Why “Alignment” is our Middle Name

Focus. Alignment. Results.  It’s on the front page of our website (ogsp.org), and it’s a key purpose and outcome of the One Page Solutions® approach to strategic planning. 

In The Eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, Stephen Covey cites a 2004 study from The Harris Poll involving 23,000 employees that revealed the following: 

• 63% of employees did not have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why. 

• 80% of employees did not have a clear line of sight between their tasks and their team’s and organization’s goals. 

• 86% of employees say we are not diligently focused on our most important goals. 

Last summer, Axios released a study that shows the problem has grown significantly worse. In a 2025 survey of 800 leaders and 450+ knowledge workers: 

• 9% of employees agree that they are aligned with organizational goals, and 

• 27% of leaders think their employees are aligned. 

One can debate the causes of this decline in organizational cohesion: the Covid-19 pandemic, an increase in remote work, or our fractured attention in an increasingly cacophonous media environment.  But it is clear that those numbers are not going to help your organization achieve its goals. 

We believe a clearly communicated strategic plan unifies the organization and drives greater results. The OGSP, the one-page plan which is the centerpiece of One Page Solutions’ methodology, is designed to bring clarity, drive alignment between operating units, and create a common planning culture and vocabulary to help your team understand, and align, behind your goals.  

 You can read the Axios study here: 2025 HQ State of Internal Communications.