How do we shape the future of strategy? That original question has been with us since the very first days of Strategy Tools, back in 2010.

What originally started out as a PhD-outline research question, built around ‘Strategy Tools for the Next Generation’, has morphed into a global community, a robust strategy platform and 1000’s of companies putting the tools into action.

Yet, it is still very much ‘day one’ for our development. We see a huge need for and interest in new solutions helping shape the future of strategy.

So far, there are three key factors that have shaped our work – and hopefully will continue to shape our work for the coming decades.

Powered by curiosity

Our main driver is without a doubt curiosity. Curiosity to why companies make the choices they do. Curiosity to how a rapidly changing strategy landscape is forcing C-Suite members to rethink fundamental assumptions (and curiosity as to why that is so stubbornly difficult).

Curiosity to how we can design better tools, processes and ways of working on strategy.

Today this curiosity is taking us very much in the direction of digital, blended and AI-powered solutions.

Driven by client challenges 

While our original work started as a PhD outline, it quickly ‘left the lab’. The large majority of our work, tools and simulations has been a direct response to client challenges. Working closely with Chief Strategy Officers, CEOs, CFOs, Board, Innovation Clusters, Government Agencies; we listen deeply for
challenges, we seek to truly understand those challenges and we work to design solutions to those challenges.

The tools you will find in The Strategy Tools in Action Report all started out as ‘somebody’s challenge’.

Action research – in action

From a methodology point-of-view, we are fully committed to action research.

From studying challenges, testing early solutions, debriefing learning and co-creating new solutions, close client collaboration and constant feedback loops have driven our methodology over the past decade.

While we are not in any kind of way researchers, we are actively trying to bridge academia with the real world, through an ever-faster learning cycle.

Looking Back at 2013

In July 2013, working with the corporate strategy team at a leading energy company, we developed a visual sketch of ‘how the world of strategy is changing’.

Little did we know how strong impact this visual sketch would have over the years that followed.

In ‘how the world of strategy is changing’ we identified five key drivers, affecting companies big and small.

• Broken Business Models
• Declining lifetime of large firms
• Exponential increase of speed of change and complexity
• Disruption is becoming the ‘new normal’
• Leading firms are learning to cycle through business models

These five drivers quickly found an interested audience with clients, executive students and partners. Since 2013, we have continued to work on and explore these five drivers. This work has continued to fuel our passion for new tools, new thinking and new solutions to shape the world of strategy.

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Download the full report here to explore four experts share their views on the future of strategy, and meet 18 consultants actively going to work every day equipped with new tools, new simulations and new ways of working. If you want to start your journey with Strategy Tools and build a greater impact with clients and colleagues, register for our intense four-week, hands-on digital workshop Strategy Tools Global Coaches Program starting on 27th September.