The strategy focuses on aligning research with firm priorities to boost Canada’s prosperity, reconciliation, and tech & innovation. By conducting workshops with stakeholders, mapping research themes to firm objectives, and establishing a steering committee, the strategy ensures that research aligns with organizational goals. For example, team members incorporate alignment objectives into their performance goals, and regular meetings with leadership track progress.
The strategy also emphasizes expanding expertise through comprehensive training programs and collaboration with external experts. It encourages the sharing of diverse perspectives by forming cross-functional teams, attending conferences, and developing partnerships with academic institutions, which cultivates knowledge in targeted areas.
Lastly, it aims to unlock partnership and relationship opportunities by engaging with industry influencers, hosting networking events, and creating co-branded initiatives. Social media engagement and thought leadership content distribution enhance visibility. An advisory board of experts guides developments, ensuring that strategies remain relevant and effective over time.
The strategies
⛳️ Strategy 1: Align research themes with firm priorities
- Conduct a workshop with key stakeholders to identify firm priorities and align them with the research themes
- Develop a mapping document linking each research theme with specific firm objectives
- Establish a steering committee to oversee alignment and review progress quarterly
- Create an internal communication plan to highlight the alignment of research themes and firm priorities
- Incorporate alignment objectives into individual performance goals for team members
- Schedule regular meetings with senior leadership to review research progress and alignment
- Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) related to alignment and track them consistently
- Develop a reward system to acknowledge contributions to strategic alignment
- Regularly survey leadership for feedback on the effectiveness of alignment initiatives
- Update and adjust alignment strategies based on feedback and changing firm priorities
⛳️ Strategy 2: Expand expertise in the three research themes
- Develop a comprehensive training programme focusing on Canada prosperity, reconciliation, and tech & innovation
- Identify and collaborate with external experts to conduct workshops and mentoring sessions
- Encourage team members to attend related conferences, seminars, and webinars
- Subscribe to leading journals and publications relevant to the research themes
- Create cross-functional teams to foster diverse perspectives and expertise sharing
- Host monthly knowledge-sharing sessions within the organisation
- Develop partnerships with academic institutions for research and expertise development
- Encourage team participation in online courses and certifications related to the themes
- Create a repository of research papers and resources for continuous learning
- Regularly evaluate the team's expertise through assessments and feedback tools
⛳️ Strategy 3: Unlock thought partnership and relationship opportunities
- Identify and target key industry influencers and organisations for partnerships
- Develop a clear value proposition for potential thought partners
- Attend and participate in industry networking events and panels
- Leverage social media platforms to engage with thought leaders in these themes
- Create co-branded research initiatives with potential partners
- Establish an advisory board comprising experts in the research themes
- Produce and distribute thought leadership content through various channels
- Host roundtable discussions on research progress and partnership opportunities
- Seek collaborative opportunities in grant applications and funding proposals
- Regularly review and refine partnership strategies based on collaboration outcomes
Bringing accountability to your strategy
It's one thing to have a plan, it's another to stick to it. We hope that the examples above will help you get started with your own strategy, but we also know that it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day effort.
That's why we built Tability: to help you track your progress, keep your team aligned, and make sure you're always moving in the right direction.
Give it a try and see how it can help you bring accountability to your strategy.
