Today’s insights are brought to you by my colleague and global futurist, Dean van Leeuwen.
It can be overwhelming as a business leader to be ensuring that one’s organisation is primed for success and effectively implementing strategic business goals on all levels.
The world of work is constantly in flux, as is our 21st century society. And as we see the world around us shift and change, so too must we change, which includes building adaptability into our organisations to ensure our long term success.
We cannot simply continue to do business ‘as usual’ and build organisations in the ways that worked in previous decades…
It’s also true that we have to do a lot more than merely optimise existing organisations, instead – we need to re-evaluate how our organisations are structured – and possibly even re-imagine them – to design future-fit organisations that can deal with whatever comes our way in the rest of this decade and into the 2030s.
At TomorrowToday we believe that one of the most important layers to designing businesses that will thrive as we move into the future is to consider strategy.
However, business strategies can often fail or fall short of delivering the expected value. There are many reasons for this.
One reason strategies sometimes fail or fall short is that the proposed strategy does not align with the culture of the organisation.
In Episode 2 of The TomorrowToday Podcast futurists Buhle Dlamini and Dean van Leeuwen discuss organisational design and how vital culture is to implementing a truly effective business strategy. You can listen to this latest episode here, or where ever you listen to your podcasts.
Dean mentions a famous quote “culture eats strategy for breakfast” (from management consultant and writer Peter Drucker) in this episode and continues to explain how this doesn’t mean that strategy is unimportant – but rather that a powerful and empowering culture is even more essential for organisational success.
Simply put – if your organisation does not have the culture required to enact a company wide strategic plan; and if everyone in the company is not aligned, then it’s unlikely that your strategy will be effective.
This is one of the biggest hurdles business leaders face when trying to building effective organisations that will thrive in the future.
Our 3-dimensional strategy framework
To avoid some of these potential traps and pitfalls our team at TomorrowToday Consulting created a proprietary 3-dimensional strategy framework that ensures all aspects of the strategy are fully designed, developed and implemented.
The 3D-strategy framework transcends traditional strategy formulation, focusing on deep alignment with each client’s unique identity and market position, ensuring they lead in their respective fields through innovation and strategic foresight. This model represents the synthesis of extensive research and proven methodologies.
- Strategic Foundation — Defining the organisational bedrock.
This dimension is centred around purpose, vision, culture, and values.
We focus on comprehending the core reasons our clients’ organisations exist and their aspirational future states. This involves setting a clear and compelling direction that informs every strategic decision. Recognising the paramount importance of organisational culture — often the overriding factor in strategy implementation — we align our strategic initiatives with the inherent values and ethos of our clients’ businesses.
This approach not only ensures the effectiveness of strategic decisions but also guarantees they resonate deeply with the fundamental identity of each client’s business, providing a stable and relevant guide through the dynamic market landscape.
- Strategic Essentials — This strategic dimension concentrates on the indispensable elements that underpin our clients’ market presence.
Our design and development work involves enhancing their core competencies, deepening their understanding of the market, and refining operational excellence. This stage is about honing the fundamentals — the vital cogs that keep an organisation thriving in a competitive landscape.
Our approach is geared towards not just meeting industry benchmarks but surpassing them, ensuring our clients maintain a competitive edge. By focusing on these essentials, we empower our clients to excel in their core business areas while positioning them for sustainable success in their respective markets.
- Strategic Differentiators — The third dimension is where we assist our clients in distinctly setting themselves apart in their markets.
This phase is a confluence of innovation, uniqueness, and compelling value propositions. Our role is pivotal in identifying and amplifying the unique aspects of our clients’ businesses. Whether it involves developing disruptive business models, introducing groundbreaking product offerings, or creating unparalleled customer experiences, we guide our clients in sculpting differentiators that profoundly resonate within their business and our ethos of using the grey elephant forces to architect the future.
Our strategy consulting team partners with the private and public sectors on designing and developing the strategies that shape the future and deliver impact and shared value. Connect with our Consulting team today and let’s work together to help your business truly thrive.
Email [email protected] or [email protected] about Organisational Strategy or visit our website for more information.
Dean van Leeuwen is the co-founder of TomorrowToday Consulting – a futurist consultancy working with leading organisations around the world. He is an expert on global trends, innovation, and strategic business transformation.
You can access Dean’s latest research on ‘Closing the Innovation Gap – The 7 strategic and cultural essentials that separate successful large-company innovator’s here or chat with us about our ‘Full blown innovation’ keynote presentation.