cordial 15 years (english)
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Anniversary brochure about Cordial 15 years made by Barbro at Ohlsson Smith Agency.TRANSCRIPT
→ The last 15 years have been rough – particularly for our customers. When we started Cordial 15 years ago, we had no intention for it to be this tough on our customers. We apologize.
Some of our customers have even been forced to
pause our collaboration for a while to make it work.
We are sorry about that too. But all of our customers
have come back. Again and again. Why? we asked
ourselves.
Well, as always, the best way to find out is to ask our
customers. So we did. And we were told it is because
we are professional, reliable and committed (a better
word for demanding). And, because we are there all
the way, we don’t just deliver a report and then leave.
These statements make us very proud.
In today’s business world, there are many consultants
who will tell you what to do. But they won’t tell you
how and they won’t partner with you while you make
it happen.
That is usually where the tough part comes in – the
execution. That is when it really comes down to
business. That is when we are there to support you
in getting the job done. And that is why companies
and organizations choose Cordial as their long-term
business transformation partner. /
Cordial → 2001–2016
Cordial → The Business Transformation Company
→ We started Cordial 15 years ago. It is not a long time
compared to many other well-established consultancy
firms, but in the summer of 2001, everything was
different. The Dotcom-era was at its peak and as
consultants at a major international firm; we felt that
the opportunity to break free and do something
different was within our reach. As we set off to grasp
the opportunity, the world was in the belief that the
future was never further than just a click away. Old
structures were put away in the market economy
graveyard and the new emerging digital economy was
creating new business opportunities so fast that it was
hard to keep up. As it turned out, it was not quite that
simple to change from the old to the new. New and old
structures best develop side by side, feeding off each
other. However, what did remain true to the beliefs of
the early 2000s is that a new business climate was
emerging and that it demanded that organizations
accept change as an integrated part of everyday work.
The growing need from businesses and organizations
to manage this constant change became our guiding
star. More specifically, it was the insight that many
struggled to make change a positive force in their
work that appealed to us. We built our firm on the
desire to help empower our customers, using what we
call Execution Power. We wanted to go from simply
telling our customers what to do to work out how
it should be done in practice. Then partner with them
in the execution. Our starting point was that in order
to be able to bring relevant advise, plans and support,
we needed to apply a holistic approach to our
customers’ business. Therefore, we developed our
Business Architecture Framework.
Our big break came in 2006. After an acquisition and
several successful projects, we had concluded and
proved our definition of a well-functioning business
architecture, the foundation that the whole business
rests upon, in practice. The most important element
in our way of approaching a project was – and remains
– that when we look at the overall business, we really
mean the whole business. We develop our customers’
ability to bridge the gap between strategy, structure
and culture while releasing the power of digitalization
throughout the organization.
Today, 15 years later, we are a continuously growing
firm of 30+ consultants. Over the years, we have
refined our offer. But we still believe that we cannot
get to the desired results just by launching more
initiatives based on unleashed opportunities in the
business model. Our advise will only be relevant if
we involve our customers’ key internal stakeholders
so that they can drive the project. And we remain
convinced that great results demand commitment
from the whole organization. Our conviction of the
importance in stakeholder commitment and execution
power led us to develop an educational platform as
a complement to our advisory. This remains a key part
of our offer; it is how we can assure that the projects
will be placed with motivated and skilled individuals
within the organization.
Today, this is even more important as a fast changing
market demand of organizations to be more dynamic
and flexible than ever before. In the past 15 years, we
have seen firsthand how the Mean Time Between
Surprises has decreased significantly. Businesses can
no longer foresee and maximize change by regrouping
and pouring in massive external support. Instead it is
motivated individuals working together as a group
within the organization, supported by external advise,
that create sustainable success. /
Execution Power – we believe in empowering our customers.
Linus Malmberg, CEO, Maria Andersson, HR Director
→ Going from suggesting what can be done to how it should be done. And then doing it.
→ Through our way of working, we develop our customers’ talent.
