E-Group Contemplating Its Next Moves
From its early roots as a family business, E-Group had been progressively transitioning into a dynamic corporate entity. This evolution involved a comprehensive restructuring of both its management setup and operational processes, laying the foundation for the next phase of robust growth and innovation. The CEO, Christian Pezzei, an heir of one of the founders, meant to enable the company to outlive its own contribution and take any growth path that would ensure its long-term success and competitiveness. To bring this vision to life, a critical priority surfaced — the revision and update of E-Group’s strategy.
The CEO rejected a top-down management approach. Instead, he envisioned the company as a dynamic space of collaboration where individuals actively contributed to achieving objectives and results, challenging themselves daily. Intrigued by the collaborative approach of Strategy in Action, the CEO enrolled E-Group in the programme and initiated the strategic revision process with his team.
Crafting E-Group’s Long-Term Strategy
E-Group embarked on its transformative journey with SiA in 2019, initially joining a SiA Club. Witnessing the positive impact of SiA in their strategic processes, E-Group decided to further enhance their experience by embracing Strategy in Action’s complete range of services.
Fully leveraging all components of the SiA programme, including the SiA Platform, expert workshops, coaching sessions, and data analysis and insights, E-Group embarked on addressing key questions in the strategy formulation process:
- What is our ambition in the next five years, and what measures of success will indicate our achievement of it?
- Where do we currently stand compared to our competitors?
- Where do we (or should we) compete in the future?
- What priorities should we focus on to achieve our ambition?
- What do we need to reach our ambition, and what will be the impact?
Upon the programme’s conclusion, E-Group successfully garnered precise answers to these pivotal questions. This accomplishment signified the formulation of a robust, data-driven, and future-proof strategy. Importantly, this strategy was not only endorsed by the entire leadership team but was also disseminated throughout the organization, ensuring alignment and understanding at every level.
The Beginning of a New Chapter
Once the exercise was complete, in fact, E-Group’s new five-year strategic plan was presented to the whole company. Emphasising his strong belief in transparency, Pezzei said,
For us to achieve the goals we have set for E-Group, it is essential to share them right from the beginning. By doing so, we can truly internalise them as our own, and are able to openly discuss them without any hesitation or doubt.
The Strategy in Action Programme established the significance of having a vision and a mission for the organisation. It helped formulate and effectively communicate the company’s vision through all levels of the organisation.
Pezzei noted:
The SiA journey helped made clear to everyone first of all that we have a vision—which is something that cannot be taken for granted. Second, we are able to work on it as a team and go all in the same, clear direction.
The strategic plan thus formulated was not only shared with the entire company but was also prominently displayed in all the meeting rooms throughout the organization. As the teams were actively engaged in the formulation process, they were involved and took ownership of the strategic initiatives.
Reflecting on the impact that the SiA programme had on E-Group, Pezzei said,
It’s wonderful to see that level of involvement and it’s truly beneficial to receive their valuable insights. But it wouldn’t be possible to elicit such engagement if we hadn’t defined, articulated, and communicated the strategy clearly in the first place.
The SiA Programme played a crucial role in bringing attention to aspects of the business that might have otherwise been overlooked or left undiscovered by the leadership team. The programme stimulated challenging discussions and deeper analysis that broadened perspectives, enabling a comprehensive exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of the business.
Thinking about how the SiA programme affected him on a personal level, Pezzei said,
Standing in my position, there are undoubtedly blind spots that I cannot perceive. Engaging in challenging discussions, analysis, and broadening our perspectives proved invaluable. Therefore, the strategy has definitely become more complete, much more detailed and robust thanks to the SiA journey.
