The purpose of this shura is to collaboratively develop a marketing strategy for ICIT. The approach here will concentrate, at least in the formative stages, on strategic thinking that will ultimately shape the specific planning directed to various target markets. Going forward, it is expected that once we identify our target markets, each of them will require a plan specifically tailored for a market's peculiar characteristics, but nonetheless shaped by and conforming to the key decisions we make in our strategy. Whereas plans will be differentiated by the individual markets they target, they will be unified by the considerations we codify in the overall strategy.
In other words, our strategic approach to markets, media, and other venues — which could either utilize ICIT assets and services or publicize their availability — will be the same, but the way in which various types of media and available markets are penetrated and then saturated will differ pursuant to the challenge each offers to a new player in the domain. Therefore, even though it may be premature to draw this conclusion at this early point in our discussion, we should start thinking less in terms of numbers of volumes, bound books, e-books, audio books, and the like sold, or the number of hits on various pages of our web and social media presence, than in how we expect to initiate penetration and achieve saturation within a target market. The thinking here is that once penetration is achieved on the way to saturation, the numbers will begin to take care of themselves. And so, the question then becomes, how do we tailor ICIT services and assets to accomplish the above task and how do we measure our performance on the way to achieving this objective?
To begin to answer this question, strategic considerations call for us to think in terms of how ICIT is positioned to reach out to its target markets. As ICIT moves expeditiously toward producing The Ascendant Qur'an translation, it has been projecting this translation as the gateway to The Ascendant Qur'an tafsir, meaning that the salient and distinctive features of this particular translation ought to motivate readers to seek more extensive explanations in the tafsir. But what is the gateway to the translation? There are already scores of other translations of the Qur'an available in the public domain, the media landscape, and on various Qur'an apps, easily accessible on desktop computers and smart mobile devices. Why should someone make a choice to look at The Ascendant Qur'an, especially one who is unfamiliar with ICIT's "progressive" and innovative thoughts on Islamic engagement in the world at large? More particularly, one of the target markets ICIT is very motivated to approach with its services and products is emerging leaders — and so, why should such people be interested in a new translation of the Qur'an? More fundamentally, as it is well-known that those who lead more effectively read more prolifically, how will they know that a new translation of the Qur'an — which brings to light the social consciousness fabric of the Qur'anic ayat and challenges new leaders to adopt this directional course of prophets for transformative social change leading to social justice for all — is in the market to begin with? These are the type of questions that positioning is expected to tackle. Marketing strategy deals with positioning (how people, regardless of market, perceive ICIT as an organization); marketing plans deal with markets (how specific consumers perceive ICIT's products and services).
ICIT has assets… but they are dormant: that is, its assets have potential, but no momentum; they have potency, but no leverage. If ICIT's most important asset is its thinking, which has been presented in various forms from Crescent International to the tafsir — and on various platforms — then it has done a poor job of leveraging its probing new ideas for producing transformative change, for shaping the behavior of emerging leaders, and for aligning them to an Islamic directional course. In short, even though ICIT's name (Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought) intimates the necessity to lead, it has not led. So far ICIT's approach has been to make large volumes of information available, and should elements of its target market fortuitously bump into it, then so much the better — basically a hit-or-miss approach. In a motivated sense, ICIT has not identified its target markets, gone after them with tailored products and services, and physically put its assets in their hands, as it were, so that they can use their own momentum and motivation to leverage this new knowledge and information for the purpose of positive Islamic change on the ground. Positioning the organization properly in the market space may begin to stir up this historical inertia.
One thing that immediately comes to mind when we speak of positioning is that even though the print editions of ICIT products will have their importance, going forward will require us to put a much greater emphasis on the more kinetic forms of integrated media and the products that are tailored as such. An e-pub version of the translation that is liberally cross-referenced with the tafsir and other ICIT multi-media presentations will be much more useful to emerging leaders than a print version in which much of this is not possible, especially within fingertip reach of the user. To acquaint new consumers with ICIT's desire to persuasively position itself in the market with tailored products and services, it is expected that the Publisher's Foreword to The Ascendant Qur'an translation will have to be reworked to reflect what ICIT hopes to achieve with its marketing strategy. Putting together an e-book that employs state-of-the-art technology with animated graphics, timely hyperlinks, and easily accessible cross references to other ICIT material will require the services of professionals that are qualified in this area — services that ICIT cannot currently pay for. However, it is important to recognize that even though what we produce out of the box will have little resemblance to what these publications will look like ten years from now, they will have to be part of our vision today.
