Case #3: StrategiC Planning with Systemic Constellation
- Marco Schlimpert
- Jul 18
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 30
Systemic Constellation solves problems that even the most prestigious MBA programs never prepare you for.
The Iceberg of Symptoms and Sources In Strategic Planning
The 90% Hidden Beneath the Surface
In today's complex business world, traditional analytical methods often reach their limits. While dashboards, KPIs, and data analyses provide valuable insights into the visible aspects of organizations, they frequently miss the deeper dynamics that truly drive success or failure. Like an iceberg, only about 10% of what determines organizational behavior is visible above the surface — the formal structures, documented processes, and measurable outcomes. The remaining 90% lies hidden beneath: unspoken beliefs, informal power structures, cultural patterns, and the subtle relationships that actually shape how things get done.
Strategic Planning Beyond Traditional Analysis: Making the Invisible Visible
Systemic Constellation offers a unique approach to accessing this hidden dimension. It makes the "invisible" visible and captures complex systems in their entirety. Just as an experienced pilot learns to read not only instruments but also subtle atmospheric conditions, systemic constellation enables leaders to perceive the underlying currents that influence their organizations — the connections and interactions that remain hidden in classical analyses.
Accessing System Knowledge Beyond the Obvious
This method provides access to system knowledge that goes beyond the explicit knowledge of those involved. It reveals the dynamics and patterns that truly shape the organization and the company. Most importantly, it develops effective solutions that address the full complexity of organizational reality, not just its visible symptoms.
In practice, this means that complex business situations that elude rational analysis can suddenly be grasped in their full system dynamics. Hidden conflicts, blocked developments, or difficult decision-making situations can be understood and resolved in their holistic dimension — often in a fraction of the time required by traditional approaches.
The Four-Phase Process of Systemic Constellation: From Setup to Solution
The process is divided into several clearly defined phases:
Phase 1: Preparation
The preparation phase begins with a detailed conversation between the constellation facilitator and the client. Here, the concern is clarified, system boundaries are defined, and relevant elements are identified: business divisions, strategic goals, resources, or even abstract forces like "innovation" or "tradition." The constellation facilitator pays particular attention to ensuring that all system-relevant elements are captured without overloading the system.
Phase 2: Implementation
In the implementation phase, people are selected as representatives for the identified elements. These representatives need no prior knowledge about the company or the elements they represent.
Here the flexibility of the method becomes apparent through two different approaches:
The open constellation works like a dialogue between self-perception and external perception. The representatives learn which element they embody — such as "You represent the IT department" or "You stand for innovation potential." The client then positions them intuitively in the room. This variant makes it possible to capture both the internal self-image of the organization and the external perception, gaining valuable insights from the differences.
The blind constellation, on the other hand, completely eliminates conscious distortions. The elements are numbered, and the representatives intuitively choose the number that attracts them most strongly, without knowing what they represent. They then position themselves in the room. This approach often leads surprisingly quickly to the current reality of the system, as no prejudices or conscious expectations can influence the result.
Phase 3: The Perception Phenomenon
The special phenomenon occurs in the perception phase: The representatives begin to develop physical and emotional perceptions in their positions. These phenomena, also referred to as "representative perception," can manifest in various ways:
Physical sensations such as warmth, cold, pressure, or lightness
Emotional reactions such as restlessness, satisfaction, or tension
Movement impulses in certain directions
Spontaneous thoughts or statements about their own position and other elements
Perception of proximity or distance to other representatives
Phase 4: Intervention and Solution Development
The constellation facilitator accompanies this process with targeted questions and interventions. They translate the representatives' perceptions into the organizational context, making them usable for the client. Various interventions can be employed:
Position changes of representatives
Adding or removing elements
Trial introduction of new solution options
Changing viewing directions and orientations
Symbolic actions or statements
From Insight to Action:
In the solution phase, new perspectives and action options crystallize. Surprising connections often emerge: A seemingly unsolvable conflict reveals itself as a resource for innovation, or a seemingly unimportant element proves to be the key to the solution. The constellation facilitator works with the system until a stable constellation emerges in which all elements have found their appropriate place.
