The Challenge
Working in distributed teams online has its own unique challenges. Online discussions can be confusing and hinder progress. Traditional whiteboard sessions may be engaging, but they lack a clear structure for evaluating ideas and reaching consensus. Whether the issue is more complex than expected, requires urgent resolution, or has serious consequences, Strategyfinder is equipped to handle the intricacies of these business challenges.
The Solution
Strategyfinder enables collaborative work – online and across locations. Clarifying complex issues and making informed decisions can be done digitally and with facilitation.
Whether it’s simple idea generation, strategic decision-making, stakeholder analysis, or complex risk management – Strategyfinder supports you throughout the process. All voices are heard, interconnections become visible, and shared insights emerge. We provide structured, method-based workflows to help teams understand complexity and develop sound, actionable solutions.
The Result
All participants build a shared understanding of the situation – a common picture of a complex challenge emerges. Based on this, solution paths are developed, core questions are answered, and well-founded decisions are made. Strategyfinder provides the foundation for finding the best solution – through structured collaboration, transparency, and equal participation.
What clients say
With Strategyfinder, we are able to bridge the gap between our clients' needs and architectural design. By closely collaborating with all stakeholders, we ensure that each concept not only aligns with, but actively supports our clients’ strategic goals. Our approach combines strategic insight with creative vision – using proven methods to turn complex requirements into coherent, inspiring solutions.” (click here to open video)
An Architects Voice
“Using Strategyfinder enabled members of my team, working from multiple locations, to quickly and efficiently come together online and develop a very clear understanding of the complex interactions between different activities. Strategyfinder offers a unique combination of ease of use alongside the ability to develop powerful representations of the multiple interconnections between tasks and activities it gave us a whole different perspective on our work we could not easily have obtained through other means.”
Dr Francis Norman, General Manager Decommissioning and Strategy, Australia
“Our recent collaborative project, kicked off in early 2020, but it was immediately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as widespread lockdowns were instated. The team reacted rapidly and modified stakeholder consultation methods to an online platform called Strategyfinder. From the perspective of a user, the software was simple to use and provided immediate results on screen as the other participants input their data. In terms of the research outputs, incorporating Strategyfinder into the methods enabled the research team to double the number of workshops proposed and provide a much greater breadth of input from a larger geographical area and a more diverse and higher number of participants than originally anticipated.”
Luke Twomey, CEO, Western Australian Marine Science Institution, Western Australia
"But really, the biggest strength I saw as a facilitator in these workshops was the easy way for the facilitator to explore the different views, exploiting the different competencies around the table. There was almost an equal level of influence around the table, which I previously I found very hard to facilitate. Because in normal dialogue, you have often had dynamics where one or two take up a lot of space. They have maybe more status that affect the dynamic, but the process of Strategyfinder actually enables each and every person participating to provide their views and provide their thought processes, so that we get a more nuanced and interesting picture."
Facilitators Voice
So overall, my experience with the Strategyfinder tool and process has been very good. It's been a very impactful tool for us to use in the workshops that we've done.
Facilitators Voice
Really, what it does is enable us to have a systematic dialogue.
Facilitators Voice
So I'm really looking forward to using it for a bunch of other developmental processes, but also change processes, where there often are different agendas and mold, many emotions and to try to find the best strategies and the best goals in a very complex problem.
Facilitators Voice
Facts, data,
causality
- The world is not made up of dry facts – facts are glued together by an intricate web of cause-effect relationships
- Causal explanations are the dominant part of our knowledge: can’t derive explanations from raw data, particularly about the future
- When arguing for a course action we use causal reasoning: “if we do this then that will happen”
- Data may support causal reasoning but it is not the basis for agreeing action/strategy
Why
Strategyfinder?
- Pulls together and links perspectives of all team members, regardless of their locations
- Analyses and maps out insights for smarter real-time decisions
- With blind gathering, it allows all participants to have their say anonymously and without the influence of the views of others.
- Usually saves over 75% meeting time and fosters a 'can do' culture
- Enables intelligent interactive strategy mapping whiteboard support for web-based calls
- Proven and effective methods based on extensive research, use, and publications
- Utilises analysis tools for identifying key themes and potent actions
Strategyfinder is
method and tool
- Strategic management:
Eg: emergent strategizing (Mintzberg & Waters; Eden and van der Heijden); networks of goals and negative goals (Ackermann and Eden); Resource Based View (Barney); Competence Based Management (CBM) (Sanchez and Heene) - Problem solving
Multiple and conflicting objectives; ‘messy’ problems (Ackoff); purpose (Ackoff and Emery) - Cognitive psychology:
Personal Construct Theory (Kelly) - Social psychology
Procedural Justice (Tyler and Blader); group-think (Janis) - International conciliation
Getting-to-yes (Fisher and Ury)