As part of this vision, ICIT branding as well as cover design for the various versions of the translation (print, e-Pub, audio, CD, website, advertising, etc.), and other products and services to follow, will have to be tightly integrated to project a consistent brand, regardless of whatever product or service is being promoted in a particular market. ICIT will probably have to commission the services of an ad firm to properly accomplish this task. Despite the fact that a cash-strapped ICIT will need resources to execute on these details, it must realize that such resources invested today will produce tomorrow’s revenues. Even so, coming up with the financial resources as a first step is the wrong way to start. Unleashing our creativity and innovation will generate the resources we need… if we are careful to do things the right way, if we learn along the way, and if we are purposeful in avoiding shortcuts. More fundamentally, the liquid resources of tomorrow depend on our resourcefulness today.
A second important thing that comes to mind as we think about positioning ICIT is the issue of censorship on social media platforms, in mass media, and in academia due to a narrative that associates our work with terrorism and hate speech. How do we position ICIT in the market space given that the nature of our work and ideas, and their exposition in the public domain, will antagonize the dominant power culture, which will rely on censorship as a means to prevent public consumption of said material? It is far better to deal with this problem strategically, than react to it as circumstantial exclusionary incidents begin to multiply on a regular and consistent basis when our media profile begins to attract more attention.
Finally, by virtue of its name if nothing else, ICIT is expected to lead in whatever venue it chooses to enter. What’s more, why should emerging leaders pay attention to ICIT if it provides no evidence of its capacity to lead, demonstrable by real-time initiatives it took from conception to maturity? Currently, ICIT is in no position to lead in this marketing domain, but if it starts in a measured and considered fashion, it may give itself this chance within the larger domain of Islamic organizations and associations. For ICIT to be able to lead effectively in this domain, it will need clarity (seeing the way when no one else can) and credibility (the cachet to inspire confidence in the listener when ICIT speaks) — neither of which it has at the moment.
Credibility comes from actually conceiving a solution to a problem, launching an initiative, and then putting it in the public domain to be challenged by the broader audience of actors and interested parties. Such challenges can only be welcomed by those who have no ego invested in their initiatives; they know that the best solutions to problems emerge out of the deliberative process that constantly challenges, tests, and reshapes until the best idea rises — a collaborative and complementary effort that would have been unachievable had it not been for public engagement on the issue. Clarity comes out of the acquisition of domain knowledge, the consideration of wisdom gained from experience in executing various domain initiatives, and filtering both through the Qur’an and the practice of the Prophet (pbuh) while keeping focus on the ultimate objective of the whole activity. In the end, all choices and decisions that are not subjected to an overall goal are meaningless.
And so, for ICIT to lead in this venue or any other, its strategy moving forward must be founded on pillars of clarity and credibility. To get started in formulating a marketing strategy for ICIT, let us begin to acquire some domain knowledge and learn from the wisdom of those who have already tread this path before us. I believe that starting with somebody else’s insight will begin to unlock some of our own creativity, and then we can begin the process of tailoring what we learn to the solution of our own problem. Attached are two short articles about marketing and strategy; they are just teasers. But to really get our feet wet, I suggest that we read the book, Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt.
The core work in every shura
Crafting a good strategy and executing it is part of the core work in every shura.
When we use the word strategy we are referring to active problem solving.
So, for example, when a person starts a shura, she tries to provide an insightful context that helps participants understand the challenge being introduced.
This includes uploading as many relevant documents as needed to deepen everyone’s understanding.
Accurate and concise problem statement
Strategy begins here, with an accurate and concise problem statement description.
Once suitably informed, participants actively engage in dialogue to determine the best course of action to take. The focus is on trying to determine what is the most important part of the problem that needs the most attention.
Emphasis is on “most important.” The selected course of action guides all subsequent actions, ensuring that they reinforce each other. This is what adds strength to strategy.
Keep everyone informed
Then the work of the shura shifts to the Deliver phase. This is where all participants are expected to commit to entering and carrying out action steps that help accomplish objectives.
Only the important action steps should be entered. Even though some participants may think that every action step is important, they must be prioritized. The top priority steps are the most important.
