flexible so
that the decisions can be made without wasting any time
Evaluating Performance:
The various employs have already played their role. However, it is important
that the strategy of the firm is kept alive by keeping the leadership agile
(Carmeli Tishler and Edmondson 2012). The leader has to realize that the
best strategies decay with time and that they need to be renewed and re-
invented. Astute leaders must be open to all possibilities in order to
accurately and honestly appraise strategy as and when it occurs.
Leadership is also important in making sure that there is an adequate supply
of options that can be harnessed into full-fledged strategies and needs to be
17

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
replaced with the decaying one. The more a leader will be able to display
more strategies, the more resilient the firm will be in the times of change
(Kouzes 2017). An active leader must nurture this process of renewal and
replacing decay.
However, the leader must also understand that all changes will take place
gradually and that it should not be the case where changes are forced to be
taken place fast. Very often it also happens that a leader`s onus may change
over time and hence, as stated earlier the action plan needs to be re-
evaluated (Adair 2017).
A good leader is one that lays down a strategy that people will accept out of
trust and he also makes sure everyone is aware of the strategy. A manager
with a good leadership skill makes sure that the strategy of the firm builds
long term benefit for all of the company`s stakeholders who are the
shareholders, customers and employees.
3.3 Negative factors affecting organization`s vision
3.3.1 Negative Factors
Following negative factors can be considered in this regard:
 Relationships among different departments and different strategy
levels- Very often, relationships between the departments are not very
healthy and they do not want to corporate with one another. This non-
cooperation from the side of the employees tends to become a
hindrance in the way of strategy implementation.
 Executors- Many times the executors have a negative impact on the
implementation strategy too. They want to fulfill their own goals and
hence tend to become a barrier in the fulfillment of the strategies.
18

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
 Communication- Very often there are communication barriers, where
the strategies are communicated successfully and tend to affect the
execution of strategies.
 Commitment- When there is a lack of commitment from the side of the
stakeholders or the customers, then the strategy implementation
process may fail
 Organizational Structure & Administrative Systems- Very often the
organizational structure is very rigid and cannot adapt to the changes
required in the implementation of the strategy (Managementhelp.org
2017).
3.3.2 Response to negative factors
Political Factors: The political environment of Saudi Arabia may affect the business of the IT
Industry in the sense that the policies which are made by the government can impact the industry
and its subsidiaries. The government can use the help of these industries to prevent crime. The
government is responsible for forming the taxation policies and aims to earn good revenue from
the particular industry. Hence, this tends to reduce the profits of the firm. Companies like
Cellnex have been affected by the and their revenue stream has been affected by these policies.
Thuraya, Huawei, Namibia Technology and Saudi Information technology.
Economical Factors- the IT industry is one of the strongest industries in KSA, with the
promotion of digitalization, the use of technology has become more relevant and therefore, this
has bought upon good changes for various companies like Huawei and Namibia Technology.
The income tax collection and payment has become easier with the invasion off technology.
Therefore, this has bought upon good business for the industry and the companies as a whole
Social Factors- The industry has been propospering because of the increased use of social media.
Companies like Saudi Technologies and Hi-Tech and others have been doing well because of
this.
19

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Technological Factors- The technology keeps on updating and that is why the various companies
need to abide by these updates and perform well. Companies like Cellnex in Arabia and Africa
region have been affected hugely because they were unable to update with the latest technology.
Hence, Hi-Tech also needs to update its technology on time to meet the environment
requirements.
Environmental Factors- Green technology is an upcoming concept which has become extremely
common. The use of It equipments and others have threatened the balance of the environment.
There are various laws which companies like Hi-Tech need to abide by in order to ensure
sustainable balance. If not taken seriously, the operations of the firm shall be affected.
Legal Factors- as the IT industry has been growing t a tremendous rate, there are various rules
and regulations with which the companies like Huawei, Hi-Tech, Cellnex need to abide by these
laws. Sometimes these laws tend to ham per the operations of the industries. Cyber crime is also
quite common.
The organization needs to respond to the factors in a manner so that they
cannot disrupt the main goal of the organization. First of all, the organization
can respond to these factors by estimating them in the initial planning
phase. It is important to understand during that time that which party`s
agreement is most relevant and which party is unwilling to commit.
Once this is decided upon, the aim of the organization should be to reach a
consensus. A consensus between various needs of the employees must be
made and these needs must be examined carefully. Only when a proper
consensus between the various needs of different stakeholders has been
achieved, then the implementation phase should begin
(Strategicmanagement.net. 2017).
There are various methods available to estimate the existence of these
factors and planning for combating against these ill factors
Environmental Analysis should be conducted to estimate these factors.
External environmental factors should be done using PESTLE Analysis which
20

