Strategy - SOCIUS Organisationsberatung gGmbH

Strategy

The discovery of the future

Developing strategic orientation

We support you in developing your strategic direction - as a courageous expedition into the unknown or as a precisely planned signpost. Together we will find the focus that not only allows you to set meaningful goals, but also anchors them in your everyday life in a lively and effective way.

What does strategy mean?
Our understanding

“Strategy is a pattern in the stream of decisions.”
Henry Mintzberg

Strategy is the art of leaving out the non-essentials - but what is essential when the world is a ball of wool that is constantly tangled in new knots? For us, strategy is more than a plan. It is a living process that enables us to orientate ourselves in dynamic fields and build a bridge between what is and what could be. Strategy means combining long-term visions with the reality of the here and now in order to find focus and strengthen core competences. It helps us to react flexibly to the challenges and opportunities of the present and to draw attention to trends and weak signals in the environment. At its best, it becomes the basis for decisions - for what we pursue and what we consciously choose not to do.

Strategy begins with questions: What is our vision? What contribution do we want to make? What do we need to achieve our goals? But a good strategy does not remain stuck in the planning phase. Its effectiveness is demonstrated in its implementation - in the decisions that are made on a daily basis and in the ability to react flexibly to changes.

Strategic processes should not just be a „boardroom affair“. They gain strength when they are supported by the entire organisation - from the top management bodies to the operational level. An effective strategy requires a sure instinct: it strikes a balance between the long term and feasibility, between the clarity of a vision and the ability to adapt to a dynamic environment. We believe in the strength that arises when people take bold steps into the future together while remaining rooted in the here and now.

Our offer

We accompany you as partners who combine the art of strategy with a pinch of discovery. Together, we will look for the balance that will bring your vision to life and make it effective:

Exploring and negotiating the future:
With scenario development, vision dialogues and future workshops, we support you in shaping the broad lines of your direction and finding bold answers to the challenges of the future.
Development of your strategic direction:
Together we develop your purpose, mission statement or self-image and create a clear, focused orientation for your organisation and its environment.

Precision through analyses:
We take a systematic look at your organisation with you - whether through SWOT, portfolio or stakeholder analyses. We follow the approach of living systems in order to recognise the patterns and dynamics that are at work underground and to uncover the stories that want to be heard and told.
Realisation with effect:
Strategy unfolds its full power through action. We support you in the operationalisation of goals and measures, help with the introduction of strategy tools (e.g. OKR) and accompany the adaptation of your structures and processes so that your strategy remains not only ambitious but also feasible.

Examples of our work

Consultancy on the development of the Global Movement Strategy for Wikimedia.
Strategic priorities for the Group of European Greens.
Development of an impact logic for the International Education division of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
Support for the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 in impact-orientated project development.

Talk to us...

Andi Knoth

Julia Hoffmann

Joana Ebbinghaus

Want to find out more?

Discover our resources and get started now

Strategy without a map: Opportunity Driven Development

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Check out the video from the Strategy module of Change Essentials.

Watch video

Plan strategic moves: Discover the Strategy Pocket Lab.

Check method

Blog posts on the topic: Strategy

ALL BLOG ARTICLES

Andi Knoth

Strategy

Promising Patterns

„What we practice on a small scale sets the pattern for the whole system“ - adrienne maree brown, emergent strategy / fractals The beauty of small things What strikes me in check-ins and conversations these days is the gap between the big picture and the small things of everyday life. It's a painful balancing act: we feel that [...]

Andi Knoth

Organisational development, strategy

Opportunity Driven Development

We don't have a map of the terrain ahead of us - but we can equip our ship to make the most of the wind and currents. Strategic roadmapping - I apologise for the drama - has had its day. Even its forward-looking relative, backcasting, looks increasingly dusty in the face of today's complexity and dynamics. Both methods rely [...]

Andi Knoth

Culture of cooperation, strategy, collaboration

The complex recipe for social change

Strategy discussions in organisations that we support are increasingly characterised by tensions. Where there is a struggle for the „right“ impact approach, discussions become passionate and spirited: it has often long been clear what we are against, but what are we actually for? And what exactly does it take to achieve this? While impact orientation in the 2010s was primarily a concept [...]