As part of the strategy execution process, they must be entered before the task is performed.
This allows other participants to see what action steps are intended to be carried out. It helps inform them of the thinking that is behind the planned actions before actually using the time and resources to perform them.
Now comes the hardest part. We have to follow through on what we say we are going to do. And we need to hold everyone accountable.
All of this is what helps make a shura successful.
The person who starts the shura is called the shura initiator and is responsible for explaining the shura context and providing a timeline for completing its phases of activities. This information is displayed in the Overview section. All text in this section is indexed to optimize search results to make it easy for users to find your shura. So, be sure to include all the important keywords in this text.
Following this, the shura moves to the Discuss phase where all participants share their points of view on the issue as they recommend various courses of action to take. They are expected to provide evidence in the form of linked references or uploaded files to support their viewpoints.
After the discussion time period has ended, the shura moves to the Decide phase. Here is where each person selects their preferred course of action based on their best judgment. The ShuraForAll tool will compile selections and present the results to everyone. Once the course of action is agreed on, the shura effort moves to the Deliver phase.
This is where participants try to put the selected course of action into motion by setting objectives and carrying out action steps. Each person either joins an existing team or starts a new team and then performs the work. ShuraForAll charts the progress along the way, letting everyone know how things are going.
Each shura displays a set of metrics that inform all participants how things are going. Below each shura phase (Discuss, Decide, Deliver) icon is a score that indicates overall performance.
For the Discuss phase this metric is the ratio of the number of unique participants who have submitted at least one comment to the total number of participants in the shura.
For the Decide phase this metric is the ratio of the number of unique participants who have selected a preferred course of action to the total number of participants in the shura.
For the Deliver phase this metric is the ratio of the number of unique participants who have self-assigned at least one action step to the total number of participants in the shura.
As work is performed in the Deliver phase, the tool automatically calculates the Achieve Rate metric for each participant. This is a measure of completing the action steps that are given a higher weight or greater priority. A higher Achieve Rate indicates that the person is completing the more important action steps.
Since a participant can work on more than one team, the Achieve Rate is calculated in the context of work performed for each team, as shown below.
The Achieve Rate is also calculated as a composite score for all the participants who are working on a given team. This score is a measure of team performance.
Additionally, the Achieve Rate is calculated as a composite score for all the participants who are working on a given objective. This score is a measure of objective performance.
An example of objective level and team level performance Achieve Rate measures is displayed in the Shura Profile Report. This report is generated for each shura and is updated in real time as work is performed.
Both the Shura Profile and the My Profile Report can be produced by selecting each from the user menu.
An example of My Profile Report is shown below.
All reports represent progress made up to the point the report is produced.
Select the Discuss menu item to participate in the discussion. This phase is designed to support broad participation by all people who join the shura. Share your viewpoints by entering your comments and/or submitting questions.
To start the process, select either the +Comment or +Course of action button. Each comment requires also adding a recommended course of action. If you select the +Comment option, the following will be displayed.
Each participant can add up to three recommended courses of action. Select the +Course of action button to accomplish this.
When the Discuss phase ends, the shura initiator must first prepare the Decide phase for use by all participants. Before this, the following will be displayed.
The shura initiator should select the +Set Courses of Action option to display:
Then this person selects up to five proposed courses of action that will be used by participants to determine which one each prefers.
Each time a proposed course of action is selected, it moves to the first available field. This process is repeated until all the desired courses of action have been chosen.
The message at the bottom of this display is intended to remind the shura initiator to be sure to set the courses of action to select from before leaving the screen.
After the shura initiator completes preparing the Decide phase for voting, each participant returns to the shura to vote. Once the selection is made and submitted, it cannot be changed.
When the Decide phase End Date has passed, the ShuraForAll tool automatically adds up all the selections and displays the number of selections for each course of action.
The most frequently selected course of action is automatically moved to the Deliver phase. If the shura initiator decides to override this course of action, then he or she can type in a different course of action.
In this case, the reason for the change should be given, to provide everyone an opportunity to understand why the decision was made.
We need to set objectives to help us focus on what is important. To add a new objective, tap the Add icon and then select ‘Enter a new objective’ from the Objective menu.
If you want to work on an objective that already exists, select it from the Objective menu and then complete the process of either selecting an existing team or creating a new one. Then enter and save an action step.