Erik Martin, Head of Sales Lise Tormod, Head of Business Strategy Lars Mårtensson, Head of Business design
In terms of our people, it is key for us is to find skilled
individuals that share our holistic vision of how to best
support our customers. We work by the firm belief
that you need to understand the overall perspective
to grasp the details and the other way around.
And we are proud to see that the individuals that seek
us out are the ones that share that view. They are
talent who have found the traditional consulting world
to be limiting.
When we joined 10 years ago, we were attracted to the
same thing; the Cordial culture, which was so different
from the tradition of ”up-or-out”. To us, it was the way
of looking at customers as part of the process, along
with the room for creative thinking and maneuver,
which was the decisive factor. That approach is still
central to us; it has not changed despite that we have
developed our work processes and offers.
Another success factor, just as important as our team,
is our customers. We reach the best results when
we work with customers that have a clear vision and a
strong ambition. Those who want to be a change-driver
in their respective industry. The size of the business
or organization is never important. We see our task as
providing the up and comings with support in terms
of experience and structure, while bigger companies
instead often are more in need of added fuel, execu-
tion power, to maximize their business.
The future looks bright. We are looking to double the
size of our work force within a couple of years. We can
see how the need for execution power is increasing
amongst all kinds of companies and organizations.
Today’s customers are increasingly looking for more
than just good advice. They request detailed plans for
execution and a true partner in implementing the
changes – someone to be there for the whole ride. /
Cordial → Leading Adviser
→ What sets Cordial apart from many other manage-
ment-consulting firms is how we approach a project.
The typical model is to go in and solve the challenge
for the customer. We do not believe that is how you
get the best result. Instead of telling the management
what to do, we want the whole organization to be part
of the solution. That means that we stay with our
customers, from helping to solve the challenge throug-
hout the implementation of the solution. In turn, that
means that when our job is done, the knowledge stays
with the customer. That last part is the most important
thing for us. Our way of working ensures that our
customers’ talent is developed and that the execution
power remains within the organization.
Naturally, this does not happen without effort on both
ends. Our customers tell us that while we are highly
appreciated for our commitment, professionalism,
result-orientation and ability to get things done, we
can also be demanding because we stay on for the
whole ride. In the end, the upside is obvious, not only
at the bottom line – but also for the individuals
involved in the project.
We come in as committed advisers supporting our
customer by fuelling their business development.
Our job is to help set the direction and the plan, and
to get the whole organization moving towards the
same goal. But the ultimate ownership of each project
needs to stay with the customer.
Working with us is more demanding. But the results are long lasting.
→ Swedish origin. Global understanding. International expertise.
→ Swedish origin. Global understanding. International expertise.
→ Business development is about looking at a business
or an organization from a new perspective. To change
with the market. However, in order to achieve
sustainable and successful business development, the
individuals within the organization also have to develop
and grow. That insight formed the starting point for our
Business Architecture Framework 10 years ago.
Successful business development requires that all key
stakeholders agree that change is called for. This is
critical, both to the process and to the ultimate goal.
Often consultancy firms focus solely on what needs
to change; but we are just as interested in how the
change will come about. Finding the how as well as the
what demands more of us. It also demands more of
our customers. Early on, this led us to conclude that if
we are to offer the best support, we need an educa-
tional platform to complement our consultancy offer.
Our training programs serve several purposes. It allows
us to work with our customers’ business development
teams, whereby we can involve key stakeholders in
the prioritization of business needs. The training is also
essential to our consultancy support. It helps bring
additional internal stakeholders on board to refine the
plan, which makes the process smoother and more
relevant to the larger organization. Thus, our trainings
help everyone move in the same direction while
capturing any needs for tweaks in the execution. Our
first educational program was a success.
Cordial → Leading Educator
→ Our proudest moment is when an experienced business developer comes to one of our alumni gatherings and says that “you have changed me”.
Sustainable business development only happens when everyone is on-board.
Cordial → Leading Educator
Anna-Maria Rosenberg, Head of Cordial Business Education
It was obvious that there had long been a need for a
training focused on modern business development.
