To secure long-term competitiveness and financial sustainability, a revised organizational model was required.
A national non-profit organization and its regional associations jointly operated a commercial training business—without a formal agreement or clearly defined operating model. Increasing competition and internal inefficiencies reduced profitability and risked undermining the broader societal mission.
The mandate was to provide a clear recommendation for a revised organizational model securing long-term competitiveness and financial sustainability.
What we did
We conducted a structural review of market position, financial performance, governance, and commercial capabilities across the national and regional entities.
Three core challenges were identified:
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Market & Financial: Falling profitability driven by increased physical and digital competition, price pressure, and internal inefficiencies.
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Organization & Collaboration: No clear division of responsibilities between national and regional levels, brand ambiguity toward customers, and slow, unclear processes for developing and updating training offerings.
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Capacity & Competence: Significant differences in commercial capability across regional entities, with several lacking sufficient sales and marketing capacity. Local adaptations risked diluting quality and brand.
Based on this analysis, we proposed a stepwise change program.
Step 1 – Short-Term Improvements
Clearer governance of the training function, more efficient processes for updating and developing offerings, clarified roles and mandates, aligned brand and communication profile, and consolidated sales and marketing initiatives.
Step 2 – Centralization of Regional Commercial Entities (Recommended Target Model)
All regional entities form a joint central training company responsible for the full commercial operation.
Regional associations focus on their non-profit mission and local presence.
The centralized entity manages sales, marketing, portfolio development, and shared systems (e.g., CRM and booking).
This model creates scale advantages, increases competitiveness, reduces internal inefficiencies, and strengthens financial performance.
Step 3 – Long-Term Option
A jointly owned national–regional training company. Attractive but legally more complex and therefore assessed as a longer-term alternative.
Results - Business Value
The analysis shows that the recommended centralization model delivers:
Business effects
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Improved profitability
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Strengthened competitiveness through unified offering and sales capacity
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Clearer brand and more seamless customer journey
Operational effects
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Faster development and updating of training programs
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Standardized processes, roles, and quality assurance
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Improved resource utilization
Organizational effects
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Reduced internal competition and increased trust
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Maintained local presence through non-profit activities
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Opportunity to build professional sales and marketing capabilities
Outcome - Business Impact
The recommendation provides a clear path toward a more structured and competitive commercial model—ensuring that commercial success sustainably supports the organization’s long-term societal mission.