To change an objective, tap the
icon and then select the ‘Edit’ option. You cannot change the description of an existing objective but you can select a different one.
Note: You can only edit information that you entered. You cannot edit someone else’s information.
We use teams to get work done. To create a new team, tap the Add icon and then select ‘Enter a new team’ from the Team menu.
When you continue to the point where you enter and save an action step,
you will automatically be joined to the team you just created.
To join an existing team, tap the Add icon and then select an existing objective or enter a new one. Then select the team you want to join from the Team menu. Enter and save the action step(s) you want to carry out.
Action steps are the tasks that you agree to perform to accomplish an objective. You can add an action step when you complete the process of selecting an objective and team.
To add more than one action step, tap the ‘Add more’ link.
When you want to edit an existing action step, tap the
icon and then select the ‘Edit’ option. You can edit or remove any combination of action steps.
Note: You can only edit information that you entered. You cannot edit someone else’s information.
The Achieve Rate is a measure of completing the action steps that are given a higher weight or greater priority. Using this statistic helps everyone understand the extent to which each person stays focused on the most important parts of the work.
You can learn how well an individual or a team is performing by viewing their Achieve Rate. Each person’s Achieve Rate for the team that they are working on appears next to the person’s name.
Tap the Team link for any set of action steps to view the Achieve Rate for all the teams that have been created.
You can also tap the link associated with any objective to view the Achieve Rate for all the objectives that have been created.
The person who starts the shura (shura initiator) is responsible for explaining its context and providing a timeline for completing its phases of activities. To get started, tap the “Start a Shura” button on the Home page, then you will see the Setup page for starting a shura.
Next, select the type of shura you want to manage and give it a short title.
» Select Regular Shura for addressing issues and solving problems.
» Select Course Shura for offering training courses.
Then set the type of accessibility to your shura that you want participants to have. You can change the selection as needed to fit changing conditions.
To provide a timeline for each phase (Discuss, Decide, and Deliver) of the shura, select your preferred Calendar Method and enter the desired Start and End dates.
Only enter the End Date of the Deliver phase when you want to let everyone know when the work of the shura has to end. Otherwise, leave this End Date blank to allow the work to continue as long as needed.
The shura initiator can revisit the Setup function and change any of these dates whenever desired. The tool provides the flexibility to allow you to change any of the affected dates as needed to allow the workflow to proceed in a structured way.
Next, the shura initiator enters text in the Explanation Text box that allows all participants to understand the intent, purpose, and context of the shura. To help with this, the ShuraForAll tool allows a variety of document types to be uploaded.
It is strongly recommended to make the information entered into this text box and the associated documents as clear and complete as possible to allow everyone to get a full picture of the work of the shura.
Updates to the various subsections of the setup section can be made at any time. Be sure to save changes made to a given subsection before proceeding to make additional changes to another subsection. If you forget to do this, the earlier changes will be lost.
Finally, upload an image to appropriately give a visual representation of the shura. Doing this helps to attract potential participants and gives them an early idea of what the shura is likely to be about. This image is displayed alongside the images of all the other shuras that are featured on the ShuraForAll webpage.
Select the Manage menu item to respond to requests to access your shura, to generating user profile reports, to view fees paid for a course shura, and to remove participants from the shura.
When a person makes a request to join a shura that you have started, you will receive an email message containing content similar to the one below.
You should click the Manage button to respond. This action will open your browser to the related shura and return you to the Manage section webpage where information similar to the following is displayed.
After selecting the desired response an email notification will be sent to the requester informing of the outcome and what next steps to take.
Another function associated with the Manage menu is the capability to generate a user profile report for each participant. It displays the Achieve Rate metric calculated as a score for the participant for each of the objectives and for each of the teams the person is working on.
To generate this report, click the Manage button then click the report icon corresponding to the person of interest.
If you are offering a course shura for a fee, then you can use the Manage function to see who among the participants have paid and the amount paid.
After clicking the Manage button a list of all participants is displayed.
To remove a participant from the shura, click the Revoke Course Access button for the desired participant.
To invite others to participate at any stage of the shura, select the Invite menu item. Then select the Compose Invite button to type your message.
You can send multiple messages by selecting the +Add more option.
If you want to remind participants to respond to an invite that already has been sent, select the Remind Invitee button.
A list of all invitees will be displayed. Select the checkboxes for all whom you want to send a reminder message.
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