Strategy that Works: Insights from a 12-Month People-Centered Project

Strategy matters. However, strategy does not drive results. People do.

In this article, we dive into a 12-month project at a large chemical manufacturing company that put people at the center of developing and implementing a new vision and strategy for growth. The results were transformative, not only for the business but also for the 700 employees who were fully engaged in the process.

We hope the key takeaways and insights from our experience supporting this project will inspire your own approach to vision creation, strategy development, and execution.

For more details, check out the full episode of Second Crack — The Leadership Podcast “Strategy that Works: Insights from a 12-Month People-Centered Project”

The Power of Co-Creation: Building Strategy With the People

Common approaches to strategy involve a leadership team developing a vision and cascading it down through the organization. In our case, we took a different route, involving every level of the organization from the outset. The Managing Director of the company was insightful in his decision to avoid a top-down mandate. Instead, he asked: How can we include everyone in the creation of a new vision for our organization?

By engaging the whole organization, from executives to frontline employees, we not only gathered diverse input but also fostered a sense of ownership. People weren’t just executing someone else’s ideas—they were co-creators, deeply invested in the strategy’s success.

A Process-Driven Approach to Vision and Strategy

Our project unfolded in four key phases, each essential to the overall success:

1. Gathering Input: Rather than relying solely on data and metrics, we began by seeking input from the people who knew the business best—the employees, sales teams, customers, and even external stakeholders. This approach gave us insights into the human side of the business: how people felt about their current reality, what they were proud of, their concerns, and what needed to change for future success.
2. Shaping the Vision: The challenge was to take the diverse perspectives we had gathered and mold them into a unified vision. This required thoughtful facilitation of genuine dialogue, ensuring that every voice was heard, and helping the team make sense of both the data and the varied opinions.
3. Defining the Strategy: Once the vision was clear, the next hurdle was to move from brainstorming to making concrete decisions. This was perhaps the most difficult part of the process. Tough choices had to be made, but because of the trust and dialogue we had built, the team was able to make these decisions without compromising the core goals.
4. Implementation and Adaptation: Execution is where many strategies falter, but the team was determined to ensure this didn’t happen. Monthly leadership workshops, coaching, and continuous communication kept the strategy alive and adaptable as it was implemented.

Why Co-Creation Matters

One of the most important insights from this project was how crucial it is to involve people from the beginning. In many organizations, strategies are created by a small group at the top and then handed down to be implemented. This bears two critical risks: First of all, no matter how experienced the leadership team is, they cannot possible see all perspectives. Involving as many people as possible may seem time-consuming in the beginning, but it can prevent us from overlooking important aspects. Putting contrasting perspectives on the table and exploring them with an open mind can lead to invaluable new insights.?

Second, a top-down approach to vision and strategy can lead to “passive execution”, where employees feel disconnected from the strategy and less motivated to go the extra mile if things don’t go according to plan—because it is someone else’s plan.

Involving people in co-creating the vision and strategy is a real game-changer. Rather then just following orders, people feel a personal stake in the outcome. When challenges arise during implementation, they don’t wait for someone else to fix the problem; they take ownership and find solutions.

Such a sense of individual and collective responsibility was key to the success of the project at hand.

The Role of Leadership: Setting the Tone and Staying Engaged

Lots of strategies fail not because of any fault in the strategy. They fail because of a lack of execution. It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that once a strategy is developed, the hard part is over. But as this project demonstrated, the real work begins after the strategy is formulated. We initiated monthly leadership workshops which turned out to be a critical tool in ensuring momentum didn’t fade. By gathering regularly, we created space for reflection, problem-solving, and learning, ensuring the strategy remained aligned with both the organization’s goals and the realities of day-to-day operations.

Crucially, each strategic pillar—whether it was about expanding production capacity or developing people skills—was sponsored by a senior leader. These leaders were actively involved in driving the project forward, with clear accountability and action plans. Regular coaching sessions for the leadership team also provided a safe space for discussing challenges and keeping the process on track.

Four Pillars of Bringing the Vision to Life

We identified four key pillars that were essential for the execution of the project:

1. Getting to Yes: This pillar was about ensuring that all stakeholders, from local authorities to top management, were aligned with the vision. Success wasn’t just about the numbers; it was about building trust and creating a reputation for the manufacturing site that decision-makers could believe in.
2. People Development: The strategy recognized that expanding capacity meant not just hiring more people but developing their skills—both technical and interpersonal. By focusing on the human side of growth, we ensured the team was prepared for the future, not just in terms of production but in collaboration and leadership.
3. Breaking Down Silos: The project also tackled the common issue of siloed thinking. By improving understanding and collaboration between departments and functions, the team created a more cohesive organization where everyone understood the broader context and was working toward the same goal.
4. Capacity Expansion: Finally, there was the technical side of the strategy—the actual project of expanding production. This was the foundation of the business’s growth plan, but it was supported by the other three pillars, ensuring it was implemented effectively and sustainably.

A People-Centered Strategy Is a Winning Strategy

In the end, the most important outcome of this project wasn’t just the business growth—it was the evolution of the culture. By putting people at the center of the vision creation process, the entire organization was engaged. Employees felt a renewed sense of purpose, teamwork improved, and there was a sense of positive excitement about the future.

Self-Reflection

As you think about your own vision and strategy, you may want to consider these reflection questions:

• If you are a head of a entity or a function, how can you drive strategy or a new vision—instead of waiting for headquarters?
• What do you need to consider when designing your strategy process (e.g., resources, timeline, roles & responsibilities)?
• How can you involve managers and employees from the outset, and what role will they play? How ready are they?
• How can you create the conditions that as many people as possible get involved and ensure everyone’s voice is heard?

We hope the case study and the reflection questions spark some new ideas. All the best in your vision creation and strategy development process!

For more insights, listen to our complete podcast episode “Strategy that Works: Insights from a 12-Month People-Centered Project” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Second Crack — The Leadership Podcast is hosted by Martin Alderg?rd and Dr. Gerrit Pelzer. We explore everyday leadership dilemmas and paradoxes, and we ask thought-provoking questions to help leaders grow. Feel free to contact us for a complimentary consultation to explore how we can help you develop and implement a new strategy for business success.

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