Miljömärkning Sverige AB (MISAB) works on behalf of the Swedish government with the Nordic Ecolabel, Svanen (the Swan), and the EU Ecolabel, formerly known as the EU Flower. Through broad environmental labeling of products and services, the aim is to achieve environmentally sustainable production and consumption. When it was time to take a comprehensive approach to developing the new strategy, CANEA was called in to help.
MISAB works to develop criteria for the Nordic Ecolabel. It also certifies companies, organizations, products, and services with the Nordic Ecolabel. MISAB sought an external partner with extensive experience in strategy development to efficiently drive the work forward and achieve a clear and effective product.
“We chose to work with CANEA because they understood our complex business and what was important to us”, says Anna Linusson, CEO, MISAB.
From vision to critical success factors
MISAB works to develop criteria for the Nordic Ecolabel. MISAB also certifies companies, organizations, products, and services with the Nordic Ecolabel. MISAB found itself in a complex situation with tough economic conditions, strong dependencies on its Nordic sister companies, and a clear impact from the economic downturn. At the same time, there was growing interest in environmental issues in society.
The situation was further complicated by the fact that the company has operations in Sweden and collaborates with other companies in the Nordic region and the EU. In addition, the post-COVID world is unusually volatile, with constantly changing requirements and demands from authorities and customers.
All this meant that a new strategy was needed to remain relevant, competitive, and financially sustainable. Therefore, a decision was made to take a holistic approach and update the organization's vision, mission, strategic direction, and critical success factors.
The goal was to:
- Create a strategy that is well established within the board and management team, with a shared understanding of key issues.
- Provide clear direction for MISAB in the coming years through an updated vision and mission statement.
- Clarify the strategic direction and overall objectives.
- Clarify the critical success factors for realizing the strategy and achieving the vision.
- Facilitate communication, engagement, and governance both internally and externally.
Well-established and effective strategy development
The work began with preparatory interviews with the CEO, members of the management team, and the chairman of the board to gain an under-standing of their views on the situation and their wishes regarding the new strategy.
The interviews were conducted to:
- Get an overview of the activities, challenges, and opportunities, as well as the Swedish and international perspectives.
- Gain knowledge about the current situation and desired situation regarding operations, organization, and strategy.
- Identify challenges and opportunities for improvement in the strategy development process.
"The strategy work addressed overarching questions such as: Why do we exist? What is our mission? What do we want to achieve? What should we provide? What are the critical success factors and what must be in place in our organization for us to succeed?", Anna continues.
In addition, a document analysis was conducted to assess the current situation regarding organization, structures, processes, target model, and follow-up. Finally, workshop days and work meetings were held with the management team, an internal strategy group, and the board to ensure consensus on the strategy document's design, terminology, current situation, and desired situation, as well as to update the vision, mission, strategic direction, and critical success factors.
"CANEA's consultants were excellent process leaders and facilitators. We created the content of the strategy, but they asked the questions and ensured that we discussed the right issues and didn't get bogged down in operational details. A ten-year strategy must be both visionary and concrete, and CANEA helped us strike that balance", says Anna.
The work was carried out iteratively, with new versions being produced and reviewed on an ongoing basis so that all stakeholders, including the Board, had the opportunity to comment on the design and content of the strategy. This resulted in a well-thought-out and well-established strategy.
"The process was iterative, with feedback and anchoring work, and eventually resulted in a strategy for the next ten years. This time frame gave us a long-term direction, but given the volatile global situation, we will most likely need to adjust our course", explains Anna.
Consensus, clarity, and strategy activation
An important result of the strategy work was the consensus among the Board and management team regarding the strategy's design, key issues, and direction for the coming years. The result was a clear and appropriately comprehensive strategy document with a strategy that was relevant and engaging for both management and employees..
There is also a clear link between the strategy and operational activities – i.e., how the strategy can be translated into operational plans and targets so that the entire organization at all levels is working towards the same goals. In addition, the strategy serves as an excellent guide for important decisions, enabling more focused and effective work going forward.
”The result was very good. A short, concise, and easy-to-communicate strategy that describes our vision, lists critical success factors, and identifies strategically important areas. It fits on maybe five PowerPoint slides”, Anna concludes.
