Next Level – full speed ahead
While in 2022 our company’s new strategy began its ‘test phase’, 2023 was the year of implementation. What were the targets, what were the results, and the partial successes or lessons arrived at by the end of the year? With the help of Head of Strategy Erich Auer and a few sailing analogies, we provide the answers to these questions below.
We set off on our journey, hoisting our sails to head out in new directions as we further developed our business model. The Next Level strategy was born, providing a compass for us in the stormy seas of the transformation of the automotive industry. We are following our vision, and our mission is clear. Both the framework and the contents of our Must-Wins are unshakeable: they pinpoint the tasks that we will work on day after day until the final victory. There are more and more helping hands on deck. With our increasing numbers, progress is easier. We are growing more motivated and committed.
The winds of change… The gusts buffet us from one side and then the other, sometimes causing us to doubt whether we are headed in the right direction. But we know that the only certain thing in life is change itself. So we are not swayed. We will continue on our path towards our future potential, yet unafraid to at times question our decisions, our achievements, and also ourselves. Because this is how we can keep moving to the next level.
Assessing Next Level 2023
Our strategy reached maturity. While 2022 was a test period for introducing new formats, trying new content, shaping the Must-Wins and planning our schedule, in 2023, implementation took centre stage. This year, stakeholders worked to a dedicated budget that has enabled concrete measures to be implemented. Though in most cases there is still much work to be done, many processes have also brought us tangible results and milestones.
Digitalisation
In 2023, with this Must-Win, we created our company’s digital ecosystem, which was the area’s biggest achievement. In just one year, we have made huge progress in terms of developing a digital mindset and digital maturity.
Assessment
To mark the occasion of our 30th birthday, we took the opportunity to strengthen our reputation and shape the image of our company. Together with our leaders and expert colleagues, we outlined the content and messaging that define us. This is vital for the future, and will help us count on support from outside the company. We developed a detailed action plan, and by the end of the year this process had brought concrete, quantifiable results.
Financial performance
In 2023, our existing goals were expanded with our strategy’s new, sixth objective. For Audi Hungaria, what are the opportunities that can and should be exploited in the upcoming years? What is the potential for success? It’s not just about cost-cutting and saving money. It’s about mapping further areas where we can be successful in order to significantly improve our company’s competitiveness.
Shared Success
The strategy is implemented not only through our ambassadors, exploration team and Must-Wins – our business divisions are also involved in the work. As we learned from the second set of five Division Strategy Days, we can proudly say that our messages have reached everyone, and our colleagues have actively started working on their own contribution to our shared goals. The fantastic results from Technical Development are a real highlight – our portfolio of services here has truly taken a giant leap forward. Building on their exemplary competencies, their development activities now extend to the complete drivetrain system – a major factor that has brought them international attention. They have filled Next Level with systematic thinking and proactive work, bringing real momentum to our work together.
A new milestone
2023’s biggest story was undoubtedly the launch of series production of the new PPE drive, which coincided with our anniversary celebrations. This meant that hundreds of our guests could experience Next Level, expressed through fantastic cultural programmes and a 21st-century stage show. In our Next Level Gallery exhibition, everyone was invited to see Audi Hungaria’s services and product portfolio first hand, along with images of our past, present and future.
The link
We can also report that our strategy has now reached our colleagues. This is one of the most important goals of the process, and a reward in itself. We have broadcast our messages to our colleagues on various different channels, and we have also involved them in the process of strategy creation and implementation. Interviews, videos, Mynet, Yammer, LinkedIn content… It’s a wide range. The main focus is still on personal interaction, as the whirlwind and momentum of the strategy will only truly capture people’s imaginations if they experience them up close and personal.
We held
0 strategic events
over the year, coming into direct contact with
0 people
that may sound like a lot, but we still have a lot to do to involve all
0 of our colleagues.
Feedback
Our entire strategic system is based on feedback. In many cases, the system provides the opportunity for feedback so that we can continuously optimise our processes and content. We are open to change. Often, we have adjusted the process then and there when required, like with the lakeside team-building and car-building workshop. Because Next Level will only come to life if we treat it in a flexible way.
What have we learnt this year?
In addition to the classic functional aspects of the strategy, Next Level strategy is also a learning process. We need to ask ourselves if we are familiar with other trends or possibilities, and to ask ourselves why we cannot use the same approach to solving problems as the one that created them in the first place. 2023 was a new challenge, but also a gift. It was a gift because the 30th anniversary gave us many opportunities to highlight the aspirations of Next Level. It was a challenge because we were able to resolve unforeseen difficulties, maintain our motivation, and answer questions that had also puzzled us, too. But are we now headed in the right direction? It is no sin to keep asking yourself that question, and to change direction if you think it necessary... We have learnt to look beyond our limits, to receive external impetus, to inspire, and to think together and cooperate across many different areas.
We are moving forward!
What will the future bring? We understand that we have been asking questions. The time has come to look back and examine our processes. In 2024, we will be more self-critical, and the focus will be on efficiency. The next logical step is to examine the results achieved. And we have to keep asking ourselves questions: are we on the right path to achieving our goals? Are the tools at our disposal effective, and are we using the resources we possess in the right way? The future will therefore bring an assessment of efficiency, while – adding some playfulness to the strategic process – we will continue to maintain the motivation and commitment of our colleagues, while opening up channels that will connect us directly to our community.