Crafting a compelling and engaging geospatial strategy is no easy task. You can spend weeks identifying business needs, brainstorming GIS solutions, and designing the necessary processes and governance mechanisms. After launching the strategy with great excitement, it may still stall out weeks or even months later. Sadly, this can be a common issue for managers. In fact, I was asked about it just this week. So, what should you do when your strategy stalls? Drawing on insights from the work of Roger Martin, an influential global business thinker, and some recent guidance from the Harvard Business Review, I have a few suggestions.
Recognize and Diagnose the Stall
The first step in overcoming any roadblock is figuring out what’s gone wrong. This requires examining both the design of your strategy and the conditions in which it operates. Often, strategies fail not because they are inherently flawed but because external conditions have changed, or internal capabilities are lacking or misaligned.
Leaders should ask probing questions: Have there been changes upstream that could impact your strategy? For instance, has there been an organizational restructuring or a new IT strategy that conflicts with critical components of your geospatial strategy? Have new business priorities emerged, necessitating a refocus on spatial data requirements or application functionality? Or is your team and organization unable to effectively execute the strategy due to lacking capabilities? A thorough and honest analysis is necessary to pinpoint the specific causes of the stall.
In one case, a city’s GIS team lost its senior executive advocate for its geospatial strategy due to retirement. Accountability passed to another senior leader whose knowledge of and engagement with the strategy did not match the previous executive. As a result, projects and initiatives on the road map stalled, and budget allocation became more challenging as the strategy produced underwhelming results. Without a strong and influential advocate promoting the benefits of GIS and the geographic approach, it was unlikely that the strategy would achieve its vision.
To overcome this, we recommended that the GIS manager reengage and reeducate a group of senior leaders on the goals of the strategy and establish a level of “advocacy by committee.” This would shift senior-level accountability and advocacy from one person to a few, thus relieving the pressure on the main advocate (who was feeling the burden of being the internal GIS evangelist despite being unfamiliar with the technology).
This approach worked for the most part. While it is difficult to replace a genuinely passionate and knowledgeable leader, the committee approach was sufficient to continue with critical projects and investments.
Another tactic for diagnosing the source of a stall is to examine the core components of your strategy and identify any potential issues. I have previously discussed the seven building blocks of a geospatial strategy. Review your key decisions regarding applications, data, technology, governance, delivery processes, workforce, and culture. It’s possible that fundamental assumptions or strategic decisions in one building block conflict with others. For example, you might have proposed a web-based spatial open data hub without addressing data privacy and usage issues that prevent online publication. (Yes, this happens!) It is important to uncover these misalignments that will inevitably hinder progress.
Address Lingering Doubts
It’s common for people to have doubts about your strategy from the beginning. There might be concerns about whether the strategy accounts for modern GIS technology trends or if it’s flexible enough to adapt to industry changes. Leadership might question the realism of the forecasted return on investment (ROI). Doubts may also arise about the adequacy of resources—whether the team has the necessary skills to execute the strategy effectively. There may be confusion about team members’ roles and responsibilities.
Unfortunately, many of these doubts are unspoken. That’s why it’s crucial that you create a safe environment for people to voice their concerns. Otherwise, inaction could stall progress. One suggestion is to conduct regular engagement surveys. If needed, make them anonymous and consider engaging a third party to compile the results to ensure honest feedback. Bring unspoken doubts to the surface and address them directly.
Engage Your Team
When a strategy hits a roadblock, it’s an ideal time to connect with your team on a deeper level. Remember, the people closest to you are the ones you depend on to bring the strategy to life. Engage them in diagnosing the problem and coming up with potential solutions. Their frontline insights can be incredibly valuable in understanding both the internal and external challenges that the strategy is facing. In addition, involving the team can help reignite their commitment to the strategic goals, thus improving execution capabilities.
Adapt and Iterate
One of Roger Martin’s key tenets of strategy development is that strategy is a practice. It’s something you do, not just something you say. It’s not simply a document describing your intentions; it’s an ongoing process of refinement and course correction in response to changing conditions or new information. The sooner you adjust the process, the better. Right from the start, ensure that you monitor progress regularly and don’t be afraid to make corresponding corrections. Small, incremental changes can often lead to significant improvements in performance without the risks associated with large-scale strategic overhauls.
I understand that this advice may be coming late for some people. You may already be well into your geospatial strategy and have only recently realized you’ve hit a wall. For those in that situation, take note of the following advice.
Learn and Evolve
Every setback—including a stalled GIS strategy—is a valuable learning opportunity. Each setback provides a unique chance to gain deeper insights into geospatial technology, your organization, and your own leadership. By reflecting on what worked, what didn’t, and why, you can gather important lessons that will inform future strategies. This commitment to continuous learning and improvement ensures that future efforts steer clear of the same organizational pitfalls, fostering a culture of optimism and forward-thinking.
When your strategy stalls, the path forward is not about discarding your plan at the first sign of trouble. Instead, it involves a thoughtful examination of your strategic assumptions, an adaptable approach to execution, and a commitment to continuous learning and engagement with your team. Don’t give up! Refocus your efforts and keep going.
Let’s Talk
Do you have stories from when a GIS strategy stalled, or an important initiative failed to deliver or lost momentum? Send me an email at geospatialedge@esri.ca or connect with me on LinkedIn. I’d like to hear about your experiences!
