ey should be linked to LTOs.Short-term objectives can add breadth and specificity in identifying what must be done to achieve LTOs. As pointed out above, if a company aspires to obtain 30% market share is 5 years, that objective can be enhanced if specific short term objectives spell out what must be accomplished each year to achieve the long term objectives. The qualities of LTOs discussed in the previous presentation acceptable, flexible, suitable, motivating, understandable and achievable also apply to STOs.Value Added Benefits of Action Plans and STOs1.Operating personnel attain a better understanding of their role in a firms overall Mission.2.Meetings to set action plans and STO provide a forum for raising and resolving conflicts between strategic intentions and operating realities thereby enhancing strategic effectiveness.3.Provide a basis for strategic control. They provide guidelines for developing budgets, schedules and other mechanisms for controlling the implementation of strategy.4.Act as a motivating factor in managerial performance especially when personal and group roles in achieving the objectives are linked to the firms reward structure.Note: Action plans and short term objectives should be reduced into a few pages with minimal wording so that they can easily be reviewed, updated, and discussed at regular management meetings.2.2The Role of Policies in Empowering Operating PersonnelFor strategy to be implemented effectively, personnel at the operating level should be empowered to make certain decisions or to act in order to fulfill clients needs since they are the first points of contact between a firm and its customers. Methods of EmpowermentTrainingInstituting self-managed work groupsEliminating whole levels of management in organizationsAggressive use of automationIt must be noted, however, that employee empowermentallowing considerable discretion to operating personnelshould be underpinned by the need to ensure t...
