Strategy
Our approach to strategy is simple and effective, and based on decades of working with and
designing strategic approaches and strategic plans.
Our Strategy practice is based on a systems model that we refer to as a “strategy system”. This
approach considers strategy as something which changes and evolves over time, rather than remaining as a static 'report'
which can become outdated very quickly.
Strategies are of little use unless they:
(a) can be implemented, and
(b) are actually implemented.
Stravaig's "strategy system" approach ensures that implementation is designed in from the outset. We believe that
implementation is more than merely thinking about how a strategy is brought to life, it must consider who will be doing
this, where there will be doing this, and when they will be doing this.
Our experience is that often the way in which strategy is developed can often be separate and isolated from the way the
organisation operates. How often do you provide the ability for frontline staff to view and comment on your strategy?
How often do you check that your strategy is “doable” rather than something unachievable?
We reconnect strategy to implementation and ensure there is a practice of ongoing checking, testing and refining of
the strategy. When developing a strategy with you, we work to ensure that the strategy is not only robust, but that it
is developed in a user-centric way. This enables organisations to have their strategy understood and agreed, with
workplans aligned to this, at which point you can truly say that you are a “strategy-led organisation”.
Examples of our work
We have extensive experience in three connected 'strategy' areas, which are explained below
Strategy Development
In essence, a strategy is a statement, or claim, about a direction that the organisation wants to
go in. This is directional.
Stravaig's strategy system approach draws on methods and techniques which support this directional
aspiration, and together, we construct a suite of activity to achieve it. As part of this, we help you identify
lead- and lag-indicators that provide feedback about whether you are on-track or not.
When people have a map of where they are going, a reason for going there and support to do this -
strategy can be brought to life and its implementation tracked and communicated.
Scenario Development
Scenarios can be used to test current decision making, communicate the need for change, and help create anticipatory organisational foresight.
We have been privileged to work with agencies to create scenarios that have had real-world impact and seen changes in services that have positively affected the nation in the domains of health, justice, environment and energy.
The primary purpose of using scenarios is to change the thinking and perspectives of the participants in the process. Participants learn new ways of thinking and as a result, are more effective in their roles.
Strategy Maps and Diagrams
There is no point in developing a strategy if it cannot be read, understood or acted on.
We understand the power of visual communication and use a wide range of design approaches to help communicate strategy, direction and options.
Strategy maps and directional diagrams are examples of the power of visualisations to explain where you are heading, why and what needs done.
Examples of our "Strategy Work"
We are unable to share details of the strategies we have worked on, but we can show the range of types of
work we have been involved with and can share our “strategy system” whitepaper.
This selection of example work has been picked to show the breadth of what we do.
People Strategy
This was a people strategy, designed to articulate a future direction and to engage staff
in the process of determining the things that needed done.
This strategy posed questions rather than imposing answers,
and was carefully designed to bring the reader in, and the graphic design of the strategy
was a huge
success with the organisation.
The organisation was ready and keen to have this produced, and it took 6-months
start-to-finish.
Feedback from staff was hugely positive.
People Strategy
This was a people strategy that was designed to articulate the focus for the coming 3-5 years, which
encompassed the creation of the new FENZ entity.
The focus was on maintaining stability of the organisation, continued service delivery and operational
responsiveness, whilst also redesigning the approach to leadership, volunteer sustainability, and
building the internal HR and OD service capability and capacity.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy
This was an example of a strategy that was designed and developed using human-centred practices and
approaches
Multiple sets of voices were engaged in the process of discovery, mapping, distillation and theming of
key areas of focus.
The organisation was well positioned to move on the development of this, and it took 7-months
start-to-finish.
Workforce Strategy
This workforce strategy, designed to articulate a future direction, and to engage staff in the
process of determining the things that needed done.
The approach drew on organisational expertise with workshops being run at multiple locations around the
country involving all levels of staff, plus international research, futures research and aspects of
scenario
thinking.
Business Strategy
This business strategy was developed to help create a coherent and cohesive story about the
future of
the organisation, and what the national and APAC leaders were wanting to see.
It was developed around the key business priorities, international trends, staff and
customer needs, and
served as a guiding mechanism for several years.
The strategy contained international analysis, PESTEL activity, scenario thinking, futures
thinking, key
performance indicators and both growth and retrenchment areas.
Workforce Planning & Strategy
This strategy focused more on identifying the workforce needs over the next 3-8 years, and
as such was
more aligned to strategic workforce planning than a pure 'workforce strategy'.
The approach drew on organisational expertise, international research, futures research, and
aspects of
scenario thinking.
Workforce Strategic Plan & Approach
The design and approach to do this work was completed in 2025, and drew on international
research, PESTEL activity, global forces, NZ
specific demographic and social changes, as well as potential policy shifts in the judicial
and correctional spaces.
The focus of this approach and design was on the medium-to-long term, not the short-term
which is
the realm of workforce planning.
Health System Strategy
The Health System Strategy unit wanted to generate a long-term systems plan and needed to know what the direction of the system should be.
We ran over 20 workshops around the country and gathered feedback from all parts of the health system: clinicians, administrators, nurses, NGOs, allied health, citizens and hospital CEs.
The results were fed into the LTSP, with all participants wanting a system that "created wellness" and was not fixated on merely fixing illness.
Examples of our Scenario Thinking work
Scenarios are an integral part of forming strategy, as these pose important “what if?” questions.
We spent months in the US, learning from the world experts (Peter Schwartz and Jay Ogilvy) in scenario development and have created numerous NZ-specific sets
of scenarios with accompanying collateral, posters, brochures and even a pretty special stop-motion video (well, we really liked it!).
Conservation
The department had just developed its new vision, that 'New Zealand was the greatest space on Earth' and wanted to think about what the next 20-30 years might be like.
We enrolled 35 DOC participants from around the country and embarked on a 7-month process (1 week per month) to envisage what the future held. The results shaped decision making and who DOC are today.
If you want to view the scenario video created for this work, click the button below which will open in a new page.
Watch Video
Energy
This energy client was wanting to think about the future, and the challenges that the country would face in terms of energy security.
Senior leaders and executive participated in a 4-month exercise to determine what areas needed attention, what some 'weak signals' of change were, and how to best position themselves.
Health
The National Screening unit was very forward thinking, and wanted to explore what possible futures were for screening in New Zealand.
The team embarked on developing s set of scenarios that considered changes to health systems, technology, demographics, and global forces.
The commissioning of mobile breast screening units was a direct product of this work.
Justice
This work was done with the Special Jurisdictions unit, and took a 10-year horizon to consider what changes might be coming.
This factored in changes to policy, demographics, functions within SJ, government change, demographics and migration.
The results were used to inform and shape the units strategic plan, and served as input to the Ministry's Statement of Intent.
Examples of our Strategy Maps & Diagrams
We are showing a small selection of the type of visual communication we design and use, with each diagram being created for specific purposes.
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