Videnscenter for Velfærdsteknologi
From strategy to action through active involvement of leadership and practice
Background and need
Videnscenter for Velfærdsteknologi was approaching a new strategy period and wanted a strategy process in which the foundation for embedding and implementation was created already in the very making of the strategy. The starting point was a recognition that strategy formulation and strategy execution are not two separate disciplines, but on the contrary closely connected. To create a strategy with real impact, the design of the process needed to support direction, shared ownership and the possibility of meaningful contributions from many actors.
At the same time there was a conscious wish to embrace the ambivalence that naturally follows involvement under unclear conditions - and to recognise that courage, openness and vulnerability are necessary ingredients in both strategy work and change management.
Solution
The strategy process was set up as a multi-voiced process in three stages, in which directors, heads of departments and education, and coordinators - around 70 people in total - were involved in developing the strategy for the coming period. Each actor group had their own seminar, with a clear purpose and tailored success criteria, and with room for both strategic thinking and reflection on their own practice.
- Strategy seminar for directors. Focus on formulating and qualifying vision, mission and overall anchors. The work revolved around creating a clear direction and a shared ambition as the starting point for the further work.
- Strategy seminar for the network of heads of departments and education. Here the anchors were made concrete in the form of strategic focus areas. Participants worked on connecting direction to action and creating a shared picture of what it takes to succeed in practice.
- Coordinator seminar. Finally, the coordinators - who act as local change agents at the individual schools - were invited to put words on which concrete activities can support the ambitions of the strategy. Here the focus was both on ensuring safety and on bringing honest voices into play.
A central move in the process has been to use input from each seminar actively in the next stage. This made the process iterative and alive - and created an experience of coherence and progression in which everyone's contribution was taken seriously. Feedback and input from the seminars are gathered and brought back to the director group in a follow-up session, so the strategy is shaped across and not only from the top.
Results
The strategy process has been marked by high energy, honest conversations and a strong sense of community. The network of coordinators in particular has been strengthened as an important channel for future embedding. Both leaders and employees have expressed that during the process they experienced both room to think and room to doubt - and that this in itself has helped create genuine engagement.
The strategy has thereby not just come into being as a document, but as a shared narrative, carried by many voices. The programme has also pointed to the paradox of involvement: that it can create both unease and ownership. But that is precisely why there is a need for safe spaces where ambivalence can be shared - and where courage and vulnerability can go hand in hand. The strategy work has, in other words, been an exercise in everyday implementation, even before the strategy was finished being written.