At the heart of all this is in-depth knowledge of financial, procedural and operational issues. In particular, consultants should be able to make quick and precise statements about profitable and unprofitable company activities. We call this area of expertise TURN, as in turnaround management. But what do you do with the figures, data and facts that create transparency about operational and performance realities?
We subdivide the underlying (potential) value drivers into structural ASSETS and cultural SKILLS. This is not done mechanically — for example by differentiating between fixed assets and "intellectual property” — but rather by using an integrated approach, with a view to identifying potentially positive interactions that might be enabled by a particular operational infrastructure combined with a corporate and management culture that more or less (!) reflects this.
This brings us to our third area of expertise, DIGITAL. Our digital integration experts are, first and foremost, technology experts (usually engineers) with a trained eye for the key factors in digital process organisation that are relevant to results. In this respect, they are ideally suited for the orchestration of structural, cultural and technological corporate potential, but above all they have classic restructuring skills, i.e. they are turnaround experts.
The remaining question is then how to integrate this structural, cultural and technological corporate potential. And the answer to this comes primarily from the strategy experts in our NEXT competence centre. As the name suggests, this is where we tackle the future economy, markets and trends, but we also handle regulation, supply chains and competitive strategies.
It shows that turnaround management in the 21st century should firstly be an interdisciplinary affair. Secondly, that for all the technological advances (e.g. use of AI), people matter more than ever. And thirdly, that strategic issues (such as those covered by ESG) cannot be understood in isolation and must be dealt with in an integrated manner.
If it were up to us, the complex area of turnaround management expertise could in future be replaced by VALUE INTEGRATION.
Anyone who is involved (as we are) in the rapid and effective transformation of companies will find the distinction between organisational restructuring and social organisational development somewhat artificial. What both change processes should have in common is a focus on results (output). However, a single-minded focus on results without a clear focus on action is not very promising.
That is why we focus equally (i.e. in an integrated manner) on enhancing organisational performance and on developing an organisation-wide performance culture. We make a distinction here between structural value orientation and cultural value orientation. Because without a clearly defined real-world value framework, clearly defined value enhancement potential will not be fully utilised and the effects will only be short-lived.
It all starts with transparency.
The focus is on entrepreneurial thinking and taking responsibility.
The ultimate aim is to increase the value of the company, understand its resilience factors, and achieve corporate independence.
To achieve this, we have developed a methodology with a consistent focus on developing and cultivating ASSETS and SKILLS that deliver results.
When we talk about ASSETS we generally mean corporate or financial assets, while SKILLS refer to employee capabilities. If we take an integrated view, these form part of a company’s portfolio of economic goods, knowledge and expertise. A key factor for successful transformation is thus the best possible interplay between the material infrastructure, expertise that offers competitive advantage (e.g. in the form of patents), and application skills. The example of the “digital ecosystem” might offer a good illustration of our approach to integration. This must be designed so that internal processes, core technologies, sales channels and cyber security are understood and connected in an integrated manner. Differentiating between digital assets and digital skills is common, but also very theoretical. It's the interplay that matters!
As already discussed, that is why we concentrate on the “hard” infrastructure as well as on smart application expertise, corporate assets and corporate skills. In our example, this means modern digital equipment, but a corresponding digital mindset is equally important!
The focus is on people: both as employees/managers and as users/customers. Here we place an equal emphasis on smooth processes and social learning, for example with the help of our TTT-role concept.
We would be happy discuss with you in person the ways in which we could identify, develop and thus improve your company's assets and skills. Please feel free to contact us.
There is probably no need to explain why integration of digital ASSETS and SKILLS is so important for a company's success, and will be increasingly important in the future. The possibilities summed up by the phrase “artificial intelligence” are extraordinary in their own right. And that is why digital expertise plays such a special role in the restructuring and transformation context. Investment funds are limited in this area and need to be used even more sensitively than in normal or even disruptive contexts.
To achieved targeted improvements in the competitive strength of our client companies, we rely on an integrated investment, innovation and empowerment strategy. Here too, we place an equal emphasis on the need for structural and cultural change. This involves recognising that maintaining or regaining your position in the competitive environment is dependent on accessing and mastering new technologies. This applies to value creation in general but also, for example, to the achievement of statutory sustainability targets.
