We recently wrapped up a round of strategy work that we approached openly and in collaboration within our organization. These are a few notes on what we did, what felt useful, and where we still have work ahead. The process wasn’t perfect, but it helped us move from individual views to shared thinking.
Starting with open input
We began by asking people across the company about our direction and ambition levels. A large number of people responded to the survey, which gave us a good foundation to build on. We followed it up with smaller, focused workshops to explore the themes further. Not everyone was involved in every step, but we kept the process transparent throughout. We shared updates regularly in our internal strategy channel: what we were learning, what we were unsure about, and what decisions were starting to take shape.
The openness helped. It gave us context and allowed for different levels of involvement based on time, interest, and relevance.
Co-leading the work
This wasn’t a top-down strategy project. Different people led different pieces, depending on their expertise and ownership. That co-leadership made the process slower in some places, but also richer.
When it came time to share the strategy externally, we followed the same principle. At I nderes Capital Markets Day , over a dozen people presented different parts of the strategy. Not because it looked nice from the outside, but because those people, along with tens more, had actually done the work. The result was more grounded, more real, and better informed.
Ambition needs translation
The direction, international growth, was already set. What we focused on was inviting people across the organization to connect to that ambition in a concrete way. It was about defining the ambition, thinking boldly enough, and also identifying obstacles. We started from the group perspective, next build business unit strategies and then cross-discussed and aligned these together. Board played a crucial part in challenging our ambition, and advising with their broad, international expertise.
It helped to talk about ambition not as something fixed or handed down, but as a shared challenge. The message wasn’t only “go bigger,” but “let’s figure out what going bigger might mean for us.” Personally, I dislike strategy messages where a company suffocates in its own excellence. I’d rather see goals and ambition that feel hard, and acknowledgment of that.
Flexibility, not chaos
Now we have the big picture and a shared understanding of the next phase. We’ll turn strategy into practical implementation, in strategic development tracks. What racks will start is up for suggestions, and all team members are invited to suggest topics. We’re approaching it with the same mindset: structure where it’s needed, room for the rest to emerge. Not everything will be decided upfront, and not every initiative will move at the same pace. That’s intentional. Part of this work is learning to live with that ambiguity as we build maturity around strategy execution over time.
We will also be looking at different speeds in different tracks in our strategy season (which we have named too). Some things we want to accelerate and execute fast. Some might benefit from more time. It’s humane to look for symmetry, but that doesn’t always serve the purpose. Also, the number of strategic development tracks might differ from the previous strategy season, Diavola. We are open to breaking our previous models if needed.
Keeping it visible
Throughout the process, regular communication made a real difference. Not just polished summaries, but work-in-progress thinking, early drafts, open questions, and trade-offs we were navigating. It made the work feel more accessible and gave space for feedback and reflection as we went.Still learningOpen strategy isn’t quicker or easier. It takes more coordination, more patience, and more clarity about where decisions are made. But it also builds alignment in a deeper way. People understand the strategy because they’ve seen how it formed, not just the final version, but the path that led there.
We’re still figuring out how to make sure that openness and energy stays high going into the next phase. But this round gave us a starting point we can grow from.