In an interview with The UK Times, Mrs. Maria Stoeva, one of the most well-known business consultants in South East Europe, and CEO & Executive Consultant of SISTEMMA – a company for organizational development and business excellence, shares insights into how the consulting firm’s unique, human-centered approach to strategic thinking sets it apart from others in the industry.
SISTEMMA focuses on leveraging existing resources, emphasizing a people-centric philosophy that fosters authenticity and sustainable growth. By avoiding standardized solutions, SISTEMMA tailors strategies to each client’s distinct ecosystem, utilizing innovative practices like design thinking and scenario planning. Stoeva highlights the role of data-driven insights balanced with intuition, the importance of employee morale in restructuring, and the commitment to creating long-term value, ensuring clients are equipped to navigate uncertainty and capitalize on their strengths.
SISTEMMA’s Unique Approach to Strategy
We started the interview by asking, “How does SISTEMMA’s approach to strategic thinking differ from other consulting firms, and how do you ensure each client’s unique needs are addressed?”
Maria Stoeva replied, “At SISTEMMA, our approach to strategic thinking is deeply rooted in the philosophy of driving positive change and business excellence in the fast-evolving world around us. And here you see the common between us and other consulting companies – focus on change management and improving business results. Our HOW is what makes us unique, as we approach thеse topics from a people-centric perspective, humanizing business needs and utilizing human resources for business goals. In our trainings, workshops and interventions we use practices like ecosystems approach, scenario planning, design thinking, revenue growth management, and others with one main aim – to support the companies we work with in embracing the uncertainty of the world around us, and making the most of their resources, capabilities and potential through enabling individuals and teams to achieve more.
Normally such enabling initiatives come with suggestions to invest more, add more, onboard more. We, on the other hand, aim at utilizing better, finding the strengths of the current company setup and enhancing them to the next level, so businesses can use better what they already have in terms of people, brand, know-how, resources.
We are not fans of standardized solutions, since we believe that each organization exists within its own ecosystem—a mix of internal culture, external market forces, and unique competitive landscapes. For us, strategic thinking isn’t about a one-size-fits-all model; it’s about helping organizations co-create solutions that work within their specific contexts.
That is why when we start with a client, we dive into understanding the “DNA” of their organization—what drives their people, how they relate to their market, to what extent are all their resources utilized, and what are the biggest potentials in front of them including in their blind spot.
Let me give an example – in a recent project with a fast-growing tech startup, we helped the team navigate rapid scaling by fine-tuning the company structure to support a fast-paced working environment. By substituting rigid organigrams and decision-making chains with an adaptable approach to project implementation we helped the company’s teams blend into a living organism that is able to evolve and meet new needs. This unique approach we used ensures that strategies align with the client’s vision, fostering authenticity and sustainability from the ground up.”
Data’s Role in Decision-Making
The UK Times: What role does data-driven decision making play in the strategies you develop for clients, and can you provide an example of how data has helped drive a significant business transformation?
Maria Stoeva replied, “While creativity and intuition are vital, data brings the clarity to back up bold moves. We are just humans – we are unable to know all details and nuances only by gut feeling. The combination between both intuition and data gives the synergy we are looking for.
One of our guiding principles is that data should illuminate a pathway, not dictate it. For instance, we recently worked with a retailer where the traditional wisdom had always favored expansion into physical locations. However, through data analytics, we identified that the fastest growing revenue stream in the past 12 months came through e-commerce in under-tapped urban areas. Leveraging this insight, we helped them shift their strategy to focus on enhancing digital customer experience. This transformation wouldn’t have been possible without interpreting data beyond just numbers—it became a story of their customers’ habits, preferences, and evolving needs.”
Restructuring with Empathy
The UK Times: Given your extensive experience in HR and business development, how do you approach organizational restructuring in a way that balances both efficiency and employee morale?
Maria Stoeva replied, “Restructuring can be one of the most sensitive undertakings for any organization. Even when we are constantly bombarded with keynote speeches and inspiring stories about how we should embrace change, in reality a natural resistance to big changes is evolutionally interwire in the way we humans respond to our environment.
That’s just a fancy way of saying – change is uncomfortable and painful, even when proactively initiated. To offset this discomfort, our approach at SISTEMMA is to view and present restructuring as a means of redefining a company’s future, not merely a way to cut costs or increase efficiency and effectiveness. Here again we focus on the why.
While we insist on keeping and nurturing company’s DNA, we see restructuring not as a way to transform but more as a way to evolve.
I’ve found that a successful restructuring is one where people (I never use the word “employees”) feel not only included but empowered. When working with companies, for instance, we encourage leadership to involve their people in shaping the new organizational structure by sharing insights on their day-to-day challenges and aspirations, and brainstorm together. Through facilitated workshops and open forums, we foster an environment where morale is prioritized as highly as effectiveness, which helps reduce resistance and make for a smoother transition. We understand that the “people factor” is not just a line on a strategy sheet—it’s the heartbeat of the company, and the shortcut to assessing all potentials and possibilities.”
