Situation/ Challenge
Our client is a UK spirits company, successfully undergoing a transformation from a product supply-oriented business model, to a high-end consumer brands model. After a highly intense initial growth phase as a Brands portfolio, growth had slowed down, the market context had changed rapidly and unintended consequences of fast growth had compromised other priorities. The challenge was neither a confirmation nor a re-vamping of strategy; it was to update the long-term course by identifying the real growth drivers and the barriers to sustain momentum.
Approach
We knew that beyond objectively and rigorously analyzing the drivers of the fast growth period as external advisors, that the answers to the intended “refresh’ lay in the Executive Team. And, in their ability – beyond aligning on the facts – to be open about nagging questions, to separate myths from reality, and to identify gaps in capabilities. We developed and facilitated a participative, iterative process to tease-out and frame the key issues, generating multiple team based work-streams that have yielded conclusions, integrating the outputs into an updated plan.
Results
The company has leveraged our analysis, process design and implementation, facilitation, and work-stream outputs to frame a “refreshed” growth strategy. Although it is early days, the company has moved fully to strategy implementation, with very encouraging progress and an aligned team.