Stage 5, known as the Integration Stage, is where you must take the independent group of managers from Stage 4 and get them to work together as a harmonious, synergistic team. With the company size ranging from 58-95 employees, integration between departments is the key to success.
The key objectives of Stage 5 include:
Creating an integrated team of experienced managers
Move away from a reactive way of doing business
Work towards attaining efficiencies of scale
Full integration of the Culture Building Blocks
Focus first on Profit, then People, and finally Process
Stride Towards Company Unification
The key objective for Stage 5 is integrating all departments so the right hand knows what the left hand is doing. Decisions should be made according to a plan. The risk for a Stage 5 company is that without integration, the size and complexity of the company will not allow the company to attain efficiencies of scale. An interesting dynamic occurs in Stage 5 – the company starts getting noticed by its competition. Your competitors start seeing the company as a viable player in the market and the stakes go up.
Having a strong, integrated leadership team that provides a sounding board for the leader of the organization is incredibly important. A leader who has this type of team will make more informed decisions, have a better support system, and therefore be a more effective leader.
The Rules
Some of the Non-Negotiable Rules of Stage Five include:
Ensure strong managers lead the Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service departments/teams and are part of the Management Team.
Leadership and Management Team lead Business Plan SCRUB every 12 weeks.
Establish a 1-year, fully integrated budget for each department and by each revenue group.
Revitalize KPIs throughout the organization.
Democratic Leadership
A Stage 5 business needs a leader that guides through collaboration, inspires the team with a grand vision, and builds loyalty through comradery.
The leader must be willing to admit what they don’t know and support the rest of the company in stepping up and making decisions, based on a strong sense of values. A new competency must be developed in conflict management and collaboration through the Primary and Tertiary leadership styles (Democratic and Affiliative). For the first time since Stage 1, the leader gets to put their Visionary hat back on. However, this time it’s a little different. You’re not just leading a few people with your own vision – you’re leading a large group of people with a shared vision. Clearly defining the company’s values will help the leader to guide the team towards success.
It is the job of the leader to know and understand the Stages of Growth, so that they can effectively prepare their staff for the issues faced in each Stage. A staff that’s aware of what’s coming, that can anticipate challenges as they appear, creates synergy verses unchanneled energy. And in the chaos of Stage 5 – synergy is the goal.