Orientation
Strategy process: how it works, step by step
From the starting situation through future options to implementation: the steps and decisions of a strategy process and how they fit together in practice.
Read moreMid-sized companies (Mittelstand) and Hidden Champions
Building on proven strengths and opening up new strategic options.
Questions to start with
Which customer requirements have changed?
Which capabilities make the company stand out today?
Where do existing routines stand in the way of necessary development?
Successful specialisation shapes products, customer relationships and ways of working. When expectations and markets change, mid-sized companies (Mittelstand) face the question of which strengths will still carry them and which new capabilities they need to build.
- Reviewing the success model
A strategy check combines the internal view of the company’s strengths with market and customer observations. It tests which assumptions about demand, competition and value creation still hold.
- Linking the existing business with new development
New options need time, ownership and access to the company’s expertise. Management has to decide how exploration and development are organised alongside the existing business. Conflicting goals are handled in joint steering.
- Developing the organisation at the same time
Growth or a new positioning can call for different decision paths, roles and skills. Strategy implementation, organisational development and HR strategy are therefore aligned with one another.
- Developing growth and leadership together
Our brand positioning names international positioning, geopolitical change, growth, professionalising leadership and AI as relevant areas. Which of these apply to an individual company is examined when the brief is clarified. Strategic development has to be matched by suitable decision paths, skills and resources.
From today’s success to the next decision
Specialisation, growth, internationalisation and professionalising leadership are possible topics for mid-sized companies. They do not apply automatically to every company. So the strategy check starts from the company’s actual success model: which customers expect what value, which capabilities underpin the offering, and which assumptions about markets still hold? A new option is linked to the existing business without calling the current strength into question wholesale. Management and the areas concerned decide which choices call for a different positioning, additional skills or new forms of collaboration. The result is a well-founded development brief.
Insights for your questions
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Other organisations we work for
- Family businesses and business families
- Industrial and technology companies
- IT service providers and software companies
- Audit and tax advisory firms
- Engineering and development service providers
- Technical B2B distribution and wholesale (PVH)
- Municipal utilities and infrastructure companies
- Public sector organisations
- Educational institutions and education authorities
Frequently asked questions
What does the strategy check examine?
Assumptions about customers, markets and the company’s capabilities. The check combines the internal view of the company’s strengths with market and customer observations, starting from its actual success model: which customers expect what value, which capabilities underpin the offering, and which assumptions about demand, competition and value creation still hold? The result is a well-founded development brief.
Does the existing business have to be replaced?
No. New options are linked to the core strengths and the existing business without calling the current specialisation into question wholesale. But new options need time, ownership and access to the company’s expertise. Management decides how exploration and development are organised alongside day-to-day business; conflicting goals are handled in joint steering.
What is management’s role?
In priorities, resources and decisions about further development. Growth or a new positioning can call for different decision paths, roles and skills, so strategy implementation, organisational development and HR strategy are aligned with one another. Our brand positioning lists international positioning, geopolitical change, growth, professionalising leadership and AI as possible areas of work.
Is growth guaranteed?
No. Results depend on the specific starting point and how the work is implemented. Which of the topics mentioned apply to an individual company is examined when the brief is clarified. Management and the areas concerned decide which choices call for a different positioning, additional skills or new forms of collaboration. No figure or rate can be derived from this in advance.
What does a strategy check look like in practice?
In a published case study of an industrial service provider, twelve market segments were assessed against the same criteria, and eight customer segments were defined, each with its own value proposition. The survey corrected key assumptions the sales team held about customers; the interim assessment showed that only a fraction of the market potential had been tapped. These results apply to the documented case.
Prefer to talk directly?
In an initial conversation, we clarify which decisions are coming up and which perspectives the next stage of work needs.
Jan-Niclas Bockard
Director | Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of corporate strategy competence team
Your initial call
Let’s talk about your situation and what you want to develop in your organisation.
- Your situation
- What brings you to us
- Possible next steps