Success is a strategic alliance — Prof Marius Ungerer

Experts in strategic management have consensus that for an organisation to be successful, the key role-players in the organisation need to make the appropriate strategic choices at the right time. Firstly, it’s a where to play and how to win scenario. Secondly, these strategic choices do not mean a lot if it is not executed over time. Strategic success is therefore the combination of an ability to choose between strategic options, identify the most viable ones, and then to execute these prioritised strategic choices and focus areas excellently. In the short- and long-run the acid test for strategic success is clear: How many of the critical strategic choices were implemented successfully?

PALS is a well-proven and successfully applied approach to the complex and challenging subject of land reform; a strategic solution based on an integrated framework to execute reform of agricultural land ownership in such a way that it also contributes to economic growth, job creation and social harmony. The PALS framework proactively addresses the how to of land reform, value chain transformation, social and skills development and promotes job creation, social harmony and economic growth in the agricultural sector.

The time has come for all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to actively start engaging the PALS framework to facilitate land reform, skills and social development on a local level and mobilizing current PALS enablers to increase value creation in the agri-sector for multiple beneficiaries and stakeholders. The PALS framework assist participants in the execution of a strategy. In strategy it is known that only those things that get executed, actually counts.

Another feature of successful strategies is the willpower of decision makers to change the current performance trajectory of their intended strategy. PALS is a powerful approach to change and transform the current landscape in the agri-sector on a basis where shared value is created by increasing the contribution value of an entity in the agri-value chain. This results in a zero-plus game for all stakeholders – the industry outputs increase.

Are you part of this positive movement to create a more inclusive future for role players in the agri-sector? If not, now is the time to engage with participants and role-players who are familiar with the PALS methodology. The future is created today, one step at a time. The PALS framework is an important companion to a future that features economic growth, job creation and social harmony.

*The author is a faculty member of University of Stellenbosch Business School and his specialist areas are strategic management and strategic leadership