Adapting corporate strategy in an agile way

The infographic shows what a corporate strategy should look like. You should analyze and evaluate the current situation before the strategy is formulated. The desired target state is developed as the strategy is formulated. The diagram shows the implementation of the strategy and the associated realization of the action plan. This is followed by checking, adjusting, monitoring and consolidating the plan. The graphic represents these processes as a cycle.

Why should customers buy from your company? This question sounds simple. But you need to keep asking it. Ultimately, companies can only remain successful in the long term with products or services that meet the current and, ideally, future needs of their customers. Companies activate customer focus as a strategic success factor by systematically gathering feedback from buyers, improving their customer service and tracking customer loyalty programs. By maintaining close contact with their customers, they are also better able to decide whether to diversify their offering, develop a new product or enter a new market.

Sustainability is now very important to many Swiss SMEs, their customers and partners. Sustainability is supported by various standards in the corporate world. Companies in or from Switzerland, for example, should observe international standards such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on responsible business conduct and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. 

Specific sustainability goals can be incorporated into the corporate strategy. This link encourages companies to constantly think about how they can make their products, services and processes more sustainable and how sustainability can be embedded in the corporate culture.

Corporate goals are a fundamental part of corporate strategy. It is important that not only you as an entrepreneur have a clear strategy and defined goals for your company in mind. Clear and defined means: comprehensible and measurable for everyone. All of your employees should be familiar with them since this is the only way you can work towards achieving them.

Develop a communication plan by which to communicate your strategy. One communication tool that is available is the action plan’s catalog of measures, which is also available in visual formats.

It is worth regularly checking whether your workforce or team still has the necessary know-how, the right skills and the right personalities. Does the team have the right mix? Personnel diversification, coupled with agile working methods, can be a success factor and should therefore be taken into account in the strategy.

Through employee development measures, you can impart the necessary skills and promote creativity and a culture of learning. If your company sees itself as a learning organization, this will ideally result in a process of continuous improvement.

Team structures in SMEs are often fixed for the long term and tend to be relatively stable. You should therefore review the organizational structure of your company at regular intervals. Is this structure with the company divisions and the team organization still aligned with the strategy today? 

You should also consider your strategic plans for the future, whether these involve expansion abroad, growth ambitions, innovation goals, diversification or repositioning in the market. Do you need to change structures, reorganize teams and supplement skills to achieve these goals?

Creativity and innovation are major aspects of corporate strategy. To remain successful in the long term, creative, forward-looking ideas from your workforce and sustainable innovations are crucial. However, it is not easy to create an environment in which ideas can flow freely and innovations can be developed. This requires a corporate culture that has the courage to try new things and accept failure. Encourage employees to learn not only from successes, but also from failures.

Take a critical look at the culture in your company. Be honest: As an employee at various levels of your company, would you really be satisfied with the decision-making processes, the communication culture and the working conditions? This question is strategically very relevant. Only with a valuable and positive corporate culture can you retain the best employees, attract new talent and thus successfully implement your corporate strategy.

Would you like to invest more in your attractiveness as an employer in the future? We have valuable tips for you.

Growth is an opportunity to strengthen the company’s earning power. At the same time, it is challenging and risky, for example if the quality of products declines as a result of scaling, overcapacity is created or employees are overwhelmed by new structures.

Growth must therefore be well planned, especially its financing. Poorly planned financing can ruin even the best plan. If you want to tap into a new market, develop a new product or make major investments in the future, it is best to talk to your bank advisor at an early stage. Ask them to show you the most suitable forms of financing for your project.

Do not be afraid to seek outside help: There is a wealth of services and a range of associations available to SMEs, through which companies can find help, advice and inspiration on strategic issues. Contact organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and industry and trade associations. Those who network and exchange ideas benefit from the expertise that is available across companies in the relevant industry.

Other options for benefiting from external knowledge and skills include collaborations and strategic partnerships with other companies. Are there companies in your market that could help you move forward?

Many entrepreneurs have strong emotional ties to the companies they founded, built up or managed for a long time. This makes them all the more interested in handing over the company to the best possible person when the time comes. However, planning a sale or handover to a successor or the next generation often takes longer than expected. That is why our clear recommendation to company owners is to start thinking about their personal and professional future plans at an early stage.

It is best to start making initial preparations when your exit is still several years away or the date is still not decided. After all, you never know what the future holds. Taking a long-term view prevents your company from becoming unable to trade in the event of an emergency. One possible option for succession planning is a management buyout. This involves selling your company to senior employees or the existing management team. Another option is a management buy-in, where you recruit external successors to continue running the company.