In a world full of disruptions, the foundation of high-performance and sustainability within your SME is a dynamic and down-to-earth approach to strategy.

I call it “strategy-as-you-go”, and it’s not a catchy buzzword: it’s a tangible, strategic readiness to respond and adapt to a changing environment.

Despite unprecedented challenges over the past two years, SMEs in the UK have shown remarkable resilience. They have not only survived the pandemic and the difficulties in its wake but are thriving. Virtually overnight, new business models emerged, new products and services were developed, and more efficient ways of doing business were employed. 

What’s their secret? 

Though the hard work, motivation, and optimism of company leaders and their staff certainly played a part, it’s not the whole story.

Such transformation will almost always depend on the strength of a company’s day-to-day business processes, internal and external connections and how leaders use business data to drive decisions. When these factors are in place, it is easier to achieve the operational efficiency and agility needed to pivot into entirely new product lines and business models. 

Put another way, strategy-as-you-go means two things: watchfulness and constant, deliberate movement. You keep your finger on the pulse of environmental change, then cull available resources to take the most appropriate action in response to that change.

It is time to take inspiration from the companies that have used all the disruption and downtime to their advantage. Regardless of industry, size, or business model, resilient SMEs follow many of the same strategies. Most notably, they treated business data as an asset, reorganised for operational efficiency, accelerated digitisation, and focused on innovation.

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