On the one hand, we rely on strategic indicators, for example with regard to the use of renewable energies or growing the circular economy. Secondly, there is a need to establish the potential impact of AI-based robotics in terms of productivity in industrial production. Thirdly, there is enormous overall potential for improvements in predicting customer behaviour if the relevant (digital) technologies are available or implemented in a targeted manner. Fourthly, the use of powerful digital or AI technology promises considerable cost savings. Fifth, and finally, the use of new technologies — which we refer to collectively as DIGITAL – offers a huge knowledge development opportunity as well as being a tool to offset demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers.
For these reasons alone, we recommend a personal discussion about the future of your company. What do you think? We look forward to meeting you! You can find us here.
The difference between restructuring and strategy consultancy is twofold: firstly the willingness to change, and secondly an understanding of the need for change.
This may sound provocative, but it is not meant to be. What is meant here is the tension between the pressure to take action and ensuring adequate foresight. We endeavour to take account of this vital interplay on every project. The name NEXT was chosen for our strategy development area of expertise with the intention of emphasising precisely this.
What's next? has a dual meaning. The need to set priorities that work in the short term. But also an anticipation of future developments and challenges, which should be reflected by adapting the business model. In this respect, when it comes to improvements in earnings and sustainable marketability, the most obvious issues should be addressed immediately followed by short and medium-term objectives. Sustainability is key. Just as the term "next” can mean both short term and further into the future, sustainability can refer to both environmental and economic measures, or at least it does under our VALUE-INTEGRATION-Ansatz approach. So sustainability in this sense is understood and developed in two ways, structurally and culturally.
Means that our transformation strategies focus on measures that are driven both by efficiency and effectiveness. The former must be implemented, the latter must be internalised. The former rely on understanding that the planned measures that have been set out are correct and sensible; the latter rely on the motivation to learn new things because this serves to improve quality of life and protects our livelihood. Not to mention the vital additional factor that this can be a source of revenue!
So our understanding of corporate strategy is that it provides a roadmap into the future, which is grounded in extensive research and contains a clearly formulated destination, intermediate stopping points and arrival times, and which can be implemented independently as quickly as possible with the help of existing trained specialist personnel, or staff undergoing subsequent training, and using resources that are appropriate for the relevant corporate context. Interested? Let's talk about it.
As described, in the area covered by our NEXT concept, we find ourselves in tomorrow’s world, the world of future strategies. Since the publication of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Taxonomy Regulation (Article 8), every company has known what is in store for them in terms of mandatory sustainability reporting by no later than 2026. However, this does not mean that companies know how to fulfil these regulatory requirements. That is why we help our clients to meet the requirements while avoiding a negative impact on their earnings. The goal should be to integrate environmental (E), social (S) and governance (G) issues to ensure that profitability is optimised as quickly as possible. We strongly recommend taking a holistic approach in this context. Rather than merely integrating the three very different and sometimes contradictory E, S and G dimensions, we prefer an approach that understands and addresses sustainability in four dimensions.
Firstly, by taking a strategic and value-oriented perspective. This means that transformations driven by ESG considerations need new business and organisational models to boost resilience, economic performance and corporate value.
Secondly. This requires suitable technologies and partner networks that understand ESG topics as overarching business analytics issues, and therefore as data management tasks.
Thirdly. A data management and control system that is as standardised as possible also aids compliance with regulatory and reporting standards. However, the requirements of stakeholders and the capital market must also be satisfied.
Fourthly. In order to fulfil the three requirements outlined above, the issue of sustainability or ESG must be understood and addressed at the top management level. That is because these are classic governance and organisational issues. Specifically: the definition of internal processes, controls and structures to ensure fair conditions throughout the value chain.
So much for the management and control aspects of ESG issues. Now we need to address the substance. All essential ESG initiatives should have two key objectives. Firstly, the continuous improvement of the environmental balance in terms of climate change and climate protection. Secondly, achieving greater justice and social diversity.
Whatever you think about the detail of these goals (or the proposed ways to achieve them), we recommend that every company takes them seriously and tackles them head on. Here’s a quick overview of the associated benefits:
Let's talk about it. Time is of the essence!