3 By Franklyn Michael – Supplementary Associate – CARICAD T he cry continues in our CARICOM Region. There is not enough implementation! The polite and euphemistic way in which it continues to be described is our “Implementation Deficit.” There is too much talking and not enough action. Policies are often not implemented and projects are often left in the formulation and inception stages. Yet, there is so much planning taking place. However many of those plans fail to produce tangible, observable or measurable Results. CARICAD continues to work towards solutions to problems in our member states. The Implementation Deficit is one such “wicked problem”. We need to focus on our deficiencies in implementation. We should work collectively to bring about a dramatic improvement much sooner rather than much later. A change of behaviour among the senior management ranks of our public services is required. A change in behaviour often starts with a change in mindset. However it is changes in behaviour, not the adherence to beliefs and concepts that create meaningful change. Our public service structures, systems, procedures, rules and regulations are still for the most part a legacy of colonialism. Our public sector was a bastion of bureaucracy and near-immutable regulation. The sector was not designed for today’s realties with our countries being independent states. The public sector still reflects an era in which preserving the status quo was prominent. The primary purpose of a public service in the colonial era was protection of the vital interests of the colonial powers. Today, our region needs our public service to focus on Resilient and Sustainable Development, in an era of rapid change and great uncertainty. Public sector managers should embrace the need to change mindsets and lead a charge to change from a culture of control to one of performance and results. Management Guru Peter Drucker said: “Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast.” CARICAD is urging that we re-set Strategic Planning in the full context of Strategic Management. We should accept the need to focus not just on Strategic Planning and plans but on organisational culture, implementation and results. In other words, focus on implementation through Strategic Delivery. Strategic Delivery is the term CARICAD uses to describe the processes, procedures, practices, activities and actions that are required for an organisation to deliver goods and services as Outputs of its Mandate, Vision and Mission. It is a phased process but the phases are iterative and should overlap to ensure smooth implementation and delivery of results. The major phases are: Strategic Thinking Strategic Planning Implementation – Strategic Delivery Consolidation Those phases constitute a framework that many of us would regards as Strategic Management. The principal idea of this article is that there is nothing wrong with embracing the concept of Strategic Management. Continues on next page
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