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Strategy Consulting by Initio

Strategy development and strategy consulting – definition

The term “strategy development” describes a process in which the management of a company defines which goals it wants to achieve – and how and when it wants to achieve them. We distinguish between long-term, medium-term and short-term goals.

To achieve strategic goals, it usually requires a bundle of objectives and measures that must be coordinated with each other.

Especially in larger organizations, it is therefore essential to systematize these goals and measures. A common systematization is the division into

  • strategic objectives
  • primary objectives
  • secondary objectives
  • and measures.

This systematization of strategic goals and measures can also be represented as a “goal pyramid“:

Goal Pyramid
Figure: Typical Goal Pyramid

This representation is not entirely coincidentally reminiscent of a classic organizational chart: The higher strategic goals are in the “goal hierarchy”, the more likely higher hierarchical levels are responsible for their implementation.

Strategy development: A permanent management task

Due to today’s increasing complexity of business and disruptive markets, strategies have to be adapted more and more quickly to ongoing developments in the corporate environment.

Classic strategy processes are often too slow and cumbersome for this purpose. Many executives have therefore asked themselves why detailed strategy processes are needed at all if the relevance of the implementation steps agreed is merely short-lived.

Agile strategy development

If markets and the economic environment change faster than strategies can be implemented, then traditional strategy processes are obviously not fast enough. In this case, strategy development in “agile mode” can be a suitable answer.

Here is an overview of the main differences between the two procedures – “classic mode” and “agile mode”.

Klassischer Strategie-ProzessStrategieentwicklung im agilen Modus
Das Top Management entwickelt Strategische Ziele
(Problem: Zeitknappheit)
Eine Stellvertretergruppe maßgeblicher Mitarbeitender übernimmt Strategieveranwortung
(Vorteil: Strategie-Kompetenz wird mit der Zeit breiter im Unternehmen verankert)
Führungskräfte aus Bereichen und Abteilungen arbeiten an strategischen Unterzielen
(Problem: Volle Kalender, das braucht oft viel Zeit)
“Strategie-Kreise” arbeiten stellvertretend für die Abteilung an der Anpassung der Bereichs-Strategie
(Vorteil: Die Verantwortlichen denken Strategie stets “mit”)
Der Strategieprozess ist nach einem Jahr “abgeschlossen”. Strategiearbeit wird zum ständigen Prozess in kurzen Zyklen und somit tiefer verankert und angekoppelt ins “tägliche Geschäft”.

Difference between strategy development in “classic” and in “agile” mode

The essential characteristics of agile strategy processes are:

  • A network of strategy managers is established across all levels of the company, who, besides their daily tasks, constantly keep an eye on strategical implications of recent developments.
  • Strategy competence in the organization increases and expands beyond traditional leaders to competent team members.
  • Strategy processes are conducted in significantly shorter cycles

It is not uncommon for strategy groups from different divisions and teams to collaborate across hierarchies and divisions. Delegation and decision-making principles from “circle organizations” (holacracy) are increasingly used.

Free Initial Consultation

You can find out more about our agile approaches in a free initial consultation. Or you can first get an overview of some of our strategy methods

Consulting for Strategy Development

We are specialists in strategy development and strategy processes – both in agile and “classic” mode.

In strategy-processes we act in different roles:

  • as sparring partners
  • as strategy coaches
  • by steering the overall process
  • by establishing agile ways of working in strategy teams
  • Agile strategy consulting

Our Range of Services

Our Approach in Strategy Consulting

  1. Listen and understand
  2. Reconciliation of goals and success indicators
  3. Detailed offer with
    • A description of the “as-is” situation and proposal on how to proceed
    • Implications and conclusions
    • Outline of a process architecture or workshop design according to the criteria formulated above.
    • commercial offer
    • Competencies, References
  4. Proposal for the process architecture / workshop design
  5. Planning and implementation of the process
  6. Continuous adaptation of the process to recent results, new findings and developments during the course of the process
  7. Conclusion of the process, review, joint “learning loop” (“lessons learned“).

Strategy Consulting Online, Virtual or “Classic”

We offer our strategy processes or individual strategy workshops online or in “classic” mode, face to face. Get a free initial consultation!

Your benefits

Kostenfreies Erstgespräch

Noch nicht überzeugt? Testen Sie uns in einem kostenfreien Erstgespräch:

  1. Wir erörtern gemeinsam Ihre Herausforderung
  2. Wir zeigen Lösungswege auf
  3. Bei weiterführendem Interesse erstellen wir ein Grob-Konzept 
  4. Kalkulation der anfallenden Kosten

Hier bekommen Sie alle Informationen, die Sie brauchen:

Vereinbaren Sie hier ein kostenfreies Erstgespräch!

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about strategy development

How does a strategy development consultation process work?

Find a description of the exact procedure here.

How long does a strategy development process take?

That depends very much on the level of participation and the specific questions. If you want to go through a complete strategy development process, experience shows that this will take around 10-15 workshop days (varying, depending on the size of your company/organization).
Shorter processes with narrower issues or strategy development in large-group formats can be dealt with very effectively with 1-3 days on site at your premises.

Who should be involved in a strategy development process?

Strategy development is a management task. Depending on the nature and scope of the issue, we recommend involving relevant stakeholders/stakeholder groups/experts from within your company in large parts of the process. Usually, these would be executives from 2nd and 3rd level, possibly also team leaders or technical experts on narrower issues.
Identifying the right stakeholder groups is one of the key steps in our strategy processes. As an experienced management consulting firm for all things strategy development, we are happy to support you.

Which references and experience in strategy processes do we have?

We are an experienced cunsulting firm for all things strategy development. We have worked for many companies in very different industries. Here you can find an overview of some of our projects with other clients!

Our strategy competence team

Günther Grassmann

Managing Consultant. Strategy development, workshop moderation, large group events, regional development.

Florian Grolman initio Geschäftsführender Berater
Florian Grolman

Managing Consultant. Focus areas: Strategy development, Change Management, Organizational Consulting and Organizational Development, Team Development, Leadership Training, Vision and Values Development.

Günther Grassmann

Managing Consultant. Strategy development, workshop moderation, large group events, regional development.

Philip Dönhoff

Partner, Management Consultant and Coach. Focus areas: Strategy development, change management and transformation, organizational development, conflict prevention and crisis management, individual, team and project coaching, business model development….

Let’s talk!

We have more than 21 years of experience and will be happy to advise you!

Book your free initial consultation. We will get in touch with you.






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