Today, we have thousands of individuals attending our
programs yearly. The most popular one is Certified
Business Architect, a program designed for business
developers who want to increase their skillset for how
to trim and develop the use of business logic, business
architecture and business models in practice. Another
popular program is Business-oriented Enterprise
Architect, which focuses on how to make strategy and
key business structures interplay to support each other
for maximum result. We also offer shorter trainings in
basic business development. Our programs have
traditionally been classroom-based, but our web-based
trainings continue to grow in popularity. In particular,
we have seen an increase in interest for so-called
“blended learning” which combines classroom get-to-
gethers with web-based sessions. One of our proudest
moments is when experienced business developers
come to alumni gatherings and say ”you have changed
me”, and referring to the personal and professional
growth that they have experienced when returning to
work after completing one of our programs.
Our future aim is to meet new market needs by
continuing to extend our educational offer with
additional programs in business development and we
are also exploring the opportunities for opening our
education programs to an international audience. /
Three Cordial advisers: Gustav Ronéus, Jonathan Bratel & Joo Stenback
Cordial → Leading Employer
→ If I come up with an idea, I am encouraged to explore it.
from the more experienced advisers. They always seem
to make time for me. We work in teams and I feel like
I can always rely on the support of my team.
In five years, I hope to have advanced to a Project
Manager at Cordial. I want to develop using the
analytical tools and models that we use in encouraging
execution power.
Joo
→ Before I joined Cordial, I worked with asset
management at a leading bank, so I have experience
from being a customer working with external consult-
ants. I had since long decided that the traditional
consultancy firms were not for me. I prefer working
in a context with smaller teams, short lead-times and
room for creativity.
I learned about Cordial through their website. I was
attracted by the professionalism and humbleness
that it communicated. Since I joined in May of 2015,
my first impression of the company has definitely
proved true. I was pleasantly surprised to find a true
entrepreneurial spirit here!
I enjoy working in a team. This is an industry with
reoccurring work peaks, so we sometimes need to
remind ourselves to slow down. I often find this hard,
because I really love what I do and it is very easy to
be caught up in it.
What makes Cordial stand out is that we provide more
than just good advise. We partner with our customers
in the execution process. The result is always a direct
consequence of the quality of the solution and
the acceptance for it from the individuals affected.
Therefore, if we do not have the staff on board, it
does not matter how good the solution is. In the end,
all business is human. /
Cordial → Leading Employer
Gustav
→ I was lucky to get an internship with Cordial while
I was completing my Masters at Uppsala University in
the fall of 2014. Once I was done, I was very happy to
be offered to join the firm.
This is a fast-pace environment, with short work
cycles. Things are brought to life quickly. It is a big
contrast to the university. I truly enjoy it; busy days
are my favorite days!
It is really an experience to go from the university in
to a ’real’ business context. There are many theoretical
things that I have learned, which do not translate in
to what I see now. I am thrilled to everyday learn new
things and to be able to constantly develop through
working closely with my more experienced colleagues.
I also appreciate that if I have an idea, I am encouraged
to explore it, which is very exciting.
My ambition is to stay here, grow my skills and in rank
so that I in a couple of years can look back on a steep
professional development.
Jonathan
→ When I graduated from my studies in Industrial
Economy at the University of Lund in 2015, I was
looking for a job in consulting. Through the student
network Nova100, I came in to contact with Cordial.
My first impression was that the company stood
out in the competition. Cordial’s focus on business
architecture appealed to me – I had not come across
any other consultancy firm that was looking at all
parts of the business in the same way.
I joined Cordial in 2015 as a Management Adviser. I was
positively surprised to find how quickly I was included in
the projects. After 15 minutes in the office, I had my first
assignment. I was also very impressed by the support
Reflections from our new recruits.
→ What makes Cordial special is that they act as true support in making things happen – they do not only leave us with analyses and reports. They truly want to see change happen within the organization that they are engaged in.
CEO of an international retail company
