Strategizing. Understand the inner work-life system. Engage and align competences.
Mental models are central to organizational sense-making as they represent the cognitive structures by which basic concepts developed from past events and experiences are stored in memory. However, there is more inside the human brain than simply a reproduction of the external world; people interpret and construct a model of the real world and interact … Continue reading
What are the prerequisites to make impactful change – take advantage of the four main elements of an organisation
When executives have decided to implement an organisational change programme, they often start by setting up a steering committee consisting of the most important stakeholders from each functional or geographical area. The next step is typically to dedicate a set of managers and employees to form a separate change group that partly mirror the steering … Continue reading
How to select change teams that are able to drive transformation – prerequisites to make real impact
Think of the dedicated team that is often set up to identify and break down the barriers of change. This change team is the leader’s extended arm in the transformation of organisational structures, processes and/or behaviours. So what does this mean in practise? What are the prerequisites for selecting the change team members? Remember that … Continue reading
Why change when most change programs fail? Why not make the best of what you have?
Yes, we should change, and yes, we should stay true to the core ideology. Most organisational change programs fail. Either they don’t change anything, or the changes do not deliver the wanted results. So, why spend so many resources on change efforts that do not succeed? Why not make the best of what you have? … Continue reading
Next Practice – What we wil talk about in Management Consulting in the next years?
Recently, I presented Quartz+Co’s view on the future of management consulting, at the annual consulting day arranged by Virke, the Enterprise Federation of Norway. The consulting business is changing, clients are requesting tailor made solutions and more practical advice from experienced specialists. At the same time they expect management consultants to be flexible and able … Continue reading
Strengthening the brand of professional service firms – channels and measures
As in any industry, a professional services firm must win both the hearts and minds of potential clients, to develop the business. Strengthening your brand is an important part of that effort, and as I described in an earlier post, there are three main activities: Improve reputation Align reality, brand identity and client needs Enhance … Continue reading
Branding professional service firms – reputation and awareness
The brand is one of the most valuable assets of professional service firms (PSFs), and branding is fundamental to ensure growth. However, the brand remains one of the most underutilized assets. PSFs are searching for clients that are profitable, loyal and refer to other profitable and loyal clients. The relationships between clients and PSFs are … Continue reading
Strategizing from within: Values and competence are the fundamentals, language makes sense, and actions give sense.
In a knowledge intensive society, members are asking for clues on how they can make a difference. Before leaders can explain how employees can contribute, they must make sense of the strategy and the inner organizational work-life themselves. Strategizing is thus a mutual and reciprocal sense-making and sense-giving process where leaders learn to enable subsequent … Continue reading
Strategy is Complex – Try Strategizing as Practice, Learning and Sense-Making
Strategy is complex. Strategizing is even more complex. To get a better understanding, try to treat strategy as an integrated and interactive element of everyday organizational life. Analyzing strategy as an activity, as opposed to a plan that a company has. Focusing on the what, when, how and why, demonstrating that strategies unfold over time, … Continue reading
Eirik Haslestad: Engage. And Align. 