Strategy

Traditionally a prime field for management consultants, the requirements for the design of strategy recommendations have undergone substantial changes in the recent past. The times of “round-table thinking” have passed, and consultants increasingly have to act as critical sparring partners for their clients, working eye-to-eye with them when it comes to technical or operational questions, while never losing their strategic eye for the bigger picture. These trends have taken hold in the following areas:

1. An increasing need to take operational implications into consideration already in the first design of the strategy, instead of planning its implementation separately from the actual definition of the strategy. This is driven in particular by the recognition of the importance of potential IT obstacles and of the motivation of staff for the new direction.

2. Growing relevance of in-depth technical know-how in the development of strategies. Apart from full knowledge of the industry, the competitive situation and the markets, modern requirements touch upon details concerning the product’s characteristics, relevant channels, processes or regulatory constraints.

3. A stronger need for defining strategies not only in general categories like price leadership, quality distinctions or similar aspects, but rather in terms of carving out the particular strengths of the company and using them as the distinguishing factors, while eliminating potential weak spots to a point that allows the company’s strengths to take hold in the markets. A detailed differentiation by product categories, channels or regions has become indispensable.

4. The need to design strategies in such a way that they offer options for reacting to changes in the markets without blurring the company’s distinguishing features in an undefined profile.

With our consultancy concept and the skills mix available in our senior teams, we already meet all of these new requirements