Strategy Consulting: Strategy Processes and Strategy Development

Strategy & Change Consulting

Strategy Consulting by Initio

Strategy consulting

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Comprehensive Strategy Processes

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Strategy Workshops

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Developing strategy in large groups

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Avoiding pitfalls in strategy processes

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Strategy trainings

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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“:

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-Prozess	Strategieentwicklung 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

Comprehensive strategy processes Work in agile mode Strategy workshops Large-group strategy

Our Approach in Strategy Consulting

Listen and understand
Reconciliation of goals and success indicators
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
Proposal for the process architecture / workshop design
Planning and implementation of the process
Continuous adaptation of the process to recent results, new findings and developments during the course of the process
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

Passgenauigkeit der Lösung:
Die vorhandenen Erfahrungen werden genutzt
Hohe Umsetzungswahrscheinlichkeit:
Die Widerstände bei der Umsetzung des Handlungsplans werden gering sein, wenn die wesentlichen Stakeholdergruppen an dem Lösungsprozess aktiv beteiligt waren.
Nachhaltige Stärkung Ihrer Organisation:
Wissen und Erkenntnisse stammen aus Ihrem Unternehmen selbst und werden sich dort weiter entwickeln, auch wenn die Berater wieder “von Bord” sind.
Hohe Akzeptanz der Lösungen:
Einwände, Bedenken und weiterführende Informationen wurden bereits im Lösungsprozess berücksichtigt.
Kompetenzzuwachs:
Mehr Strategie-Verantwortung in der “Linie” führt zu deutlichem Kompetenzzuwachs und höherer Verantwortungsübernahme im Team
Verbesserung der Unternehmenskultur:
Strategische Handlungsspielräume fördern selbständiges Denken und Handeln in strategisch relevanten Themenfeldern
Erleichterte Strategie-Kommunikation:
Höhere Einbindung der Mitarbeitenden in Strategie-Themen erhöht die “Sprechfähigkeit” der eingebundenen Mitarbeitenden und verringert den Aufwand in der Strategie-Kommunikation
Weniger Unerwartetes bei der Umsetzung:
Mögliche Komplexität und Herausforderungen wurden schon vorher von allen Seiten durchdacht und finden sich im gemeinsam erarbeiteten Lösungsansatz wieder.
Nachhaltige Stärkung Ihres Unternehmens:
Mit unseren interaktiven Methoden entfaltet ein von initio begleiteter Strategieprozess teambildende und hochmotivierende Wirkung.
Verringerung von Konflikten:
Wir achten stets darauf, dass alle relevanten Informationen und Sichtweisen im Strategieprozess berücksichtigt werden. Die Beteiligten lernen so Perspektiven aus unterschiedlichen Bereichen/Abteilungen kennen. Dieses Wissen wirkt nachhaltig in zukünftigen Verständigungs- und Abstimmungsprozessen zu anderen Fragestellungen.
Geringere Kosten:
Von innen heraus entwickelte Lösungen sind passgenau und minimieren Widerstände bei der Umsetzung
Schlankerer Prozess:
Geringere Gesamtlaufzeit des Projekts, da Führungskräfte von Anfang an Verantwortung mit übernehmen
Nachhaltige Stärkung der Führungsebene:
Wissen wird im Unternehmen generiert und verbleibt dort auch nach Ende des Prozesses
Führungskräfteentwicklung im Strategieprozess:
Strategieentwicklungsprozesse sind eine hervorragende Entwicklungsmöglichkeit für neue Talente

Kostenfreies Erstgespräch

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Wir zeigen Lösungswege auf
Bei weiterführendem Interesse erstellen wir ein Grob-Konzept
Kalkulation der anfallenden Kosten

Hier bekommen Sie alle Informationen, die Sie brauchen:

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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 GrassmannRead Article

Günther Grassmann

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

Florian Grolman

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

Günther GrassmannRead Article

Günther Grassmann

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

Philip DönhoffRead Article

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.

Enthusiastic Customer Opinions

Thank you very much for the highly professional and motivating implementation of the Open Space. The feedback from the participants was consistently positive.

Thank you again for the great workshop – we have already started implementing the first suggestions and are having a lot of fun doing so.

The training was enjoyable and, above all, it advanced us, inspired us, and was fun. Thank you very much for that!

That was really good. You understand your craft!

Thank you for the great event. We took away a lot of impulses and look forward to reaping the benefits.

We have received very positive feedback about your training. Thank you very much for that!

That was a really great workshop, thank you very much!

Thank you once again for this all-around successful workshop day! We couldn’t have managed it like this without your support. The effort was worth it!

Thank you again for the great workshop – we are very happy with the outcome!

The day was extremely productive. I am very motivated to continue working with the results.

I’m always thrilled to work with professionals – Thank you very much for the goal-oriented moderation!

A big thank you for moderating the workshop. As a team, we emerged from the day with a good team spirit and a clearer picture regarding the way forward. The workshop was very worthwhile!

4-day workshop and yet: playful, creative, inspiring and structured with good methodology. Highly recommended.

Objective, constructive, optimistic – You have put us on course. Thank you to initio – I will definitely recommend you!

