Strategy in professional services: a toolkit for embracing changes and developing shared goals

Ensuring alignment within professional services teams is vital to synchronise the professional services strategy with the external environment and internal capacities. This review of our experience explores a thorough four-step approach, which includes a detailed examination of the environment using PESTEL and Porter's Five Forces frameworks to identify significant elements that shape the higher education industry. The exploration entails conducting a self-evaluation of internal capabilities and limitations, combining external prospects and challenges with internal factors to develop a comprehensive SWOT analysis. This reflection examines the use of the TOWS matrix for formulating strategic objectives. It also discusses the effectiveness of visual tools, such as the decision stack technique, for communicating these objectives. Collectively, these stages enhance the university's ability to think strategically, which is crucial for its ability to adapt and remain resilient in the face of emergent problems in the ever-changing higher education landscape.