Strategy Services that Work…

When a company wishes to sharpen its strategy, several approaches are possible – the crucial factor is whether the approach creates measurable value and allows the company to move forward by providing it with a sound strategic footing. We therefore prefer finding the optimal strategy service together.

Regardless of the service in question, our approach is based on theoretical knowledge, practical work, our own interviews and surveys as well as the book “Strategy in Winning Companies” written by co-author Mikael Vest, Vinderstrategi A/S.

Below is a selection of the most popular of our strategy services – large as well as small.

The most important thing is that we together identify, put together and tailor the services that best fit the needs of the company.

Strategy Process “From just a company to a winning company”

“From just a company to a to winning company” is intended to bring the company through all the elements of strategy as outlined in the figure “The Structured Strategy – The Connecting Thread” for the benefit of customers, employees and owners. We tailor a strategy process to the current strategic situation of the company. This process challenges the strategic efforts and inspires the company to see itself from a new strategic perspective. It is always designed with sufficient flexibility to allow you to affect the outcome.

We conduct a situation analysis of the current strategic efforts together, we agree on a level of ambition as laid out in a vision, mission, goals, milestones and primary strategies and we ensure strategic capabilities that can function as catalysts for the implementation of the strategic initiatives.

The benefits to the company include that the company gets:

  • a “Growth Case” focused on its latent potential
  • clarity on its future positioning and differentiation
  • a drift-proof strategy committed to by all key persons
  • relevant needs for change identified in the form of “burning platforms” and opportunities to exploit
  • 3-5 Must-Win Battles identified with goals and milestones to reach on the way to the goals
  • a foundation for execution of the strategy and for value creation

Interested? Contact Vinderstrategi A/S.

 

WinningcompanyCheck

WinningcompanyCheck is a winning company diagnostic tool which is an internet-based quantitative situational analysis designed to provide the company with an indication of whether it is making sufficient progress towards becoming a winning company.

The diagnostic tool is an indication tool consisting of rankings of the company on 13 criteria. The result forms the foundation for a hypothesis about the strategy efforts ahead. The hypothesis consists partly of a “traffic light” and partly of a number of suggested strategic efforts. The diagnostic tool is based on the principles laid out in the book “Strategy in Winning Companies” (co-authored by Mikael Vest, Vinderstrategi A/S) and on practical experience accumulated by Vinderstrategi A/S.

The diagnostic tool can be completed by a single individual from the company or by several. We recommend that several people from the company complete it so that a nuanced image of the strategy efforts of the company can be generated.

The benefits to the company include:

  • an estimate of how close the company is to being a winning company
  • an indication of what kind of strategy efforts lie ahead
  • a number of suggestions for future strategy efforts
  • background material for discussions of strategy within the company

Interested? Contact us for an English version of WinningcompanyCheck.

 

StrategyCheck

StrategyCheck is a strategy diagnostic tool which is an internet-based qualitative situational analysis designed to measure the level, direction and speed of the strategic efforts of the company.

The diagnostic tool consists of a set of questions developed for the purpose. The result can, for example, be used as the basis for a strategy seminar, for designing a strategy process, or for prioritizing and focusing on what strategy efforts need more work. The diagnostic tool is based on principles described in the book “Strategy in Winning Companies” (co-authored by Mikael Vest, Vinderstrategi A/S) and on practical experience accumulated by Vinderstrategi A/S.

The diagnostic tool is completed by a group. Typically, the group consists of the members of the board and/or top management. The diagnostic tool is completed individually and it is important that it happens spontaneously and without coordination.

The benefits to the company include:

  • a clear image of how well defined the current strategy is an assessment of the level of agreement in the group
  • identification of aspects of the strategy in need of clarification
  • overview of strengths and areas of possible improvement
  • background material for future strategy efforts

Interested? Contact us for an English version of StrategyCheck.

 

Identifying Need for Change

Identifying Need for Change is based on a strategic analysis and results in a sharp and consistent report showing the current strategic situation of the company.

Achieving satisfactory economic performance is a necessary precondition for being an attractive company. Many investors demand that past performance information is supplemented by non-economical information, so that expectations about future cash flows can be more definitive and clearly documented. As a consequence, the company needs a market-driven structure for documentation with openness about all company information in order for investors to base their judgments on a solid understanding of the company. The company therefore needs to analyze and judge future demands from external actors, opportunities, and future challenges for management – external strategic factors. In addition, the company needs to analyze and judge internal strategic factors – how healthy is the company internally? This health assessment provides valuable input about the results achieved by the company and the effectiveness of its processes across the board.

The benefits to the company include:

  • a better basis for assessing how the company needs to differentiate itself and improve in order to achieve its desired positioning and adapt to the needs of its customers.
  • insight into how the company can go about improving effectiveness and attracting the right employees.
  • clarity about what aspects of value creation do or do not need improvement.
  • ability to exploit identified opportunities and prepare for identified threats.
  • a comprehensive understanding of the potential of the company and building blocks for definite actions.

Interested? Contact Vinderstrategi A/S

 

New Strategic Goal

New Strategic Goal is based on the strategic intentions of the company and is intended to develop its vision, mission and values.

Thinking strategically requires temporary withdrawal from the concerns, challenges and limitations of day-to-day operations of a company. The economic performance necessary to be perceived as an attractive company is affected by the ability of the company to think strategically in this way. Many investors demand that the historical performance information is supplemented by non-economic information, so that expectations about future cash flows are more definitively and clearly documented. If we assume that the company has a clear analytical image of its strategic situation, and therefore knows the starting point from which it will attempt to reach its goal, then the next step for the company is to develop an innovative vision.

A vision that:

  • shows a unique and visionary conception of the future
  • is robust to the range of changes that will occur in the industry and in society
  • can be understood by everyone and therefore establishes a clear goal for everyone in the company

Next, the company needs to develop an appropriate mission – a justification for the existence of the company with clear limits to the kind of activities engaged in. The mission should clearly state:

  • what the company offers
  • whose needs the company addresses
  • how the company delivers

Finally, the company needs to identify its values, translatable into specific behaviors that will characterize the path to the goal – in other words, what kinds of behaviors should customers, employees and owners experience on their way to the goal.

The benefits to the company include:

  • a clearly defined goal that can function as a consistent guide for everyone in the company
  • that all employees know what the company offers, the target segment and how the company delivers
  • clear, measurable goals for specific behavior that ensure that the values are respected
  • a comprehensive understanding of the potential of the company and building blocks for definite actions

Interested? Contact Vinderstrategi A/S

 

Strategic Action

Strategic Action is a service designed to ensure effective execution of the strategy.

Eight out of ten companies never execute their strategy. It remains in a binder and collects dust, while management spends its time finding solutions to urgent problems…

Source: www.ledelseidag.dk

Too many companies experience that economic performance remains unsatisfactory, even after a strategy process. The reason is often that day-to-day management gets in the way, or that the strategic analysis, the strategic intentions and strategy execution are not adequately integrated. Being able to outline a feasible strategy in writing is not sufficient – execution and performance are necessary preconditions for being an attractive company. All investors demand optimal execution of the strategy. This means that the company needs to be able tie together the results of the strategic analysis, the strategic intentions, the strategic goals and action plans for strategy execution so that the desired level of performance is achieved. The company can, for example, more easily develop budgets based directly on the strategy, since the traceability of elements in the strategy work forms basis for such a budget.

The benefits to the company include:

  • a plan for execution of the strategy and for achieving tangible value creation
  • 3-5 Must-win Battles with goals and milestones to reach on the road to the goal
  • clarity about how the company needs to differentiate itself and position itself going forward
  • a drift-proof strategy committed to by all key persons

Interested? Contact Vinderstrategi A/S

 

Strategy and Business Plans

The Strategy and Business Plan service is intended to ensure that the strategy and business plan of the company is complete with situational analysis, core competencies, important needs for change, vision, mission, values, strategic goals, efforts, milestones and economic results.

Developing a strategy and business plan creates significant value for the company. The process in itself has a positive effect. The strategy and business plan can also be required for communication with financial partners such as banks and/or potential investors, or maybe even with potential strategic alliance partners. We generally have had positive experiences with this type of communications and we are more than willing to share it.

