Over the past years, we have seen a rapidly growing community of Strategy Tools practitioners. From business school faculty in the US, executives-turned-consultants in Latin America, to Australian Innovation Clusters, the Strategy Tools platform is used across the globe to accelerate impact.
So how are people using Strategy Tools in Action? How are companies changing the way they work with strategy based on the toolkit? How are global consultants building their business with the help of the Strategy Tools platform? Today we launched Strategy Tools in Action, a report where we explore this in full detail.
Featured today is Hege Langaas, the Founding Partner at Mindboost.no, based in Norway. Here’s how she’s using the Strategy Tools Platform to simplify and visualize strategy in her work with clients.
My Preferred Strategy Tool
It’s really hard to pick one preferred strategy tool, as it depends entirely on the context of the client in question. However I think that most clients experience the challenge of adapting to rapid or gradual shifts in their area of business, and appreciate the simplicity of the Industry Shifts Map. I have found this map really useful for introductory discussions in management teams on the trends in their area of business.
How I Use It
Industry Shifts Map
The Industry Shifts Map is a good introductory tool to facilitate basic discussions in management teams on what is about to happen in there are of business and how they plan to deal with it.
Transform! Simulation
The Transform! Simulation allows your client to face challenges, discuss and learn in a safe environment. It creates a very steep learning curve for most management teams and innovation teams. I use it in the first phases of a project to create the urge to understand and learn about transformation.
Transformation Architecture
I use the Transformation Architecture with management teams to give them a simple framework to identify what they need to work on to move on, or to reveal to them that they have all they need, they just have to take action.
Client Impact
The Industry Shifts Map has enabled fruitful discussions about management team members’ different views on their situation and context.
With this simple tool as a basis, they create a new common understanding of signals to watch out for and slow changes that may grow into big trouble. And when we go further to map out their readiness to meet the changes, some really interesting challenges are usually revealed.
Some teams totally change their focus on what is important to change after the discussion on their readiness.
Recommendations to Others
1. Play with different tools and get to know them by applying to your own business or a business well known to you.
2. Make it simple for your client to be active and learn! You are not a strategy consultant to impress people with your competence, but to make sure your clients move in the right direction and have the necessary discussions to develop their company. Pick the approach (and tools) that will make that happen.
3. Build a library of cases and examples to illustrate the challenges, situations, actions and effects to make it easier for your clients to understand strategic moves relate to their own situation.
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Want more strategy insights from across the globe? Download the Strategy Tools in Action Report.
