The COM-B Model: How to Move from “Stay on the Shelf” to Dynamic Strategic Plans
One of our first strategic planning projects kicked off in a meeting with an Executive Director, a Board Chair, and a long-time Board veteran. After a quick round of introductions, the Board veteran proceeded to outline why she hated strategic planning and thought it was completely pointless, including the following complaints:
- “It’s a waste of time and money!”
- “It’s stupid to plan anything five years ahead!”
- “These plans just sit on a shelf!”
- “We already know what we’re doing. We just have to reach more people!”
In many ways, the Board veteran is right. These feelings are quite common among nonprofit leaders and their Boards—and understandably so. Strategic plans often sit on shelves. Organizations often shoot for the stars and fall short of meeting their five-year goals. Staff often never see their feedback internalized or adopted to inform future planning. With such shortcomings repeating themselves time and time again, it’s impossible not to ask ourselves: why does this keep happening?
More often than not, the reason is what you’d expect: organizations write strategic plans simply because they have to. It’s required by their Board or their funders. Strategic plans are typically seen as a rite of passage when an organization grows to a certain size. It’s a sign of seriousness… but not much more. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
In this article, we’ll demonstrate how a strong, dynamic strategic plan is actually the centerpiece of organizational growth and impact—regardless of an organization’s size. Specifically, we’ll show how focusing on clear behavioral changes (and the resources needed to shape them) is key to creating effective strategic plans.
Why is Strategic Planning Important?
When planning efforts are designed with the audience in mind, a strategic plan can serve as the organization's north star, along with its guide rails along the way. While strategic plans may be an effective tool to communicate to external stakeholders, the primary audience is always internal, directed toward those tasked with carrying out the plan. An effective strategic plan helps each team achieve a number of key steps:
- Identify and stick to key objectives
- Manage challenging trade-offs successfully
- Identify whether the organization has the appropriate funding and staff capacity to achieve its objectives
Ensuring that the strategic planning process is well-organized and inclusive can generate strong alignment and a desire for collaboration amongst staff and with external stakeholders. When everyone can see their needs, expertise, and potential reflected in a strategic plan, this can create the motivation to stay laser-focused on key objectives and track progress in tangible ways. In particular, it is essential that organizations apply trauma-informed approaches to create an environment where their staff feels safe and can trust the process; this increases the likelihood of team members opening up and discussing what is actually challenging about their work—along with any pain points they’ve faced regarding the organization as a whole.
But there’s a catch: a strategic plan can only truly be successful if it is viewed as an ongoing resource and utilized as a tool to take action. Actionable strategic plans are critical for organizations, big or small. Although facilitated discussions and written plans may look and feel promising, the real challenge lies in carrying them out.
Unfortunately, aligning entire organizations towards effectively taking action in service of a strategic plan is often easier said than done. The successful implementation of strategic plans often fails thanks to a lack of buy-in from leadership teams and staff across the organization. Even if the strategy itself is spot on, it won’t work without key players following the recommended behaviors. This is why strategic plans tend to sit on the shelf without seeing the light of day.
Given the widespread (and widening) gap between planning and implementation, in our work as strategic planning consultants, we’re constantly seeking out behavioral science frameworks that empower leaders and their teams to finally execute their strategies. Luckily, we’ve discovered one that fits perfectly with our approach and values.
About the Authors
Anjali Chainani, PhD
Anjali Chainani is a strategic consultant with expertise in social impact, public policy, and trauma-informed care. With over 20 years of experience, Anjali has led transformative strategic initiatives in public administration and nonprofit sectors, with a focus on policy development, program design, and evaluation.
Andrés Celin, MPA
Andrés Celin is a strategic planner and qualitative research expert with a focus on trauma-informed practices. With over a decade of experience in community engagement, public policy, and social impact, he has led stakeholder-driven research, strategic planning, and advocacy initiatives in government and nonprofit sectors.
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I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.
Heather McKee
BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT
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