Making change happen is a monumental task. How do you move people from passively hearing about a change to actually believing in and living it?

This blog post introduces a topic covered in our Strategy Activation course. For more information, check out the course page or download the course syllabus.

Perhaps you’ve already invested an enormous amount of time, energy, and resources developing the perfect strategy for your organization only to fall short in deploying it. You’ve made the announcement, sent out the email, and waited for the fanfare…but nothing materialized. 

What happened?

Assuming people will snap to a new plan once they hear it is one reason 80% of strategies fail—no matter how well conceived the plan. To really sow the seeds of change, people need help making sense of the plan, connecting to it, and navigating points of ambiguity before they can jump on board. 

This is where strategy activation comes in.

What is “Strategy Activation”?

Strategy activation is the art and science of persuading others to align around, engage with, and adopt new ways of working to achieve a shared vision.

For over 25 years, XPLANE has helped organizations large and small quickly diagnose the all-important starting point for change. This process engages employees and connects them to solutions and tactics that move them up the Activation Curve—from hearing a new strategy, to believing it, and ultimately, to living it.

Over years of building this core capability for our clients, we’ve developed an adaptable system that change makers can apply to any organization to move people to action. We’ve packaged this powerful methodology into our latest course, Strategy Activation

What will I learn in the Strategy Activation course?

During this three-day course led by XPLANE CEO Aric Wood, you will:

  • Learn a step-by-step, proven system for engaging employees in change initiatives
  • Acquire flexible change activation tools that can be applied immediately and reused for multiple applications
  • Problem solve and build relations with other professionals navigating similar change challenges
  • Gain powerful insights into the reasons strategy activation fails—and how to avoid the pitfalls
  • Experience the framework in action led by an expert practitioner
  • Complete activities and leave the course with a full draft of your unique strategy activation plan

Who should attend the Strategy Activation course?

Engaging for anyone helping make organizational change happen, this course is particularly effective for the following people:

  • Executive leaders responsible for enacting organizational strategy across large and complex organizations
  • Strategy and management consultants supporting and/or facilitating clients through change initiatives
  • People managers making sure their teams are contributing effectively to corporate strategy

Transformation and learning professionals looking to equip and align teams toward effective collaboration

What will I take away from the course?

At the end of the course, you will leave with:

  • A strategy activation plan geared to your organization you can implement right away
  • An instructional guide for how to lead the activities, and critical questions to ask in order to continue refining your plan for your context
  • Tools and frameworks for leading the activities in your daily practice

Download the course syllabus for a full description of learning objectives and course details.

Is the Strategy Activation course part of a series? Should I do the 101 course before the 200-level course? 

Yes, and yes! The Strategy Activation course will be part of a series. The 201 level is currently in development and will be available late 2022. 

How do I enroll?

Spring 2022 enrollment is now open! And to learn more today, head to our Strategy Activation course page.

Additional Resources

To learn more about XPLANE’s strategy activation thought leadership, check out the following resources: