Shaping business, aligning people

We help our clients with the process of shaping and transforming their business, strategy and organization.
We design and facilitate strategic dialogue and tailor-made interactive workshops with stakeholders to solve complex business questions, often across traditional organizational boundaries. Next to that we offer training and coaching to build strategic capabilities within organizations.

Within our 'minimal intervention, maximal impact' philosophy, we have a number of services, allowing you to find the most suitable way to be assisted.

Participative consulting:
we solve strategic and organizational challenges mainly by interactive co-creation workshops that include different stakeholders across different functions and levels such as (internal) customers, management, employees and experts. We play the role of integrator, integrating people and ideas and developing a coherent strategy, organization and business system.
Fast Track:
sometimes a team just needs a process and methodology to focus its thinking, combined with an outside view. Then our Fast Tracks are ideal. We set up a limited number of interactive workshops where we offer a framework depending on the question at hand. We facilitate, challenge and make sure the outcome is coherent and that people are aligned.
Business coaching:
might be right to support individual senior or middle managers with specific strategic & organizational challenges. Contrary to consulting, a business coach will not provide you possible answers, but rather will help you to think and tackle your challenge in a transformative way.
Transformative learning:
our transformative learning concept aims to build strategic capability in organizations. In some separated sessions (e.g. 4 sessions, spread over 3 months), participants will learn to think more strategic in a transformative way. Via action learning participants will apply theory on their own challenges and that of participants.

We are proud to work for these clients

When could we help you?

We deal with business challenges at the intersection of strategy & organization, e.g.:

The launch of a business unit, competence center, internal service or other division

Redefining the role of a competence center, internal service or other division

Repositioning of a company or organization

Shaping or repositioning of a cluster of organizations

The Capeton approach

At the beginning of the typical Capeton project there is usually a strategic direction or business idea which may or may not be actionable, a number of stakeholders with their own view on the matter and the need for guidance through the transformation process. Each project is tailor-made, but the 4 fundamental blocks remain.

Sense making

The goal of the sense making stage is a common understanding of the challenge, the purpose, what customer value means, the business drivers, the relationships and the whole.
We approach this by conducting interviews and workshops with management, employees, industry experts or other stakeholders. More specific methodologies s.a. scenario planning and trend analysis may also be used.
The outcome is a synthesis of the insights often in a tailor-made framework.
Strategic trade-offs for decision making

In order to make decisions on an actionable strategy and business system we work with strategic trade-offs, based on the insights of the sense making stage. By identifying the trade-offs regarding the strategy, the offering, the business activities and people and showing the implications of each choice on the whole system, we ensure the necessary coherence.
In workshops with decision makers we discuss the strategic trade-offs. The decisions themselves need to be made by the decision makers; we provide insights, challenge and ensure alignment and coherence of the decisions.
Development of a coherent business system

Based on the strategic decisions of the previous stage we develop a coherent business system. Depending on the project this may include: the articulation of an actionable strategy and the development of a coherent offering, business activities and an organization model.
We use an iterative process of co-creation and verification workshops, in which we involve the relevant stakeholders to ensure alignment and support.
Driving transformation

Once the new business system is developed it needs to be brought to execution. Depending on the project, this requires further elaboration, implementation and the real execution. It is key that the organization takes the ownership of this stage. Given the strong involvement in the previous stages, this organization is prepared to take on this commitment.
As integrators we help to create the change story and change communication, we create acceptance of the employees and other stakeholders by means of workshops in which they shape the business system into day-to-day activities and we coach transformation teams to guard systemic consistency.

Our principles

Strategic alignment

A clear purpose, an actionable strategy and a coherent business system are key levers for business success, but only when they are aligned. Given the changing environment and the functional and hierarchical structure of most companies, maintaining this strategic alignment is a huge challenge. With our holistic approach, where the business challenge is tackled across the traditional borders of an organization and within a broader perspective, we ensure strategic alignment.

People alignment

To thrive in a complex and changing environment, people need to be aligned. Moreover organizations need strategic thinking across functions and levels. This means having people who are forward and broad thinking, who understand the concerns of other stakeholders and who understand their role and contribution to the organization’s strategy. By our approach based on strategic dialogue and co-creation, we align people and develop their strategic thinking capability.

Minimal intervention

We believe that the deepest business expertise and the best ideas already live in the organization. And that an organization committed to reshape itself needs to take ownership of the transformation. But the role of an integrator is needed. We play this role of integrators: we connect people and ideas, we challenge, we sometimes mediate, we offer insights and frameworks, we make strategies and ideas actionable, we coach and we ensure coherence and acceptance.
We believe that this is the most effective and cost-efficient way to help our clients.

The founders

Joris Van Droogenbroeck

Johan van Mol

Joris Van Droogenbroeck started his career in 2000 as a researcher at the University of Antwerp. After having obtained a PhD in quantum chemistry, he joined the chemical industry. Joris started working at BASF, the world’s number one in the chemical industry. After several months in operations, he became head of a service department. Next to the daily management of the department he also led a major transformation program (automation, restructuring, …).

Joris then moved towards procurement, first as a buyer, then as head of raw materials procurement for BASF Antwerp and two smaller branches. In that role he also combined functional responsibilities with the management of transformation projects (post-merger integration, …). In the mean time Joris obtained an Executive MBA from the Antwerp Management School.

The past three years, Joris was the right hand of Wouter De Geest, the CEO of BASF Antwerp. In this role he prepared policy decisions and communication, and he led the development of a new company strategy. Since 2010 he combined this job with the general management of the communication of BASF Antwerp. Together with the team he positioned the communications department as a true service provider.

These experiences have strengthened Joris’ belief that the successful innovation and transformation of business can only happen with a holistic and cross-functional approach. This led him to swap his role as an intrapreneur for that of an entrepreneur and to found Capeton together with Johan van Mol.

Johan van Mol graduated in 1996 as a Master of Product Development. Right after graduation he started working at iMotion – a Belgian multimedia and internet pioneer.

In 1999 Johan founded Atomik Studios together with a business partner. Atomik was a digital agency that created brand experiences on digital platforms: websites, web applications, e-learning, kiosks, games, user interfaces, etc. Johan was responsible for anything technical, strategy and general management.

At the end of 2008, Atomik was acquired by Duval Guillaume, a leading Belgian advertising agency, internationally awarded for its creativity. As Managing Partner Johan led the Antwerp digital branch of Duval Guillaume. His responsibilities included the integration of the Brussels’ digital team after a reorganization. Johan supervized account management, strategy, development and operations. Next to his management role, Johan was responsible for developing digital strategies for the key accounts.

In 2009 Johan graduated from the 2 year Executive MBA program at the Antwerp Management School, where he met Joris.

The vision that digital strategy would have much more impact when it is an integral part of a company’s business strategy, and not limited to the communication strategy, made Johan decide to leave the communication industry. At the end of 2010 Johan started working as an independent consultant under the name Buckminster with the mission of helping companies through the transformation from the industrial age to the information age. Johan worked for Alcatel-Lucent, bpost, Mobistar, Shurgard and Pierre&Vacances amongst others on projects that lay on the crossroads of innovation, digital business and change management.

Given this experience, Capeton is a logical next step for Johan.