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
examines the Political, economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Legal and
environmental aspects of the business environment. Once these factors are
analyzed, the organization can also be prepared to face the challenges and
adapt accordingly.
Internal environmental analysis, which examines the environment within the
firm, can be done using SWOT analysis. In this manner, all the threats to the
proper implementation of the strategy must be conducted and changes must
adapt to (Managers.org.uk. 2017).
The primary strength o the company lies in its ability to update to the latest
technology; this can affect the vision in the sense that it will be able to
become a market leader in the future. This can impact the vision in the
sense that the vision can become clearer. The opportunities of the industry
like expansion to every sector may affect it strategic direction and guide it in
the sense where the company needs to go.
Data Track in order to respond to the negative changes affecting their
strategic implementation by proper planning in the initial stage of the
business. They can conduct PESTLE Analysis in order to analyses the threats
that are arising from the external environment of the business. These threats
could be changes in the rules and regulations relating to the ICT domain, or
the rise of a new competitor.
It can also conduct an internal analysis to determine the existence of the
threats beforehand.
Even after this analysis, in cases where the negative factors continue to
affect the business of Data Track, the senior management can conduct
meetings and talk to the parties involved in private to deal with the issues so
that it can achieve its vision successfully.
3.4Embedding organizational vision in an organization
21

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
If not all the employees of the firm are attached to the vision, the future of the firm comes in
danger. First of all, the vision statement needs to be clear and relevant. Therefore, to embed the
vision into the organizational structure the following steps have to be taken:
1. Communicate relentlessly: The stakeholders need to be communicated with
continuously so that it becomes their motto also. The vision needs to be laid down in their
subconscious mind. Like Cellnex company has the policy of communicating
continuously to its employees in order to make sure that the vision is embedded.
2. Involve the management: The top management needs to involve in the daily activities of
the firm. They need to be the developers of the vision. Huawei and Saudi Technology
also make sure that the management is greatly involved and works well for the
organization.
3. Hire passionate people: People are the backbone of any organization. Therefore, it is
extremely important to hire people who work for the achievement of the organizational
vision as their own. Namibia Technology has the aim of hiring people who will
contribute to the strategic direction of the company.
Out of all these methods, hiring passionate people is the best step of the organization like
Hi-Tech because people actually contribute to the welfare of the organization and the
firm.
4.0-Conclusion
In order form support for the organization`s vision, the vision should not be a selfish motive but
comprise of the decision of the organization as a whole. Before a company begins, they should
conduct meetings with the whole organizations to foster creativity. Agreement on what is
essential and to capture the key words must be decided upon clearly. The purpose of the whole
team as a whole and also the organization must be considered when forming a vision. This will
help in gaining support for the vision. Thus, the responsibility of the communication lies on both
the sides. The managers of the organization must make sure, take time away from their busy
schedules, and make sure that they communicate their developments, reasoning and decisions
22

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
regarding the organization on a daily basis. On the other side, the employees and stakeholders
should also take these communications seriously and consider them important thereby playing
their role in the development of the organization. As stated earlier, a vision is not a selfish
motive but a shared goal of the organization it is the work of the entire organization and thus t is
essential to align all the stakeholders to the shared vision of the organization. Therefore, the
external environment as well as the internal environment of a firm must be analyzed carefully
before taking any important decisions regarding the implementation of a strategy. Appropriate
measures need to be adopted to analyze the two environments.
23

