The next wave of strategy - with Zlatko Rihter

Listening to customers to build a perspective on the future

As part of our ongoing strategy series, ReD partner Martin Gronemann speaks to Zlatko Rihter, CEO of Mölnlycke, on how a deep investment in customer understanding created the foundation for the world-leading medical products company’s future strategy. In the conversation, Zlatko also shares his perspective on Mölnlycke’s next wave of growth, integrating data into decision-making, and his number one priority as a CEO.

Watch the video below.

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THE NEXT WAVE OF STRATEGY

At ReD, we have been developing a new perspective on strategy in collaboration with Roger Martin, one that extends beyond economic optimisation and user-centricity. Building on these two lenses, this new approach to strategy also incorporates understanding complex social dynamics in order to sharpen a company’s perspective on the culture or “world” they’re operating in, and in turn, unlock growth. In this video series, we hear from leaders on why this is the way forward.

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“This ethnographic research study was the base for our strategy. What we did was really define our key customer groups and then spend time to really understand their top issues. My strong belief is if you address those, you’ll be successful.”

 “If you want to understand how animals work you go to the jungle, not the zoo.”

“People want to know exactly what the world will look like in five years down to the fifth decimal, which is impossible. The best you can do is to try to spend a lot of time with your customer, try to understand the mega trends, figure all that out as much as you can, and then make a solid assumption.”

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