The cycles of global change are becoming increasingly shorter, and in terms of perception, change often feels like pressure. It is difficult for companies to maintain their course under so much pressure to change. They have to cope with different factors outside and inside the company. And some factors are simply difficult to influence. To analyze the current situation facing companies and deduce from this the key decisions that will affect the future, the Main-Tauber Steinbeis Consulting Center uses a “strategic corporate agenda” tool called SUA©. It was developed with the IFZM (Institute of Future Management) from Spraitbach.
If commercial success really does depend to 80% on the company strategy, then it is important for managers and (senior) personnel to regularly invest time in the longterm issues that affect their business. One particular issue can be the relationship between senior management and employees, and more specifically, whether employees are an intrinsic part of success and actually share in it.
Well-structured companies with a clear focus on future markets invest as little time as possible in seeking short-term gains. Instead, they base their activities on long-term issues which will have a lasting effect on the business. But to do this, and improve, companies must understand the skills and know-how that will be required in the future. Before translating any ideas into actions, an analysis is required to assess the current situation. This is where the strategic business agenda tool SUA© plays a role. With the tool, employees themselves diagnose management techniques needed to succeed as a whole. The idea underlying the SUA© is that methods and know-how should not be imposed on companies or the people involved. It allows people to reflect on the situation and realize what is happening themselves. They are then empowered to steer the company in the right direction. This comes as a revelation. The excitement that participants feel and the drive to get on and do something about it is palpable. Reactions include: “I’m amazed how quickly and easily complex issues can be captured and made transparent [...], the invisible become visible,” or “I was fascinated by these evaluations: I can see with my own two eyes, where, in essence, I need to just get on with things and improve my future performance.”
The consultants at the IFZM and its certified IFZM partner, the Main-Tauber Steinbeis Consulting Center, support companies as they gear themselves to the future, steady the company and make it sustainable by “living” the newly acquired values. The two parties now offer: strategic planning and knowledge-sharing seminars, one-on-one business dialog (coaching), management audits, and the “IFZM Future Workshop 2011 – Questions and Answers on Management in the Future,” which typically involves no more than 10 companies. The sessions provide hands-on tools to help companies succeed.
Ralf Lauterwasser
Steinbeis Consulting Center Main-Tauber Tauberbischofsheim Certified IFZM Sales Partner
su1021@stw.de