Naisbitt said that "strategic plans are worthless unless there is first strategic vision." The steps outlined below proceed from this premise and lead to commitment on the part of the people who are charged with implementation. Another basic principle underlying participative management is incorporated: what comes down, and how comes up.

1. Development (or reaffirmation) of the purpose, mission, vision, and values statements of the senior-executive team. This includes applying tests to the statements.

2. Communication of these documents downward at least two levels, soliciting questions of clarification and suggestions for improvement. This communication is face-to-face, with senior executives presenting and listening.

3. Development of a document that spells out the purpose, mission, vision, and values of the organization.

4. Development of a communications plan that saturates the consciousness of everyone with the following:
___What business are we in and why?
___Where we are going?
___What we stand for as an organization?

5. Culture survey to establish a baseline against which change can be compared.

6. Changes in the information, accountability, and reward systems to ensure compliance (at least) and commitment and creativity (at best).

7. Development of supports for changed behavior (training, team-building, etc.).

8. Goal-setting sessions held in all organizational units represented at the executive level. Criteria for these goals include the following:
___What we hope to accomplish
___How this relates to the vision of the organization
___How we will track progress
___(Note that these statements do not specify how they will attain their goals.)
___Communication of goals to the senior-executive team, with "signoffs."

9. Strategy sessions within each organizational unit to create action plans to accomplish the agreed-upon goals that are aligned with the organization's vision. Criteria of these plans:
___Who will do what, when, where, how, with what intent, and how results will be tracked.
___How the plan supports the realization of the organization's vision.
___Communication of plans to the senior-executive team as commitment statements.

10. Celebrations of achievements and learning from mistakes.