Ensuring a fast transition into execution
The Challenge
Arcadis had to adopt the global Arcadis strategic frame and found itself confronted with challenges around igniting their people with this challenge and ensuring a fast transition into execution.
Arcadis has always been and will continue to be influenced heavily by both global and local trends. The focus markets - Water, Environment, Infrastructure and Buildings - have never before been this volatile and unpredictable. The need to reconnect all of the Arcadians in the Netherlands around the common purpose and deep understanding of the strategic direction is essential.
How did we help?
Based on our Collaboration by Design philosophy, a team of passionate major stakeholders from Arcadis and our collaboration architects designed a process that spanned multiple months. This process started by creating awareness, scope and direction and sharing and acknowledging each stakeholder’s role and responsibility.
In this design process, we identified the need for rapid development of the strategic frame at the right level of detail to step into execution. The baseline for the strategy was tested and given a first detail in a 150-person conference.
In the four weeks following the conference, the strategy materialised at a more detailed level and thereafter developed towards an 80% version to discuss with the Board of Directors.
This team stepped into the Christmas break with high energy, some frowns and a sense of urgency. Early January, we started to develop ‘the Box’ for the team leaders to engage with their people around the strategy in a creative and inclusive manner.
The Outcome
The collaborative process resulted in full ownership across team leads, business line managers, old masters and young experts. Creating deep understanding of the challenges, tangible plans for execution, insights into behavioural changes needed and the drive to achieve the set goals together.
About
Arcadis is the leading global Design & Consultancy firm for natural and built assets. Applying deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services. Arcadis builds on 27,000 people, is active in over 70 countries and generates €3.3 billion in revenues. Arcadis - Improving quality of life.
“It feels we are on the journey to achieve the Mission Impossible: defining the strategy and starting execution in just two months. We have created a compelling story that is really our story, have close to a hundred ambassadors already and created a wave of excitement!”