Altogether, Vinderstrategi A/S reads between 100 and 120 different strategy and business plans per year. Vinderstrategi A/S is deeply involved in a large share of these and contributes to making them sharper.

The benefits to the company include:

  • effective and time-saving summary of the strategy of the company
  • a comprehensive overview of the potential of the company, established by means of a set of thoroughly tested tools
  • a plan that facilitates execution
  • an even sharper strategy and business plan, as the company gets professional sparring with a 100% dedicated partner whose core competency is strategy and business plans
  • a basis for presentations to external stakeholders

In the video below Mikael Vest, Vinderstrategi A/S, discusses strategy and business development with CEO Lars Seier Christensen, Saxo Bank A/S. Watch it to hear Lars Seier Christensen’s three recommendations for strategy and business plans.

Interested? Contact Vinderstrategi A/S

 

Strategic Advice and Professional Sparring

Strategic advice and professional sparring is intended to contribute to the growth and development of the company. If the company is facing a strategic challenge that you wish to get advice and professional sparring about, we are readily available. This could for example be in connection to succession, sale of the company, development of new business activities or concepts, or simply a wish to get the company started on its next growth phase.

We also provide advice to investment companies and private equity funds on strategic analyses of their portfolio companies. This can, for example, be analyses of the value chain of the company and core competencies, analyses of industry attractiveness or potential profitability.

The benefits to the company include:

  • an external resource with strategy as a core competency
  • a sharp focus on the relevant aspects of strategy
  • the opportunity to receive candid feedback
  • an effective and time-saving approach
  • a 2nd opinion on the strategy of the company

Interested? Contact Vinderstrategi A/S

 

Strategic 2nd OpinionTM

Strategic 2nd Opinions are intended to ensure that you receive the full potential benefit of working with a supplier of strategy services and ensure that you are properly equipped to handle your part of the strategy efforts. You are in the middle of a large strategy project or are planning one in the near future. You have chosen to involve an external service supplier in the strategy efforts – and “Strategic 2nd Opinion” enhances your ability to get the full benefit from this supplier.

The term “second opinion” is from the healthcare industry, where you as a patient can ask for a second opinion from a different doctor. When you as a patient choose a second opinion, it is often because you either want an assessment of your alternatives, want a different perspective on the issue, or want to have access to more information. The purpose of the second opinion is thus to allow you to judge the optimality of the suggested treatment.

In addition to parallels in the health care industry, this service can also be compared to giving advice in construction, where you hire a technical expert to assist you with technical details of the work done by a contractor.

We draw these parallels to the private sector because we know from experience that some companies starting or in the middle of important strategy effort often need a second opinion for much the same reasons as a patient or one hiring a contractor. Maybe the company does not have sufficient internal strategic competencies to match the strategy service supplier, thus making the cooperation between them very unequal. Or maybe the company just wants an evaluation of its alternatives. I such situations, having an external assessor to give advice about all relevant issues can add significant value to the bottom line.

Vinderstrategi A/S offers a “Strategic 2nd Opinion” service tailored to the specific strategic situation of your company. We respect the choice that your company has made about your strategy service supplier, which means that the advice provided has the sole intention of optimizing the chosen process.

Vinderstrategi A/S thus functions as facilitators of the dialogue between the company and the strategy service supplier. We provide assistance for, for example:

  • assistance during the decision making process and input in the form of opinions and information about alternatives.
  • evaluation of the contract with the supplier (specification of requirements), including each element of the process.
  • participation in control group meetings, other meetings and presentations in connection with the strategy efforts.
  • we ask constructive, critical questions and make our expertise available to top management.
  • facilitation of internal strategy-deliberations in the company
  • evaluation of requests of change and additional services from the supplier.
  • occasionally, we can function as interim project managers for top management.

The benefits to the company include:

  • more bang for your buck because we challenge and motivate the strategy service supplier.
  • access to strong strategic competencies in as small or as large doses as you need.
  • the possibility for top management to focus on the essentials in the strategy process.
  • reduction of costs associated with “nice-to-have services” and additional services.
  • independent expert advice

Interested? Contact Vinderstrategi A/S