Editorial

Times of disruption do not signal the end of strategy work, but rather give it new momentum. Now more than ever, forward-looking organizations – from agile start-ups to established major corporations – need a convincing plan for how to tackle the future. They can only be unbeatable if they are always distinct and being better than their competitors; strategy creates the conceptual framework for aligning the entire organization to those goals.

With that in mind, this issue of Horváth Directions is dedicated to the question of how strategy work meets today’s requirements for speed, customer focus, and adaptability. Companies would be well-advised to establish an integrated strategy process built around the three essential components of being unbeatable: The organization’s corporate statement, business model, and power to implement. My colleague Dr. Oliver Greiner describes this in “Touchdown!”, his practice-oriented strategy book, which takes an entertaining and focused approach in demonstrating ways to build both conceptual and implementation-oriented strength. In Horváth Directions, we shed light on additional aspects as well as specific examples of implementation in companies.

Today, economic success is closely linked to a company’s overarching purpose. You can read the latest findings in our guest commentary, in which Christa Gyori, CEO of Leaders on Purpose, sets a course on this topic. In the Best Practice case studies you can see how good strategy work supports leading companies in successfully positioning themselves; in this issue we take a look at the organizational transformation of DEKRA and the digitization of Plansee Group. In an interview, Dr. Niels Lorenz, CEO of Radeberger Group, provides insight into how Germany’s largest brewery is being distinct and becoming better. He explains how his business successfully does away with the industry’s traditions, while also relying on digital ecosystems.

Happy reading!

Best regards,

Dr. Michael Kieninger
CEO, Horváth AG