Strategy Development - Case Study

Facilitating the development of an aggressive growth strategy for a waste services company

A major UK waste services company had recently been de-merged from a larger group to form a separate Plc and was operating in a market experiencing significant and rapid change. Driven both by legislation and also corporate and individual concerns, resource conservation via waste minimisation, recycling and/or energy production from waste was generating a fundamental change in the market. In response many new and specialist competitors were emerging creating new challenges for our client. To maintain its position as a foremost player in the market and to create increased value for its new shareholders the Board decided that an aggressive new strategy, designed to deliver substantial growth over a relatively short time frame, was required.

We worked with the CEO to define three alternative strategic options capitalising on specific developments in the market place and the company’s existing competencies that could have the potential to deliver the desired results. Next we undertook specific external research to confirm the practical feasibility of each of the options in terms how growth could be achieved and what levels of growth could reasonably be expected in each case.

Building on the results of these analyses, we facilitated an off-site workshop with the CEO with the senior executive team to consider and debate the options and the research findings. Each option was reviewed against the market opportunities on offer and the challenges posed, and also the relative strengths and weaknesses of the company that could help or hinder success. This process achieved the objective of enabling the executive team to agree the preferable strategic option to adopt.

Finally we worked with the CEO and the senior executives to refine and ‘operationalise’ the proposed strategy for presentation back to the Board. Following the Board’s agreement to the recommended strategy we are now providing further support in helping with the development of detailed implementation plans.