Principles of Continuous transformation: Opportunistic Strategy
Principle #1: Clear Vision, Opportunistic Strategy
Over my 25 years in consulting, one of my core skills has been developing corporate strategy. I’ve written over 100 strategies, including for Fortune 500 companies. It would be interesting to know how many of them were actually implemented—even partially. I assume the percentage is low. In many cases, strategy was never intended for execution; it was created for a board of directors, to attract investors, or to support annual budgeting. Even when execution was the original intent, reality often took an unforeseen turn, rendering the strategy irrelevant. Strategies are often based on well-articulated ideas that resonate with investors, board members, and the media—making them good for PR, but not always fit for delivery.
That’s why I argue that Continuous Transformation doesn’t require a strategy—at least not in the traditional sense. What it needs is a clear and consistent vision that provides direction, ambition, and mindset. The strategic roadmap must remain evolving in response to real-time opportunities, innovations, and disruptions.
At Tryg, our vision for transformation is "Simplicity and Scale"—transforming the operating model from country-based to Nordic and capturing synergies through economies of scale. To define the transformation’s scope, we also set boundaries. For example, we excluded initiatives with a benefit realization horizon beyond three years. This meant that certain long-term strategic projects—such as replacing core policy systems—were not part of the transformation and remained under separate governance.
Continuous transformation is about the tactical execution of initiatives aligned with the vision. It’s about creating an environment where people are constantly seeking improvement opportunities and refining the roadmap to maximize the likelihood of achieving the ambition. At Tryg, we defined seven criteria to evaluate and filter opportunities—outlined in what we call the “Design Authority Manifesto.” One key principle is “Reuse before Buy before Build,” meaning we prioritize reusing existing solutions before considering new purchases or custom development. The Design Authority, our highest-level governance body, oversees and approves ideas for transformation.
One year into the program, our roadmap looks very different than it did at the start—but our ambition has grown even stronger. Along the way, some initiatives didn’t pass the reality check and were quickly discontinued, while new ones were added. By staying attuned to real-world dynamics, we’ve increased our certainty of success and reduced the investment buffer accordingly.
Strategists believe that ideas shape reality; transformation practitioners know that reality inspires pragmatic ideas.