The Group’s History and its “Ambidextrous Profile” are Highlighted by an Academic in a Case Study Presented by INSEAD in Paris
Stefanini Group is joining a select group of companies whose business trajectory is so notable that it deserves a case study at one of the world’s top business schools. This is what makes a company a global reference in a particular discipline.
This September, researcher Professor Felipe Monteiro from INSEAD is presenting at Station F, in Paris, a case study that demonstrates how the Stefanini Group seized opportunities presented by the market, even during times of global crisis, to become a global company by reinventing its market approach and product offerings over the last few decades.
According to the author of the case study, “Stefanini: Building an Ecosystem Strategy in the AI Era,” the Stefanini Group has an “ambidextrous” strategic vision that allows it to take advantage of short-term business opportunities while simultaneously driving long-term transformations that will keep the company competitive.
This is exemplified by the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Nearly 15 years ago, Stefanini Group decided to invest in AI through its venture Woopi, reinventing its business to incorporate technology into all its solutions. “The Stefanini Group has proven to be an example for other companies aiming to compete globally in critical areas of the world economy,” explains Prof. Monteiro, an expert in global business competitiveness.
A Senior Affiliate Professor in Strategy and Academic Director of the Global Talent Competitiveness Index at INSEAD, he has received the Dean’s Commendation for Excellence in MBA Teaching ten times. Before joining INSEAD, Prof. Felipe Monteiro was a faculty member at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, USA, where he was awarded for four consecutive years for his contributions and commitment to educational excellence in the MBA curriculum.
He was also a Senior Researcher at Harvard Business School’s Latin America Research Center, where he published several case studies on Latin American multinationals.
A Growth-Focused Vision
According to Prof. Felipe, Stefanini Group’s ambidexterity promotes new sources of growth and value creation. The company’s pioneering use of Artificial Intelligence, more than a decade before it became a societal trend, demonstrates a broad vision of technological opportunities.
“AI is a wave as big as, or even bigger than, the internet. It will bring about evolutions much faster than the digital transformation of companies,” says Marco Stefanini, founder and Global CEO of the Stefanini Group. The case study, after defining the concept of organizational ambidexterity, explains how the Stefanini Group has been using various short-, medium-, and long-term strategies for over 20 years to overcome economic and political challenges, understand different future scenarios, and shape a flexible organization to take advantage of technological changes.
As a result, Stefanini Group has been able to keep up with, or even anticipate, many technological transformations—from mainframes to microcomputers, the internet, ERPs, digital transformation, and finally, Artificial Intelligence. “It’s not simple to remain relevant amid so many changes, as it requires maintaining focus on the present while simultaneously creating the foundations for future transformations. The importance of studying ambidextrous companies lies precisely in understanding how to foster these two different perspectives within organizational culture,” analyzes Prof. Monteiro.
In this dynamic, leadership plays an essential role in success. “Visionary and proactive leaders are fundamental to the evolution of ambidextrous companies, anticipating trends, making bold decisions that aren’t obvious to the market, and inspiring the team,” explains the author. “At the Stefanini Group, Marco Stefanini plays this role, which has allowed the company to position itself over the past decades as an innovative leader on a global scale,” concludes Prof. Monteiro.
The case study is co-authored by Professors Fabian Salum and Karina Coleta from Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC). The Stefanini case will be published and distributed by INSEAD worldwide, in both English and Portuguese.