The DAV sincerely thanks initio for their support on this sometimes challenging journey. A mission statement of this quality would not have been possible without initio, and above all, we would not have conducted the discussion so openly. We are grateful for this impetus.

Once again, my sincere thanks for the excellent collaboration, organization, and the great results of the workshops!

We achieved all our goals and it was exactly what I had envisioned. Thank you very much!

It’s fun to work with you!

That was a very good method. We couldn’t have done it without you!

The support in the preparation and execution of our retreat was very professional and helped us greatly. We were very satisfied with the two intensive days

Everyone was very satisfied with your moderation. The agreements made together work wonders. The team workshop did us a lot of good!

It’s truly impressive how you perceive group dynamics and spontaneously guide them in a targeted manner for further proceedings during the event. We all, and I personally, really liked that.

The change management training was very good! You truly understand the subject matter in depth – it shows.

You moderated our two-day strategy workshop very professionally. The challenge was significant, and the result is very good. Thank you very much for that!

The minister’s cabinet and the department are pleased with the excellent cooperation, which is characterized by trust, reliability, and great empathy!

You were a real asset to our team development. Thank you very much for that!

I thoroughly enjoyed working with you both personally and professionally, and it was a great pleasure to conduct this workshop together with you!

Thank you for the valuable insights into your practical work and the many tips and moderation tricks that provided a lively glimpse into the implementation of methods.

The interactive conference design was really helpful in implementing our WE strategy. Through the high employee participation, we received important impulses for further implementation. The preparation was precise, and the on-site collaboration was professional and very pleasant. Thank you!

Your vigilant and well-founded moderation and inspiration have helped us tremendously. The team was also thrilled!

I have received only positive feedback about your training. The content was very relevant to practice and everyone also found the structure of the seminar very good!

I am very satisfied with the consultation. The workshop has brought us a great step forward. Thank you for that!

Thank you for the great training. You have stimulated many thought processes in me!

Her expertise received 9.5 out of 10 possible points, her teaching 8.8 and the learning atmosphere 9.7 points. Top!

Thank you once again for the truly excellent consultation! This quality is not often encountered.

Thank you very much for your great support. Thanks to your help, we have truly taken a big step forward.

We are all thrilled with your seminar. Thank you very much! I have already implemented the first impulses and I’m already noticing initial successes. I’m looking forward to trying more…

A very helpful and good workshop! The results also helped us greatly during the restructuring phase.

This was a very efficient process that provided us with valuable insights and results. I am looking forward to the further process.

Our leadership conference greatly benefited from your intensive methodical consultation and professional moderation. The results exceeded our expectations!

The Open Space format was a powerful and thoroughly successful kick-off for our change process. The ministry was also thrilled!

The team development was truly excellent preparation for our strategy retreat.

We have received exclusively positive feedback on the conference. We can work very well with the results. Thank you very much for your commitment!

initio operates in the sensitive, complex, and dynamic field of strategic consulting not only efficiently but with foresight, sustainability, and passion. The impulses from our collaboration continue to influence our daily business at Sony Music to this day.

You prepared our workshop intensively and precisely. Both the method and moderation fit very well with our objectives. We were able to continue working very successfully with the results. Thank you very much!

I received particularly positive feedback regarding your moderation. Several workshop-experienced participants reported that they came with rather low expectations and left extremely positively surprised.

I have rarely experienced processes where so much has been achieved.

I will adopt some of your methods for my own workshops.

Thank you very much for this team development process. I’m glad we booked you.

You have played a very significant role in the success of our event, because without your support, it would have been much more difficult for us to ‘sell’ your innovative approach. Thank you for that!

The seminar was very helpful and will accompany me for weeks and months to come.

Very good! 1.6 as feedback score from workshop participants – I hope we continue the constructive and very pleasant collaboration!

Your sharp analytical skills were very impressive and helpful.

I learned a great deal in your seminar. It was exactly the right mix of theory, inspiration, and practical application. Therefore, I give it 9 out of 10 points!

Thank you for these really good, efficient days! The workshop was received positively throughout.
Thank you very much for your support!

The mission statement process was straightforward and creative. A very good result all around!

4 days workshop and yet: playful, creative, inspiring and structured with good methodology. Absolutely recommended.

By your professional steering of the process, you have played a significant part in the success of the project. Thank you very much!

Thank you very much for the really helpful seminar!

A model of this quality would not have been possible without your help. The result, however, is thoroughly gratifying and is already finding its way into our daily work.

The well-prepared and professionally accompanied team event gave us valuable suggestions and insights. Together we are now implementing this in further concrete steps. Thank you very much!

Thank you for the valuable insights into your practical work and the many tips and facilitation tricks that gave a lively insight into method implementation.

Rarely received such a well-structured seminar with excellent content.

It was impressive to see how much came out of our workshop. That was outstanding!

We are more than satisfied with the result. Thanks again for doing an excellent job! We hope to continue working with you!

The method training was very helpful. We can highly recommend initio Consulting for future seminars.

After the workshops with initio, we can clearly see how we can develop and proceed further and which tasks have high priority now. Thank you very much for your support!

The strategy workshop was extremely productive. You have always kept the group focused on the essential issues. We fully recommend your facilitation!