Fostering Sustainable Growth
The UK Times: SISTEMMA emphasizes sustainable growth. How do you ensure that the strategies you implement foster long-term success rather than short-term gains?
Maria Stoeva replied, “Sustainable” is slowly turning into one of those “corporate bingo” terms – everybody uses it and you can simply bet how many times you will hear it in a presentation or a strategy pitch. The tricky part is how you get there.
We challenge clients to look beyond immediate gains and focus on building a foundation that can adapt and evolve over time. Again with an example – a client recently invited us to do a program for developing their C-level leadership team. What we found out in the first interaction with the group was that the level below – the team leaders level was only “on paper”, like they haven’t been there at all. So, the C-level was overwhelmed with operational tasks with no time left for strategic initiatives. Together with the client we changed the plans and focused as well on developing team leaders as a key component towards better organizational development. The opposite would have been just more work and thus less effectiveness for the company.
I believe sustainable growth is like planting a tree; it’s about nurturing roots so that the growth above is stable and enduring.
As a suggestion: Where I see most companies stumble is the wish to achieve sustainable growth and the need to show immediate results. Very often the second one consumes all available resources for development and improvement. My personal approach as an executive consultant is to dive straight into this dilemma and put it on the table in the beginning of every project. With my clients I insist to define a long term goal that will ensure sustainability and a current pain point that is stopping them from being where they want to be. The magic afterwards is to address both simultaneously by searching for solutions that hit both marks.”
Global Experience in Consulting
The UK Times: How has your diverse educational background across business management, strategic marketing, and luxury brand management influenced the consulting strategies you design for clients at SISTEMMA?
Maria Stoeva replied, “My educational background has been a tremendous asset in shaping my perspective for what SISTEMMA shall be and what is that it can best support its clients with. From business management, I’ve gained a structured approach to problem-solving; from strategic marketing, I’ve learned to think from the customer’s point of view; and from luxury brand management, I’ve discovered the art of crafting exceptional experiences. The top of it is the EMBA degree I am about to finish soon, that gave me a great perspective on all details within the big picture of a company.
When working with a high-end client, for example, these insights helped us elevate not just their people, but their entire brand experience. We applied principles usually reserved for luxury brands, like storytelling and exclusivity, to a tech company’s customer engagement strategy. The result is a more personalized, loyal customer base. These perspectives allow SISTEMMA to bring a unique mix of operational rigor and creative flair to each client’s table.
What is most important for my education is that it has been acquitted in many countries like the UK, USA and Italy which gave me a great understanding of many cultures, and is one of the most important and solid grounds for the fact we are covering whole Europe with our solutions.”
Guiding Investors in Southeast Europe
The UK Times: With your experience advising over 30 new investors, what are some common challenges they face in Southeast Europe, and how does SISTEMMA address those obstacles?
Maria Stoeva replied, “Southeast Europe presents both unique opportunities and challenges for investors, especially those new to the region. The regulatory landscape can be complex, and the pace of change can be fast. One of the most common challenges are understanding the local business environment and adapting to it quickly and effectively.
The region holds a huge potential for many types of business – we help companies overcome potential challenges and use this potential at its best from the very beginning. We work closely with investors to bridge this gap.
We offer in-depth market insights and help them navigate these complexities. We really know the local markets, so this is all possible. Our focus is on crafting region-specific strategies that account for cultural and economic nuances, which gives our clients a competitive advantage from the start.”
Leadership in Transition
The UK Times: In your view, what are the most important leadership qualities for guiding businesses through major transitions, such as adopting agile leadership principles or digital transformation?
Maria Stoeva replied, “Adaptability, empathy, and resilience are crucial leadership qualities for navigating change. Agile leadership, for instance, requires leaders to not just be flexible but also deeply connected to their teams. It sounds easy but we all know in practice it is not.
One memorable example from our work at SISTEMMA involved a client shifting toward digital transformation. The transition posed a steep learning curve for many employees. The leaders who thrived were those who didn’t just push for results but actively supported their teams through training, addressed their concerns, and celebrated small wins and mistakes along the way. This empathetic approach helped build trust and inspired the team to embrace change rather than resist it.
In today’s fast-evolving landscape, leaders shall see change as a team journey, where everyone’s contribution is valued and essential.”
Staying Ahead with New Trends
Lastly we asked, “As a consultant currently pursuing an MBA, how do you incorporate the latest business management trends into SISTEMMA’s consulting processes to stay ahead of industry changes?”
“Pursuing an MBA has provided fresh insights into emerging business trends and practices. I аm constantly integrating what I learn into SISTEMMA’s consulting processes. For instance, one module on digital transformation highlighted the need for companies to be data-driven and agile. Taking that insight, we’ve recently refined our processes to prioritize data fluency and adaptability, especially for clients undergoing digital transitions which usually are everyone.
I share these trends with both my dedicated team and the gig experts from our ecosystem, so we can all continually evolve our methodologies and keep our clients ahead of the curve. In this industry, standing still is not an option, and my MBA studies remind me every day that lifelong learning is key to staying relevant and growing businesses even when economies slow down or are shaken up by unexpected event, which recent years have proven to be the new norm.” Maria Stoeva Concluded
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