The authorizing sponsor needs to chair the management steering group. The next step is moving the organization from the strategic plan to reality. Only a compelling need will move an organization forward, and only the sponsor can define the compelling need. This phase contains the real work. The sponsor will spend most of his or her time reinforcing the need for the change, which amounts to teaching the plan.
Many organizations fall far short of improved reality.
Perhaps a strategic plan was completed, but it ended up as shelf-ware and now the organization has another failure attached to its culture. The key to avoiding this failure rests in the ability of the management steering group. This provides the leveling plane. If an authorizing sponsor is strong enough, he or she can force the change to happen at the expense of the organization's livelihood. We have seen firsthand where a sponsor forced the issue.