Case: How Thisted Municipality Made Its New Business Strategy a Success

“Service above all else.”

That is how Mogens Kruse Andersen, Director of Technology, Business, and Employment in Thisted Municipality, answers when asked how the municipality managed to become one of the top climbers in the Confederation of Danish Industry’s Business Climate Survey.

The catalyst behind this achievement is Thisted Municipality’s business strategy. Just a few years ago, the local business environment was under heavy pressure. Major companies such as Coloplast and Oticon left the area, which became the trigger for developing a new strategy.

The results are striking. In 2015, Thisted ranked 92nd out of Denmark’s 98 municipalities in the Business Climate Survey. By 2020, the municipality had jumped to 16th place overall – with top rankings in case processing, physical infrastructure, dialogue with the business community, and information.

Action Learning Consulting in Vulnerable Housing Areas

According to Annette Breinholt, involvement was the key to the success of the project “Developing Effective Daycare Services in Vulnerable Housing Areas.” The project was defined as an Action Learning Consulting initiative:

“We involved as many stakeholders as possible and worked with an implementation approach where learning partnerships ensured that the actors themselves were part of creating the desired change.” – Annette Breinholt

Instead of a traditional project description, a framework was developed with three tracks:

Improving the quality of the learning environment – where the KIDS assessment was applied.
Strengthening cross-disciplinary collaboration and bringing special pedagogical knowledge closer to everyday practice.
Expanding parental collaboration, which plays a central role in daycare institutions such as Mælkebøtten.

“We have come the furthest with cross-disciplinary collaboration and the learning environment. The project was originally set to end in 2020, but due to the coronavirus outbreak in the spring, we extended it by six months. We have truly managed to create change, and therefore we don’t want to let go of it just yet.” – Anette Breinholt

Consulting support for strategy and implementation

LEAD contributed to developing the strategy and focus areas, as well as supporting the action plan for implementation and the necessary management tools:

“Thisted Municipality looked inward, listened to external feedback, and had the courage to change its own workflows and mindset. The reason they succeeded is that they – and especially Mogens – insisted that the change had to come from within.” – Rasmus Engelbrecht

He points out that with this approach, Thisted Municipality was in fact ahead of the Leadership Commission’s later recommendation of putting citizens at the center:

“The mindset has been transformed. The municipality now meets citizens and businesses where they are. The way of thinking has fundamentally changed.” – Rasmus Engelbrecht

As an external, our role was essentially to create the foundation for the necessary actions that would ensure the defined goals were achieved. Mogens Kruse Andersen highlights in particular the importance of process management support:

“It has been really valuable to have LEAD involved. Starting up a strategy development process is complex, and it was crucial to have someone to structure it. How do you identify the core areas, and what are the real challenges? LEAD had the methods for this – and he acted as project manager throughout the process.” – Mogens Kruse Andersen

Shift in Culture and Mindset

The business strategy consists of several elements – some of them so practical that they are visible to the naked eye. For example, the municipality now hosts Business Breakfasts for the local business community, case processing times in the business department are among the fastest in the country, and the department has moved into Oticon’s former premises to be physically closer to businesses.

Today, Thisted Municipality works with a service-oriented approach rather than acting primarily as an authority. “Instead of looking for problems, we look for opportunities,” says Mogens Kruse Andersen.

“Our entire mindset has shifted. We now focus on whether we can find opportunities together with companies in relation to their visions. It is about behavior and mindset. If we don’t remember that, being service-minded is just an empty word.” – Mogens Kruse Andersen

According to him, the key was embedding the strategy into the culture:

“I can sit with action plans and strategies, but if it is not part of the culture – what we work by, measure ourselves against, and share as a common goal – then it makes no sense. This evolved from being a standard strategy project to also becoming a cultural project.” – Mogens Kruse Andersen

He emphasizes that a real transformation in culture and mindset has taken place among the municipality’s employees:

“Today we believe that our role as a municipality is crucial for businesses. We play a vital role when companies need permits, extensions, or new local plans. Our role in that context is highly significant.” – Mogens Kruse Andersen

Get in Touch

Is your organization facing change? Do you need strategic advice or a tailored leadership development program?

Contact us – together we will design a program that develops the exact competencies and structures needed to strengthen and future-proof your organization.

Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen

Managing Director & Partner

Master of Law

Mobile: +45 22 42 18 11
Email: aba@lead.eu