Emergn and Strategyzer alliance plugs the innovation-transformation gap

LONDON, Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Emergn and Strategyzer – two of the world's most innovative consultancies – are coming together to help companies and their leaders bridge the commercial gap between innovation and transformation. Their alliance will reduce or eliminate the critical distance between the desire for change and the ability to make it happen. 

Both companies transform the way modern businesses innovate. Strategyzer is the leader in helping organizations develop, test, and crystallize new ideas. Emergn is the leader in helping organizations commercialize those ideas with core digital services centered on product management, development, and engineering, plus toolkits and a suite of learning solutions. Together, their experience and offerings will give companies the means to move from business innovation to business transformation seamlessly.

The need

The majority of companies aren't making radical change happen fast enough to accelerate the commercial results they need. New analysis from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a decline in productivity for five consecutive quarters to Q1 2023. And research from KPMG finds 73% of digital transformations fail to deliver growth and improved profitability owing to poor execution. 

Yet, there is a desire for change. An Emergn and Strategyzer survey of product and IT leaders across the US and UK shows that 83% believe their businesses can be truly innovative, with 70% expecting radical change to succeed in their organizations if it was implemented better.

The diagnosis 

Emergn and Strategyzer's research reveals why this disconnect between expectation and delivery exists:

• 60% of IT leaders and 95% of product leaders who think radical change isn't currently possible feel their leadership is resistant to change, hindering growth
• A staggering 80% of all leaders surveyed are concerned that 'rule by committee' is blocking decision-making by adding too many decision-makers to the change process;
• One-third indicate that their firms do not value experimentation, which creates an atmosphere of fearfulness and dampened innovation practices.

There are multiple reasons transformations are failing, including cumbersome investment decision-making processes, conflicting spheres of influence, and misaligned roles at the cost of effective collaboration.

The solution

The best organizations seamlessly toggle between inventing the future and managing the present, often labeled as the project-to-product journey; these firms intrinsically link innovation and transformation.

Emergn and Strategyzer cover both demands; together, they help business leaders design, foster, and implement their innovative ideas.

This exciting alliance will:

• Close the innovation gap by enabling companies to consistently create and deliver successful new products, services, and business models;
• Offer consultancy and services across innovation and execution in a way no other consultancy can today;
• Empower organizations to manage their own innovation and transformation journeys with tools and practices designed for them;
• Develop more innovation and transformation leaders across the business to carry the torch and accelerate learning in the organization.

Both Emergn and Strategyzer are led by highly experienced, influential innovation experts:

Alex Adamopoulos, CEO of Emergn, has spent 30 years over the course of his career ensuring the world's largest organizations accelerate the rate at which they improve and deliver their products and services. He serves as a mentor and advisor to industry leaders across the Fortune 100.

Strategyzer CEO Alex Osterwalder is widely known as one of the world's innovation thought-leaders through his work as an author, entrepreneur, and inventor of the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas, alongside other well-known and widely-used visual tools for business.

Combined, Emergn and Strategyzer comprise over 650 colleagues working in 20+ countries worldwide. More than seven million people are empowered by their tools and content.

Commenting on the alliance, Alex Adamopoulos, CEO of Emergn, said: "This alliance combines expertise in innovation, transformation, and digital service delivery in a one-of-a-kind combination. I'm incredibly excited to join forces with Alex Osterwalder and his team, who I respect immensely. Together, we'll allow companies to bridge this commercial gap between innovation and transformation and deliver real change, fast."

Alex Osterwalder, CEO of Strategyzer, said: "We've learned a lot from working with leading companies around the world. There's a disconnect between technology, innovation, product management, and transformation. Together, Strategyzer and Emergn have a unique ability to help businesses reinvent themselves. We have the experience to make innovation and transformation part of their DNA. We share the same vision to improve the way people and companies work. The need is clear when I observe mission-critical innovation and digital transformation programs stalling in many organizations. We can't wait to get started."

About Emergn

Emergn is a global digital business services firm with a mission to improve the way people and companies work. Forever. With an 'Ideas to Impact' philosophy, Emergn helps some of the world's most respected businesses – including Fortune 500, FTSE 100, and Global 2000 companies – develop their most promising ideas into valuable digital products and customer experiences, faster.

Emergn's experts work with clients to transform their business in three ways:

• Helping to better define their thinking, including shaping their product organization and clarifying and communicating their product strategy.
• Developing their people by delivering exemplary training in product management, modern ways of working, and leadership.
• Delivering their outcomes by building customer-centric products and customer experiences.

Emergn has invested nearly fifteen years perfecting a game-changing philosophy for the world of work to transform businesses – Value, Flow, Quality (or VFQ for short) – combining the best of Agile, Lean, design thinking, systems thinking, economics, psychology, and sociology. Its unique approach has been built to support enterprise-scale change and consists of the latest models, techniques, and tools for delivering work in an agile and effective way. Emergn has a strong presence in over a dozen countries, with its US headquarters in Boston and EMEA headquarters in London.

Learn more about Emergn from their website and follow Emergn on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

About Strategyzer

Strategyzer is a pioneering force in the world of innovation and business strategy. With its programs, platform, and services, it addresses the challenges faced by organizations today. It combines technology, coaching, and systematic programs to help organizations scale innovation.

Strategyzer has a rich legacy of pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking. For over two decades, it has redefined how organizations and their leaders approach innovation. It has guided some of the world's most well-regarded businesses to innovate and grow.

The company was founded by visionary strategist and innovation expert Alex Osterwalder. He and Strategyzer have played a pivotal role in professionalizing the practice of innovation.  Ground-breaking contributions include the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition Canvas. They have become indispensable tools for businesses worldwide. Alex ranks #4 on the Thinkers50 list of top management thinkers globally. He is also a visiting professor at IMD Business School.

Beyond programs and platforms, Strategyzer boasts a global network of expert coaches and advisors. Over five million readers across the globe rely on Strategyzer's seminal books that have been translated into 40 languages. It empowers more than seven million individuals with innovation tools and content.

Learn more about Strategyzer from their website, and follow Strategyzer on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

Media Contact: Dentons Global Advisors. James Melville-Ross, Adam Davidson, Nishad Sanzagiri +44 0 789 5187 727 emergn@dentonsglobaladvisors.com.

SOURCE Emergn; Strategyzer