Case Study · Rewiring Strategy
Reinvention of a Division Strategy
How to activate a new corporate strategy at division level?
Context
A corporate strategy change required renewal at division level.
Due to changing market conditions, a corporate strategy change was announced with the request to renew all department strategies.
The Operational Excellence team decided to start with a joint reflection to understand the impact on their team, as well as the changes required.
Audience: 26 team members
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Timing: May 2023
Facilitation setup: two facilitators
The Challenge
Defining a new division strategy for the department.
The following workshop goals were set:
- Align on the team’s current value contribution to the firm’s purpose.
- Assess the impact of the strategic shift on their scope of work.
- Define a new division strategy and clear change initiatives.
Workshop Process
From strategic impact to core focus areas.
The team worked in two subgroups, with insights and results consolidated throughout the process. The second part of the session was dedicated to execution.
01
Shared understanding
The team built a shared understanding of the main impact caused by the corporate strategy change.
02
New department strategy
The team co-created a new department strategy based on the new corporate intent.
03
Stakeholder interactions
The team assessed the possible impact on their stakeholder interactions.
04
Change initiatives
Meaningful change initiatives were generated.
05
Core focus areas
Three core focus areas were agreed.
Key Output
New division strategy. Three specific change initiatives.
The team aligned on the strategic cornerstones and essential initiatives needed to move towards future goals.
Core pillars
The team agreed on the core pillars of their new division strategy.
Three change initiatives
The team identified three specific change initiatives that enabled them to move towards their future goals.
From Workshop to Execution
Working teams were formed for all three change initiatives.
At the end of the workshop, working teams were formed for all three change initiatives, with assigned leaders responsible for implementation for each workstream.
Project charters and milestone plans were created for each initiative and aligned with the division VP and the board. Progress was measured through bimonthly reviews with workstream owners and the division leadership team.
Impact
Best-in-class division strategy design and implementation.
Reduced uncertainty
Through open dialogue and joint reflection on the impact of the change, clarity was created about what it would mean for each team member. This reduced uncertainty and empowered people to play an active role in the change journey.
Stakeholder partnerships
The anticipation of the stakeholder impact related to the strategic changes led to conscious relationship management and the development of strong partnerships with key players.
Board recognition
The new division strategy was well received by the board and the implementation plan was considered best-in-class compared with other divisions that had used traditional approaches.
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