Case Study: Creating Clarity and Cohesion Through Strategic Alignment
How a biodegradability testing and technology company aligned on vision, clarified priorities and built a shared roadmap during a period of rapid growth and organizational complexity.
As part of a half-day Strategic Alignment and Planning workshop in Cleveland, Evolve facilitated a customized retreat for a biodegradability testing and technology company serving clients across the environmental, engineering and design sectors.
Amid rapid expansion, new service offerings and evolving client demands, the organization’s leadership team was feeling the strain of ambiguity. Competing priorities, role confusion and a lack of clarity around long-term direction were creating decision fatigue and slowing momentum. The Strategic Alignment workshop brought structure, clarity and renewed focus — enabling the team to operate with purpose and confidence.
Team Culture: Mission-Driven but Muddled
This company’s team was united by a powerful mission: to deliver climate-conscious, science-backed solutions that support a more sustainable and circular economy. But internally, leaders were grappling with growing complexity — unclear decision rights, inconsistent communication and divergent views on strategic priorities.
With new clients and cross-functional projects multiplying quickly, the senior team needed to pause, recalibrate and co-create a shared roadmap to support continued growth — without losing sight of their core values.
Workshop Objectives: Aligning Vision and Strategy
This offsite retreat focused on helping the leadership team:
Clarify and articulate a shared vision and direction for the next 3–5 years
Translate big-picture aspirations into tangible goals and decision-making frameworks
Define leadership roles and reduce duplication and ambiguity
Build trust and improve communication among senior leaders
Align strategic priorities with team capacity, culture and values
Participants entered the workshop aware of the challenges — and left with a renewed sense of alignment, ownership and cohesion.
Key Takeaways & Impact
Grounded Strategic Thinking
Evolve facilitators introduced strategic planning tools like the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework and a customized SWOT + Opportunity Gap analysis to help identify misalignments and hidden leverage points. This process clarified the “why,” “what,” and “how” behind the next phase of growth — creating space for long-range thinking while staying grounded in day-to-day realities.
From Overload to Focus
One powerful exercise involved mapping all active and proposed initiatives against capacity and strategic value. This surfaced clear misalignments and enabled the team to prioritize with confidence. Participants reported immediate relief in releasing low-priority projects and focusing on what truly mattered.
Reclaiming Decision-Making Clarity
Using tools like the RACI Matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed), the group clarified roles across functions and projects. Several points of friction — especially around who had authority to say “yes” or “no” to client work, hiring or internal investments — were resolved in real time.
Cultural Integration
The facilitation team helped the group link strategy back to culture and values — ensuring that their sustainability-focused ethos and collaborative DNA remained central. Participants left with not just a plan, but a deeper sense of purpose and identity as a unified leadership team.
Leadership and Team Transformation
Individual Growth
The workshop surfaced key insights into leadership blind spots and strengths. One principal, previously unsure how to manage conflict constructively, embraced a new role as a bridge-builder. Another, who had been operating in a silo, began coordinating with peers more openly — leading to faster decisions and fewer bottlenecks.
CEO Breakthrough
The CEO had long felt the weight of decision-making falling solely on her. The workshop helped redistribute leadership responsibility and rebuild trust in shared ownership. Post-workshop, she described feeling “a hundred pounds lighter — and more confident in the team than ever before.”
Barriers Overcome
From Diffusion to Alignment
Prior to the retreat, different leaders were pulling in slightly different directions. The workshop created space for honest, often overdue conversations — enabling the team to let go of legacy assumptions and realign around a shared north star.
Naming What Wasn’t Working
The team bravely named cultural contradictions — such as valuing sustainability externally but tolerating burnout internally. These reflections prompted not only strategic clarity but also renewed commitments to internal well-being and sustainable leadership practices.
Lasting Impact
Weeks after the workshop, the leadership team continues to use the shared language and frameworks from the session. Strategy meetings are shorter, priorities are clearer and internal initiatives are more aligned with capacity and impact. The team has reported stronger engagement, better cross-functional collaboration and a renewed sense of momentum.
While the journey of growth and alignment is ongoing, the Strategic Alignment workshop planted powerful seeds — helping the company move forward with clarity, cohesion and confidence.
What Participants Are Saying
“This was the most productive leadership retreat we’ve ever had — structured, focused and genuinely energizing.”
“We finally got real about what’s working and what’s not. There was honesty, but also hope.”
“The facilitator knew exactly how to guide us through tough conversations without letting it get stuck or personal. The clarity we gained was invaluable.”
“This experience helped us grow not just as leaders, but as collaborators and stewards of our firm’s future.”
Conclusion: A Unified Vision for Sustainable Growth
The Strategic Alignment and Planning workshop gave this biodegradability testing and technology company the clarity, tools and shared mindset needed to move forward together. By aligning vision with action and strategy with culture, the team laid a strong foundation for sustainable growth, impactful leadership and a more resilient organizational future.
Start Your Team’s Journey to Greater Focus and Alignment
Let’s talk about how a Strategic Alignment workshop can support your organization’s next chapter.