Have you ever wondered why so many strategic reorientations come to nothing? The answer is often sobering: in many companies, fewer than 10% of staff actually understand the corporate strategy. If the direction is unclear, even the best process optimisation is of no use. Genuine change can only be achieved through excellent strategy communication.

The gap between the boardroom and the shop floor

The problem usually stems from the way the message is conveyed. Strategies are often presented in the form of abstract figures, complex diagrams and thick documents. Whilst management has spent months poring over this data, employees are expected to grasp it in a one-hour presentation.

Good strategic communication bridges this gap. It translates ‘management speak’ into a language that everyone in the company understands. It is not simply a matter of sending information, but of creating resonance.

Visualisation as a ‘common language’

This is where we at DIALOGBILD come in. A central element of strategic communication is visual storytelling. Why? Because an image can depict complex relationships simultaneously.

- Goals become tangible: Instead of “15% market share”, we show the path to the summit or the conquest of new territories.

- Connections become clear: Employees see how their daily work contributes to the overarching goals.

- Emotions are stirred: A picture tells a story of new beginnings, success and community – and that’s far more motivating than an Excel spreadsheet.

Participation: Communication is not a one-way street

Dialogue is a key factor in the success of modern strategic communication. A static image is the starting point, but the magic unfolds through interaction. Use your visualised strategy map as a working tool in workshops. Let teams ‘project’ their own contributions to the strategy onto the map.

When employees feel they are part of the strategy, rather than merely its recipients, the speed of implementation increases massively. The visualisation of the new processes is then no longer seen as a chore, but as a logical consequence of the shared vision.

Conclusion: Bring strategy to life

Successful strategy communication ensures that everyone in the company knows where the journey is heading and why their contribution matters. By using visual anchors, you create a lasting presence for your goals in day-to-day work.

Do you have a new strategy that is still waiting to be ‘seen’?

Let us shape your vision into a form that not only informs but also inspires. Strategy communication begins with the first stroke.

OUR STRATEGY

ENTHUSIASM AND NETWORKING ON ALL CHANNELS

In order to position Volksbank well for the future, the new vision of VBLH was developed at the end of 2019. The target images of the individual areas developed from the vision, as well as the projects and measures derived from it, were summarized in a picture within the scope of a graphic recording together with the executives. It was important for us to make the strategy, the goals and the way to achieve them tangible and to visualize complex topics clearly. In addition, we wanted to use the picture to enter into an exchange with the employees on an emotional level. The employees should know where we want to go as a bank and what contribution each individual makes to achieving the strategic goals.

In the further course of the process, a strategy picture was to be created from the hidden object picture. Together with the company DIALOGBILD GmbH and a small team consisting of the Board of Management, executives and employees, scenes were clustered, added and deleted.

STRATEGY AGENDA

With its 220 employees, the BVR is at the forefront of the cooperative banking industry in Germany and represents the interests of its members, in the context of the cooperative set of values. The focus is not only on advising and promoting the cooperative credit unions but also on actively shaping the banking of the future, which involves monitoring trends and working on strategy, culminating in new strategic goals. For example, the BVR observed the current takeover mechanisms of the beigtechs and the old infrastructures that are stifling processes, which stimulated the impetus for innovation ideas. The bank should integrate itself into the customer lifeworlds shaped by change and establish new functions of mediation and support.

With sustainable construction financing and the realization of projects in the health and care sector, BVR aims to establish itself as a new pioneer in the dynamically evolving customer world and offer both near-bank and non-bank solutions.

With its strategy agenda in mind, BVR turned to Dialogbild to work together on a visualization that would be able to illustrate the interdependent unity of the strategies for all cooperative members and create a multidimensional overview. The dialog image is intended to show how a collaborative ecosystem and efficient operating and collaboration models are interlinked and lead to BVR's overarching visions.

ANNUAL REVIEW CYCLE 2023

Boehringer Ingelheim develops breakthrough therapies that change lives - today and for future generations. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim creates value through innovation in areas of unmet medical need. Since its foundation in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim has been family-owned and pursues a long-term, sustainable perspective. More than 53,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the two divisions Human Pharma and Animal Health.

Boehringer Ingelheim opted for a dialog picture in conjunction with a dialog film for this year's internal corporate strategy communication. The annual strategy review and adjustment takes place in the form of the Annual Review Cycle, in which the company's medium and long-term plans are discussed and prioritized.

A dialog picture was to be used as a new form of communication to present the Annual Review Cycle in a holistic yet precise manner. The aim was to familiarize employees with the strategy and create a shared awareness of the objectives. The dialog film created at the same time serves to explain the strategy process and complements the dialog picture, in which the results of the process are presented.