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
5.0 References
Adair, J. ,2017. How to Grow Leaders: The Seven Key Principles of Effective Leadership
Development. Kogan Page.
Albrecht’s, L., 2013. Reframing strategic spatial planning by using a coproduction
perspective. Planning Theory, 12(1), pp.46-63.
Antonakis, J. and Day, D.V. eds., 2017. The nature of leadership. Sage publications.
Brzezinski, Z., 2012. Strategic vision: America and the crisis of global power. Basic Books.
Carmeli, A., Tishler, A. and Edmondson, A.C., 2012. CEO relational leadership and strategic
decision quality in top management teams: The role of team trust and learning from
failure. Strategic Organization, 10(1), pp.31-54.
Cassidy, A., 2016. A practical guide to information systems strategic planning. CRC press.
Chang, J.F., 2016. Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. CRC
Press.
CIPD., 2017. CIPD The Professional Body for Human Resources and People Development.
[online] Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk [Accessed 23 Nov. 2017].
Haines, S., 2016. The systems thinking approach to strategic planning and management. CRC
Press.
Hargreaves, A. and Fink, D., 2012. Sustainable leadership(Vol. 6). John Wiley & Sons.
Hartmann, T., Van Meerveld, H., Vossebeld, N. and Adriaanse, A., 2012. Aligning building
information model tools and construction management methods. Automation in construction, 22,
pp.605-613.
Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D. and Hoskisson, R.E., 2012. Strategic management cases:
competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning.
Huawei.,2017. [online] Available at: http://www.huawei.com/en/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2017].
24

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Iyamu, T., 2012. Theoretical analysis of Strategic implementation of Enterprise Architecture.
In Social Influences on Information and Communication Technology Innovations(pp. 132-148).
IGI Global.
Karim, A. and Arif-Uz-Zaman, K., 2013. A methodology for effective implementation of lean
strategies and its performance evaluation in manufacturing organizations. Business Process
Management Journal, 19(1), pp.169-196.
Kohles, J.C., Bligh, M.C. and Carsten, M.K., 2012. A follower-centric approach to the vision
integration process. The Leadership Quarterly, 23(3), pp.476-487.
Kouzes, J. ,2017. The Leadership Challenge. B Z Jossey-Bass.
Latif, B., Gohar, F.R., Hussain, A. and Kashif, M.M., 2013. Barriers to Effective Strategic
Planning. Stud, 1(2), pp.16-21.
Managementhelp.org.,2017. Free Management Library (SM). [online] Available at:
http://www.managementhelp.org [Accessed 23 Nov. 2017].
Managers.org.uk.,2017. Management & Leadership. [online] Available at:
http://www.managers.org.uk [Accessed 23 Nov. 2017].
Mayfield, J., Mayfield, M. and Sharbrough III, W.C., 2015. Strategic vision and values in top
leaders’ communications: Motivating language at a higher level. International Journal of
Business Communication, 52(1), pp.97-121.
Northouse, P.G., 2015. Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Rothaermel, F.T., 2015. Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education.
Rummler, G.A. and Brache, A.P., 2012. Improving performance: How to manage the white
space on the organization chart. John Wiley & Sons.
Santos-Vijande, M.L., López-Sánchez, J.Á. and Trespalacios, J.A., 2012. How organizational
learning affects a firm's flexibility, competitive strategy, and performance. Journal of Business
Research, 65(8), pp.1079-1089.
25

ATHE - Unit A/615/2677: DOV&SD- Assignment Answer-Student: Samer Ellaham
/ID:19488
Short, M., Baker, M., Carter, J., Jones, C. and Jay, S., 2013. Strategic environmental assessment
and land use planning: an international evaluation. Routledge.
Sit.com.sa.,2017. SIT | Home. [online] Available at: http://www.sit.com.sa/ [Accessed 23 Nov.
2017].
Sonenshein, S. and Dholakia, U., 2012. Explaining employee engagement with strategic change
implementation: A meaning-making approach. Organization Science, 23(1), pp.1-23.
Stead, J.G. and Stead, W.E., 2013. The coevolution of sustainable strategic management in the
global marketplace. Organization & Environment, 26(2), pp.162-183.
Strategicmanagement.net. ,2017. SMS | Strategic Management Society. [online] Available at:
http://www.strategicmanagement.net [Accessed 23 Nov. 2017].
Wheelen, T.L., 2012. Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy: Toward Global
Sustainability Plus New...... Prentice Hall.
Wilson, R.M. and Gilligan, C., 2012. Strategic marketing management. Routledge.
26