Sharp together: Carinova's strategy

Tomorrow's care calls for choices today

More people are living at home for longer, demand for care is growing and becoming more complex, and the labour market remains structurally tight. At the same time, technology, the expectations of clients and their families, and collaboration in the region are all changing. For Carinova this put one central question on the table: what role do we want to play, and can we play, in the future for people who need support and care? With the existing multi-year vision coming to an end, this was the moment to sharpen the course for the future.

From developments to sharp choices

We mapped out clearly which choices Carinova really had to make for the future. Our Strategy CUBE guided the process: from sharpening the strategic issues to exploring and making choices. The client's life journey helped us reason from future needs and take a fresh look at Carinova's role in housing, support, treatment and care. We then used scenario planning to explore the uncertainties towards 2035, and spoke with partners and other parties in the region. This allowed us to test the strategic choices against different possible futures and work towards a course that gives direction and leaves room to adapt when circumstances change. These choices were not only discussed, they were built. In a series of strategy days and sessions, the Executive Board, directors, core team, works council, professional advisory council, client council and Supervisory Board worked on the strategy together. Colleagues and other stakeholders from across the organisation also helped build it. Choices were examined from multiple angles, sharpened and translated into a strategy that colleagues understand and recognise.

The core team in the lead, by design

What made this trajectory special was how ownership of the strategy was organised from the start. When setting up the trajectory, the Executive Board deliberately chose to put the core team in the lead. A diverse group from the organisation developed the strategy. As a result, ownership grew during development among the people who would later play a key role in delivery. The Executive Board stayed involved at key moments to give direction, challenge and validate choices.

Communication as a design principle

The role of communication was also a choice made at the start. The end product was clear from day one: a strategy that staff not only understand, but also recognise. Communication was therefore part of the core team from the outset. Images, language and narrative developed alongside the choices. Among other things, this led to a dedicated strategy website for all colleagues, where the course is told in an accessible and interactive way. No separate translation step was needed afterwards.

The result is a new multi-year strategy that Carinova and Jester Strategy created together. A co-production, in which the content and the choices belong to Carinova. Chris helped the core team bring sharpness to the conversation, arrive at concrete statements and keep up the pace. Sharp together.