Schibsted : invests in Harvard insights

For all our businesses in Schibsted, it is crucial to anticipate the future. Where is the market going? Who are the upcoming players? What will the consumer need in the future? How is technology developing and changing business models? Are changes in technology creating new needs?

We try to understand the future - and sometimes we move forward with carefully designed incremental changes while safeguarding what is already valuable to us. And sometimes we take giant, disruptive leaps that fundamentally change our business and Schibsted forever. It's a daunting task for our leaders, but we have proven that we are actually good at this. And we have shown great courage.

To go from good to great and further strengthen our entrepreneurial culture in Schibsted, about 230 members of Schibsted's Extended Leadership Team are now attending a Harvard course on Disruptive Strategy, learning how to boost innovation and put disruption at the forefront.

Christoffer Bjärebom, Head of Leadership Development

"We believe that by providing our managers with a common framework and language we can support a strategic mindset shift at Schibsted where innovation becomes a shared priority and enables us to be a fearless force for change", says Christoffer Bjärebom, Head of Leadership Development.

All attendees of the Disruptive Strategy course undergo a 12-week program where the goal is to become fluent in disruptive innovation theory, assess new opportunities and potential threats, and learn frameworks to better understand customer needs.

Håkan Halvarsson, SVP People and Culture

"The course has opened my eyes to the possibilities of controlling disruption and innovation for positive growth", comments Håkan Halvarsson, SVP People and Culture, who is currently undergoing the course. "We all know about the challenges and opportunities of disrupting existing businesses and models, but maybe not about how to systematically put in place a strategy for tackling this."

Cathrine Laksfoss, CEO Schibsted E-commerce & Distribution AS, and her team went through the Harvard course when they embarked on their exciting journey to transform Schibsted's network of newspaper distribution into a world-class home delivery network.

Cathrine Laksfoss, CEO Schibsted E-commerce & Distribution AS

"It was amazing to see what we could accomplish when we had a common framework and a common understanding of how to tackle these challenges and opportunities in a strategic manner - we were able to firmly put ourselves in the driving seat when it comes to change and disruption and we can see the great results today".