Practical Implementation: Making Change Happen
The follow-up phase is crucial for the practical implementation of the gained insights. Here, insights from the constellation are translated into concrete action steps. The constellation facilitator supports the client in converting symbolic images and movements into practical measures
Real-World Applications: Where Traditional Methods Fall Short
I have applied systemic constellation countless times to topics where previous approaches either remained unsuccessful or felt like only brute force would help progress, or where security and clarity in decision-making were necessary:
Why is the plant in the USA no longer running stably?
What obstacles exist in implementing the new SAP system?
What are the reasons for the sudden deterioration in production quality?
How do I increase company performance?
What will business development look like in the next 12 months?
Where should the new plant be built?
Which technology is most effective for building the new wastewater treatment plant?
How do vision and strategy affect the company?
Are employer branding measures actually effective?
What is needed to implement reorganization quickly and effectively?
How do I increase employee engagement?
What are the reasons that a plant experiences unforeseen damage events at regular intervals?
Which products and markets will be the main profit drivers in the next 12 months?
Which innovations will be successful in the market?
What is the successful go-to-market strategy?
Why does one business unit run excellently while another struggles, even though markets are available?
What will the financial situation of the business look like in the next 24 months?
Which business scenario will occur?
Which restructuring measures are successful?
Systemic COnstellation: The Management Innovation for the Modern Era?
Many companies seek new market opportunities by either making existing business more efficient and thus products more cost-effective, or by bringing product innovations to market to utilize new market opportunities. Systemic constellation is an innovation in business management because it opens up new possibilities for perception. In remarkably short time, it reveals profound insights that would only emerge after weeks of intensive investigation through traditional analytical methods — if at all.
The Dual Power: Problem Identification and Solution Finding
The particular strength of this method lies in its dual effect: It not only makes existing tension fields and challenges visible but simultaneously points the way to possible solutions. This makes it a valuable instrument, especially when companies face seemingly hopeless situations or must make complex decisions.
Integrating Analysis with Intuition
It combines analytical precision with intuitive knowledge acquisition, creating a holistic approach to entrepreneurial challenges. Furthermore, it enables leaders to understand and shape both the obvious and hidden dynamics of their organization.
Complementing Traditional Management Tools
Systemic constellation complements traditional management instruments. It is an additional tool that helps recognize challenges early and discover alternative solution paths. In times of increasing complexity, it enables the transition from "either-or" to "both-and" thinking.
Efficiency Meets Depth: Speed and Quality Combined
Another advantage of systemic constellation lies in its efficiency: Complex situations can be grasped and new action options developed in relatively short time. Not only is the rationally comprehensible considered, but also the implicit knowledge of the organization is utilized. This makes the method an extremely valuable instrument for forward-looking business management in a rapidly changing market environment.
The Journey from Understanding to Real and DEEP Transformation from Within
With systemic constellation, we have encountered a fascinating tool — one that helps us dive beneath the surface of the cultural iceberg in companies and discover hidden connections there. The perspective we gain through this not only changes our perception of companies but also fundamentally alters our possibilities for action.
How do you make decisions that are not only rationally justifiable but also intuitively coherent?
Ready for the next step?
Discover how Company Foresight as a method for systemic organisational development, strategic management, and scenario planning helps your company not only think through different future scenarios, but also develop the optimal response to them. This innovative method supports you in transforming your organization and successfully renewing it.
As an experienced transformation expert and leadership mentor, I support you in understanding the hidden dynamics of your organization and developing promising strategies - before the scenarios occur. I rely on an optimistic and future-oriented approach that enables your company to turn challenges into opportunities.
Together we create "Clarity beyond Strategy".
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