In A Word
Simplicity
There’s such a range of requirements from clients that there’s no one way to come at this. So, we’ve put together a simple set of things below - things that can be done to cover any challenge or opportunity the business may have.
LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCE
High Level Summary
We’ve conducted several thousand sessions, workshops, retreats and experiences all over the world. But, rather than simply transferring how we work in the real world to technology we’ve focussed on what clients want and need to achieve.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Conceiving a new vision
Solving tricky problems and exploiting fresh opportunities
Increasing performance in critical business areas
Transforming the business so it can succeed in the future.
Everything we do is about aligning the leadership team on what matters.
Our only focus is making strategies that work.
ONE:
GETTING OUR ARMS AROUND THE CHALLENGE
We start with an exam question - the challenge that defines the opportunity or issue.
It’s important to make sure it’s the right question. Organisations are (often) widespread and distributed so we’ve built a series of online assessments and tests to quickly appreciate the current reality.
We ask a series of questions developed through experience over time - they give us the baseline on the situation. By asking the whole leadership team or a selected and representative set of stakeholders we can also determine the pressure points and ascertain the degrees of alignment.
Something like this:
TWO:
REFLECTING ON WHAT WE’VE HEARD
Occasionally this will alter or refine the exam question. That’s a good thing. Beyond the assessments we conduct individual conversations/meetings both individually or in relevant groups - to deepen understanding and build a trusted relationship.
From these conversations and the prior assessments we will have a representative perspective. Together with existing plans and documents (that explain the existing strategies and ambitions) we can start to build an initial hypothesis for the future.
Something like this:
THREE:
FIGURING OUT HOW TO DESIGN THE PATH FORWARD
Frameworks form the foundations of our approach. We consider them to be blueprints for conversations and tools for critical thinking. They are vital tools for creative thinking. They contain the principles on which we collaborate, facilitate, advise and support teams over the course of every program.
We configure each program according to steps one and two. Frameworks are an essential method, fostering creativity, stimulating critical thinking and becoming the platform to sustain performance and execution.
Something like this:
FOUR:
WORKING AS A TEAM TO BULD THE PLAN
Creating strategies and making plans that work require engagement in the vision and the operation and ownership of everything that emerges. We’ve proven that co-creation is the most effective and proven method for success. By whatever means, large scale collaborative development or by hybrid means we work closely with the decision makers and workforce to make the plans that will stick.
Something like this:
FIVE:
PUTTING THE PLAN INTO ACTION AND MAKING IT STICK
Because we’ve built the platform using practical tools and created blueprints backed up by definitions the team have many of the critical pieces upon which to make progress. Over many years we’ve developed software and mechanisms to support the teams to enable them to stay aligned with the principles in the frameworks.
Something like this:
FRAMEWORK SIMULATOR
