From strategy to reality

Combitech is built on expertise, and when your offering is knowledge rather than a tangible product, culture becomes even more essential in creating a healthy, high-performing workplace. For Ulrica Matsers, Head of People, Culture and Communication at Combitech, this is a given. Setting a business strategy is one thing, but what does it take to truly embody that strategy, to move beyond what’s just written and create real change?

“We have so many incredible experts here at Combitech, but they’re often very humble. So, how do you stay humble, but grow in confidence of what you and Combitech have to offer? We wanted to unleash the employees´ knowledge and perspectives. Because when people feel included in the strategy, it drives engagement, and engagement builds loyalty” says Ulrica. 

In 2024, at Combitech’s biannual conference, 1 200 employees gathered for a space to build confidence, spark inspiration, connect and have fun. This gathering became a natural starting point for bringing the refreshed business strategy to life. But to do that, one question had to be answered: what do people actually think?

Giving everyone a voice

One of the biggest challenges in any organisation is to give everyone a voice. But if you don’t, how can you be sure the way forward reflects the many, and not just the few who speak the loudest? This is where courage meets technology.

When used right, AI can be a powerful enabler. Canucci, founded by Oscar Stege Unger, founder and CEO of Canucci, is built on that exact idea: helping organisations surface voices that would otherwise be overlooked or lost in the noise. Ulrica and Oscar had worked together previously and stayed in touch since, and as it turned out, Canucci brought the missing tool that would catapult Combitech’s journey forward with their Collective Discovery technology.

“Combitech is a company built on people, competence is the product. So, clearly, there’s a vast amount of knowledge, and every perspective matters when delivering the best possible solution to the customer. But how do you capture those perspectives and that knowledge continuously? That’s where AI comes in – the ability to quickly analyse large volumes of input and understand it from multiple angles, presenting it in a way that makes it actionable” says Oscar Stege Unger.

A strategy is only as strong as its understanding and implementation, and bringing it to life across an entire organisation takes real effort. With Canucci’s AI tool, conference attendees (roughly half of Combitech’s workforce) were invited to answer open-ended questions directly through their phones. No matter how you expressed yourself, or in which language, everyone was given the same opportunity to contribute. The result: more than 1 100 responses, containing countless ideas and perspectives across 12 languages. The AI then identified shared themes, core values and future value drivers, giving Combitech input for a refined strategy shaped not just by intention, but by the voices that matter most.

Turning insights into action

The results were ready to be presented the very next day and were transparently shared with the attendees at the conference. Based on these insights, the Combitech management committed on stage to pursuing four concrete workstreams based on the input, each with dedicated leaders and core teams to drive them forward. 

“In just a few weeks, we were able to define a clear roadmap ahead – something that would’ve taken many months if the data had been collected and analysed manually” says Ulrica Matsers.

After the conference multiple additional Collective Discoveries were conducted to power the workstreams with additional input and insights from people across the Combitech organisation.  

One of the strongest themes to emerge was the need for increased collaboration across divisions, unlocking stronger connections and a more effective exchange of expertise. In many ways, it reflected the very essence of the initiative itself: using technology not to replace people, but to elevate them and the way of working. 

“There has been a clear focus on keeping people at the centre of the operation and not being distracted by the technology itself, but building something that truly helps individuals contribute more effectively and continuously” adds Oscar Stege Unger.

What emerged was a shared direction, continuously calibrated and refined – grounded in real input, shaped by the people of the organisation itself. 

A new way of driving change

For Combitech, the challenge was never defining the right strategy; it was bridging the gap between intention and implementation. Because real change only happens when people are not just informed, but involved. 

“This is a new technology, and we’re still a relatively new player. But Combitech showed real trust. They dared to explore something new without knowing exactly where it would lead. That kind of courage is what enables new insights and learning, and more importantly, progress through real action” says Oscar Stege Unger.

By capturing real perspectives at scale, and turning them into actionable insights, the organisation made a clear statement: every voice matters – and everyone has the potential to shape change. 

“We need to continuously develop our culture and our people. How? By making sure people enjoy their work, feel challenged, and keep learning. That’s why culture is so crucial” says Ulrica Matsers. “It’s powerful to use AI to truly listen – to gather many perspectives and turn them into clear direction together. It enables us to unlock expertise across the organisation and let that guide us forward. Their voices shape the strategy – and contribute to building a smarter, more resilient society” she continues.

The takeaway is clear: technology, when used right, doesn’t replace the human element – it amplifies it. And perhaps most importantly, this is not a one-off initiative. It’s an ongoing way of working, a continuous effort to keep the strategy alive, relevant and rooted in the people it’s built for.