Strategy 

Strategy is the overall detail plan to achieve a long-term goal or vision of the business. However, a strategy will not have any direction without intent. In order to have a clear and concise intent, your business will need to have specific values (this will determine the vision/outcome).

The diagram below shows the relationship between business value, strategy and outcome:

Overall strategy structure

“The right strategy for your business goals start with a deliberate conscious value system set to align with your brand’s purpose.”

Nathan Maurice | Design and Markets Leader

This statement embodies the overall strategy structure. 

• Business values determine the strategy direction which also define the outcome (goals).
• The strategy makes lucid the plan to accomplish the outcome (goals).

Now that we have an overall structure and we understand how the values relate to the business goals; we look deeper into the journey of accomplishing these goals by breaking down the strategy into three main sections.

See below:

These sections will give/convey to us a clear and thorough depiction of the relationship between strategy and the delivery of sustainable outcomes.

The following diagram and scenario will demonstrate this:

Strategy sections relationship with sustainable outcomes

“A strategy is a building block between values and outcomes. The development of a strategy based on this concept, ensures the proper utilization of our values to achieve Sustainable Outcomes.”

Klaas Ramo Molapisi | Strategy and Development Leader

With our scenario below we indicate how the value determines the strategy and its outcome:

Fibre Force (a business selling internet solutions (ISP) to its customers)

Values

• Key value: Grow rural/local/township community internet use and access.
• Quality internet speed

Brand Strategy

The strategy for the brand has to maintain a community approach and must be quick to address rural/local/township community issues related to the internet. As there are many challenges in rural/local/township communities for internet access. The brand will ensure knowledge of internet access is available and prioritize responsible internet use. In an effort to demonstrate this, the company will willingly contribute to free/cheaper fibre installation opportunities and run campaigns to grow responsible use. Therefore, it is an expectation that the staff will, must and should make an effort to grow internet usage for the benefit of local communities more than that of gaining capital.

Business Strategy

Now that we are cognizant of what we are creating internet solutions for; rural and township use. We can create products that align to this construct, but because we are also trying to ensure there is good internet speed, we will take this into account when developing the product. 

We must now more than ever before, be competitive with our pricing to ensure the market’s affordability. Moreover, remain competitive enough to outdo our competition. It isn’t though necessarily about the lowest price, but the one that provides more value in such communities. E.g. a product that gives free internet use to pupils on their mobile devices to certain categories of information such as research articles.

The concept above will determine our direction on financial priorities, maintenance of the business and product costing.

Marketing Strategy

The value will determine potential regions to head for, to promote and sell our business. By aligning to our values, we will ensure the marketing of our product to/in rural and township areas which will in turn, define our demographic by identifying the people, age, challenges, current competitors in the region, level of income, and behaviours noticed within the areas. 

Once we have established a demographic, we can then seek collaboration opportunities that first align with the values and secondly match our demographic. Sharing a common value and market does not always require competing, but working together to achieve our goals.

Sustainable Outcomes

If applied correctly, the business will have several factors to consider in terms of its performance.

A few points on performance to consider based on this scenario are shown below:

• Has the brand established its position as a contributor to internet usage growth?
• Has the brand led the industry in showcasing responsible internet use?
• Has the brand participated in free/cheaper fibre installation opportunities?
• Which products were developed?
• What was the market’s reaction to the products and pricing?
• What was the performance of the internet speed and quality?
• How many township/rural/local communities use our products?
• Was there a successful collaboration opportunity?
• How was the capital performance?

The business can confirm if the strategy was successful or unsuccessful in accordance with the values. Only at this point are we able to see if the business is sustainable and is headed in the right direction.

Strategy and its relationship with Digital

If we now understand strategy and its relationship with values and sustainable outcomes, how does it then relate to our product digital transformation?

“We are in the age where digital has grown and continues to grow. However, digital can only be as good as your strategy. Hence making it important to align your digital approach to your strategy. Therefore, by having a definitive strategy, will mean the more the created digital solutions will provide sustainable outcomes.”

Klaas Ramo Molapisi | Strategy and Development Leader

Digital Transformation provides the opportunity to use existing solutions, develop solutions, and deliver on your business intent. Delivering on Sustainable Outcomes can be supercharged with the right application of Digital Solutions. It is only when digital is applied strategically it can then have the potential to transform your business.