Context

Following the redefinition of Ericsson’s strategic ambition – to become the leading ICT company enabling the Networked Society through 5G and IoT – the next critical phase was to embed this vision across a 110,000-person global workforce. To succeed, the strategy had to move beyond executive statements and become operationalized at every level of the organization.

Mandate

As Head of Global Strategy Engagement, my mission was to:

• Lead an enterprise-wide strategy execution through employee engagement and cultural alignment
• Translate Ericsson’s redefined ICT vision into actionable guidance across all levels of the organization
• Ensure 110,000+ employees across 150+ countries not only understood but also believed in and operationalized the new strategy
• Embedd strategic priorities into the daily operations of divisions, business units, and regional organizations worldwide

Strategic Impact

Articulated and Operationalized the Global Strategy

Translated corporate priorities into clear, actionable guidance via frameworks, toolkits, and storytelling materials tailored for employees at every level.

Built and Led a Global Strategy Engagement Team

Mobilized a cross-functional network of strategy champions across divisions and regions. Ensured local ownership and drive, while maintaining alignment to the overall goal.

Delivered a Global Employee Engagement Program

Launched a multi-modal engagement platform—town halls, digital learning journeys, interactive workshops, and executive Q&As. Prioritized two-way communication, authenticity, and inclusion over top-down messaging.

Established Feedback Loop to Executive Management

Captured structured data concerning execution barriers, regional differences, and employee sentiment to inform decision-making and course correction at executive level.

Measurable Outcomes

87% Strategy Engagement Score Achieved. Surpassed the 80% target within 12 months. Based on employee assessments of: Understanding of the business strategy, Confidence and belief in the strategic direction, Embedding of strategic priorities into local plans.

Cross-Company Strategic Alignment. Regional and divisional plans reflected strong alignment with corporate direction, demonstrating execution beyond awareness.

Cultural Shift Toward Openness: Feedback showed increased appreciation for transparency, dialogue, and shared ownership supporting a more inclusive transformation culture.

What I’m Most Proud Of

• Turning strategy from a corporate mandate into a shared movement of belief and execution
• Creating a sense of co-ownership and empowerment among employees worldwide
• Helping reshape Ericsson’s culture into one that values dialogue, inclusion, and agility

How Others Describe My Leadership

Recognized as a leader who connects strategy to people. Known for turning complex ambition into relatable action, creating clarity in ambiguity, and building trust at scale. Seen as a pragmatic visionary who drives results through inclusion, empathy, and operational discipline.

Supporting Materials

It was imperative that we managed to connect strategy with people and vice versa. No strategy is better than the ownership and ability of the executing organisation. We therefor effectively utilised three strategic frameworks to support and drive the efforts cross organisations.

Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change

Purpose for Using this Framework

We used Kotter’s 8-Step Process as a roadmap for leading people through change, ensuring that strategic initiatives were effectively implemented and that we did not overestimate the time and effort required to achieve true changeacross the organization.

Core Idea

Successful change follows a structured, sequential process—moving from creating urgency, building leadership coalitions, and communicating a clear vision, to empowering teams, achieving early wins, and anchoring new behaviors into the organization’s culture.

Author

John P. Kotter, Professor Emeritus at Harvard Business School

Strategic Learning – Willie Pietersen

Purpose for Using this Framework

We used the Strategic Learning framework to create a learning culture with a strong feedback loop to inform and further improve strategic decision-making across the organization.

Core Idea

Strategic Learning is a dynamic, continuous process where organizations learn from their environment, focus strategic choices based on insights, align internal capabilities to support execution, and implement initiatives with an experimental mindset. New learnings are constantly fed back into the cycle, ensuring that strategy remains adaptive and grounded in reality rather than static assumptions.

Author

Willie Pietersen, Professor of the Practice of Management at Columbia Business School and former CEO of Tropicana and Seagram USA.

McKinsey 7S Framework – McKinsey & Company

Purpose for Using this Framework

We used the McKinsey 7S Framework to structure and connect the hard elements (strategy, structure, systems) with the soft elements (shared values, skills, style, staff)—ensuring that people, culture, and operational structures were cohesively aligned with Ericsson’s strategic transformation.

Core Idea

Organizational effectiveness and sustained success are achieved when seven critical elements—strategy, structure, systems, shared values, skills, style, and staff—are fully aligned and mutually reinforcing. True transformation requires orchestrating both the tangible and intangible dimensions of the organization, not focusing on structure alone.

Authors

Developed by McKinsey consultants Tom Peters and Robert Waterman.