Program
Building on the feedback of all our guests from x treat #1 we adapted the format. That is how it went:
Day one
The first day entirely focused on methods and concepts. Orientation was the mantra. After a skim overview of essential approaches and challenges of classical strategy practice within organizations we put the squeeze on two neuralgic factors in the strategy process and confronted us with input from design management.
Factor 1: Approaching an unknown future.
Organizations are always driven by the success of the past. Nothing is more reassuring than a glance in the rearview mirror. But these who do not want to settle with slight modifications of success stories need a new perspective: How does one re-align organization and management to the conditions of a per se unknowable future?
Factor 2: The re-integration of innovation to the routines of the organization
Every strategy process starts and ends within the routines of the organization. If one succeeds to loose existing chains of the past and designs desirable futures a question arises: How does the novel become part of the old and – only then – effective.
Our experiences with organizations teach a clear lesson: Without a plausible business model good ideas puff out in the fireworks of individual creativity. But the question, how future-oriented business models can be generated is not easy at all. 150 thinkers and practitioners out of most different fields were making an exciting approach in a co-creative project: Using elements of design thinking a course of action evolved, at which we want to have a closer look. Therefore we invited Prof. Reinhard Prügl to give us an insight into the idea of Business Model Generation. Prof. Prügl is one of the co-authors of a book with the same name and shared some firsthand experiences.
After this rollercoaster ride of interesting inputs, incitements and tools we took off into the evening and a relaxed chill-out. Thankfully there were plenty of options at the heart of Berlin. 
Day Two
At the second day we dived into the practice of designing strategy stories. We invited two international key player to betray secrets: metadesign, one of the leading agencies for strategic brand management as well as UnternehmerTUM, Center for Innovation and Business Creation at Technical University Munich. What are their experiences with their daily practice of story design? And if “fail faster” is the main message of design thinking for organizations: Which lessons are embedded in the experienced “failures” within both organizations?
What would the x treat be like, if we would not establish an own format for the perspective of clients? Representatives of international major corporations extensively discussed working at strategy with design elements. Wait a second: Corporations? These elephants that Peters & Watermann already tried to make dance in the year dot? Exactly. There, we were (and still are) very interested in the interplay of strategy and design. Together with all participants we worked on several cases and developed – in the “rapid prototyping mode” – possible stimuli for further working with design in organizations.
Strategy Safari
We set up a dense, intense program. And if one thing is for sure: The participants did not get bored. Sufficient KitKat (have a break!), Mars (returns used energy immediately) and strong espresso (what else?) were provided. What remains is pleasant irritation and memories of another joint, co-creative adventure.
That was x treat #2: “Designing Strategy Stories” …
