We’ve all heard that if you fail to plan, you’re just planning to fail. But then why do some of the best plans still fail? Accountability and execution.
According to APQC’s 2025 survey, nearly one-third (32%) of organizations lack a dedicated strategy implementation team. In today’s volatile, cross-functional workplaces, strategic planning ownership gets lost and disjointed. This blog reframes how organizations think about executing strategy, moving past ownership silos and into shared accountability models that actually stick.
The Accountability Gap
Looking at survey data, only 12.5% of organizations say their planning process is “very effective”, and as I mentioned above, nearly one-third of organizations do not have a team solely responsible for strategy implementation. Since many organizations establish strategy at the executive level and cascade it through middle management to front-line staff, it is understandable that dedicated teams for strategy implementation are uncommon. Nonetheless, this does not absolve organizations of the need to ensure clear ownership and accountability for execution.
This is an example of where “set it and forget” does NOT apply. So, how can organizations close the accountability gap, and influence action? Here are three suggestions.
Embed Strategic Check-Ins
At times, overarching strategic objectives may appear unattainable or disconnected from the impact of routine daily tasks. According to APQC’s research on employee engagement, an important factor for engaged and motivated teams is having a feeling of purpose. Organizations need to help employees (at all levels) understand how their work relates to the larger organizational strategy.
At the individual level, align annual performance goals with at least one organizational strategic objective. At the departmental level, emphasize how your team’s initiatives contribute to progress on key strategic objectives. After establishing these connections, regularly monitor progress through one-on-one meetings or departmental staff sessions. Facilitate transparent discussions regarding how current efforts support, or may fall short of supporting, the organization’s overarching goals.
Clarify Ownership and Roles
When everyone is responsible, accountability is lost. Simply, strategic planning is just another process. Strategy implementation needs an owner just like all other core organization processes do. Process owners are accountable for change management, training, monitoring, control, and ongoing improvement in strategic planning. Picking an owner isn’t always easy, here are some tips APQC recommends:
- An owner should exhibit deep expertise and enthusiasm for the process
- Look for individuals who are already accountable for the performance of the process
- Managers can be effective owners because they have strong subject matter expertise and business acumen; however, if the individual is already overburdened in their management role, they may not be an effective owner
In addition to assigning an owner to the overall process, organizations need to clearly define the rest of employees’ roles and responsibilities in the planning process. Since strategic planning typically has a longer cycle time than more regular day-to-day processes, it’s a good idea to remind staff of their responsibilities at the beginning of each planning cycle. When employees know what is expected of them, they are better able to execute on their task(s) at hand.
Help Make the Connection
To improve employees’ buy-in to the organizational strategic objectives, it’s important to help them understand how their individual efforts connect to the organization’s overall objectives. Value paths can help organizations make the connection. A value path ensures a direct link from a task to a goal. It helps to link process performance, business outputs, and organizational goals in support of value creation. View APQC’s article, How to Establish a Value Path, to learn more and create your own value paths using this template.
Conclusion
Organizations can close the accountability gap by engaging employees in the strategic planning process, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and helping employees connect their everyday work to the organization’s strategic objectives. Learn more in our recent report: Strategic Planning and Organizational Agility.