Strategic alignment in public-purpose organisations

GGI’s latest monthly webinar focused on the critical topic of strategic alignment. The session was chaired by GGI CEO Andrew Corbett-Nolan, with guest speakers Susana Hernandez, executive director of TAITH, and GGI principal consultant Aidan Rave.

Andrew opened the session by emphasising the importance of strategic alignment in governance. He highlighted that effective governance is deeply intertwined with having a clear strategy and ensuring that all organisational elements are aligned with this strategy. "You can't govern unless you have a strategy," he said, underscoring the necessity of integrating governance mechanisms with strategic objectives.

Aidan introduced the concept of strategic alignment, explaining GGI's approach to ensuring that an organisation's strategy is effectively executed. He noted that strategic alignment involves both tangible and tacit elements, such as human resources, physical resources, skills, structure, culture, and values.

Aidan used the analogy of choosing the right vehicle for a race to illustrate the importance of aligning organisational elements with strategic goals. "You wouldn't pick a beat-up old Land Rover to win a race," he said.

Aidan also presented GGI's strategic alignment tool, which helps boards assess whether their organisational elements are aligned with their strategic objectives. This tool is designed to be used regularly, allowing boards to continuously check and ensure alignment. "It's not just a set piece once every five years," Aidan said, highlighting the tool's practical application in maintaining strategic focus.

Susana Hernandez shared her experiences leading TAITH, a Welsh funding agency established to deliver an international learning exchange programme. She discussed the challenges of setting up a new organisation from scratch and the importance of aligning governance with strategy. "We had to create governance structures and systems to deliver the program," she said.

Susana emphasised the need for a clear and fit-for-purpose strategy, particularly when starting from a blank page. She recounted how TAITH initially adopted a strategy based on the Erasmus programme but quickly realised the need for a unique, distinctly Welsh approach. "We wanted TAITH to be a unique programme that meets the needs of the learning and education sectors in Wales," she said.

The webinar included a lively discussion with participants, who raised questions about the relationship between strategy and external environments, the role of culture in strategic alignment, and the challenges of adapting strategies in dynamic contexts. There was broad agreement on the importance of having a clear purpose and the need for strategies to be flexible yet grounded in the organisation's core mission.

One guest highlighted the need for strategies to be executable and aligned with the organisation's capabilities. He said: "If the organisation is not going to execute the strategy because it can't or won't, then the strategy is not useful."