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| Sunday, 9 February 2003 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Strategic planning : 8S - the model of success In a market place characterised by intensive competition, smarter customers, powerful channels, demanding shareholders and a turbulent environment, conventional strategic planning will not bring results, which has been proved beyond doubt by MTI's global consulting experience. The 8S model was conceptualised, researched and developed by Marketing Technologies International (MTI) as a solution to this strategic issue, said Hilmy Cader, CEO MTI. 8S is offered as three variations: as a Strategic Audit, Strategic Planning and/or Implementation and can be applied to the business and/or to the strategic marketing function. The model also provides the flexibility of offering any one or more of the individual 8S modules as a stand alone project. "Effective strategic planning (Vs. plans) significantly improves the chances of business success by gearing your organisation to meet future challenges," Cader added. MTI's global experience and research show that many companies still adopt the conventional planning approach. Consequently, these organisations suffer from what the company calls the 'Nine Sins of Strategic Planning'. He said: "People tend to think that strategic planning is an extension of the financial budgeting process while in some instances, it is confused as the same exercise. In both cases, there is a strong corporate financial bias. The annual ritual of a snapshot of the business is taken as the basis for planning and repeated diligently year after year. Changes to the plan tend to be reactive and myopic, with little consideration for changes on the other inter-woven elements of the plan. With several of these reactive changes, the holistic plan becomes ineffective. "In larger organisations, departments work in isolation and the plan is consolidated at CEO level. Focus is on objectives and strategies at macro level, with no link to action. Structure, staff and systems are not integrated into the planning process. "Detailed documentation, extreme number crunching and ceremonial presentations take precedence and most of the time, a highly stressful process with limited open-ended quality time with no links to the wallet of those developing and implementing the plan take place." Cader said that MTI's 8S is a broad spectrum strategic planning process; starting with the Scope of the business, it works its way down to Systems and the lowest common actions in a sequential and flexible manner. It is a comprehensive model that also covers Structure, Staff, Systems and Social Responsibility in addition to the obvious aspects of Objectives and Strategies. The MTI model is conceptually strong, challenges conventional wisdom, is highly practical and simple. It acts as a strategic audit and culminates with 'Planscape'. A multi-functional project team of eight to 12 persons, including the CEO and senior management, must be formed by the client after which a series of ConsulTraining workshops (off-site or residential), attended by the full project team and directed by the MTI consultant, will be held. In between these workshops, designated team members must undertake research assignments as per MTI formats and guidelines and the findings should be presented at the next ConsulTraining workshop, to be analysed and guided by MTI, after which the findings will be incorporated into the Project Master Document. If requested, MTI will manage some of the implementation aspects. One such service already developed is Out-Source Brand Management. Some of the clients of 8S are Bahrain Telecom, Bahrain National Oil Company, Delmege Insurance Brokers, Dipped Products, East West Textiles, Sri Lanka Export Development Board, some Hayleys subsidiaries, John Keells Holdings, Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Serendib Flour Mills, Sinwa,and some SriLankan Airlines offices. The driving force of MTI's operations is Cader, the company's Bahrain-based CEO. He has gained hands-on experience in over 40 countries. Prior to founding MTI Consulting, he held positions with Ralston Purina - PTI (USA), New Zealand Dairy Board, Glaxo and Boots as Marketing and Brand Manager as well as holding sales and brand management positions with The Maharaja Organisation and BCC in Sri Lanka. |
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