Treasures, Maps and Compasses by MariĂ Moreno and Francisco GimĂŠnez Plano, creators of Building Communities
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Treasures, Maps and Compasses
Treasures Treasure hunting They are hunting a Treasure, it is true, and it has nothing to do with a Treasure of those only referred to by myths and legends. This Treasure, the Treasure of those that take on the responsibility of steering business organisations, has a name and surname; a name and surname that are well known, such as “gaining market share”, “winning the loyalty of our customers” and “achieving the commitment of our people”. They try to find this Treasure because they know that through well experienced alchemy, this Treasure will become results and the results will turn into profitability, and the profitability into sustainability. A Treasure Hunt means that somewhere there is something to be found and that this something is particularly valuable; so valuable that it will change the finder’s existence. For its hunters, finding the Treasure means the source of competitive edge that is indefinitely renewable and therefore capable of becoming sustainable in any turn of events. We line up firmly with the search engines, they are like us. We believe that this Treasure hunt is full of meaning, and full of meaning for two basic, fundamental questions: the first is that the search for competitive sustainable edge is unswerving, no better equity can be given to a company's future; the second question is that the Treasure exists, its presence is clearly perceived every time an organisation actually connects to its market. We might therefore understand that someone might stop a moment to wonder whether we are really talking about “going on a Treasure hunt”. We can only answer by insisting on what we have already said. “Yes, we are looking for this, for a Treasure” although Treasure mutes, just as times mute. If, just yesterday, greater productive capacity was undoubtedly a Treasure, today maybe a treasure is also an immense relational capacity, and this will probably change again tomorrow. We want to go in search of the Treasure in the knowledge that this journey involves a certain amount of uncertainty, a certain dose of adventure and/or risk. We believe that we must accept all of this, for maybe without it the Treasure that might finally be discovered might be of less value, undermined by the obsessive need to minimise everything. The Power of Questions Aware of the reasonable doubt that such a hunt might cause, we believe that it would be good if questions were your very travel companions. Questions that are useful to demonstrate the “power of questioning”, this power that makes our answers: • Help us to become more aware of ourselves, to exteriorise the way we build reality, the way we build the world. • Also give us permission to explore alternative routes, neither of which would appear without the questioning that the previous questioning brings upon us. Yes, we understand that asking can be a natural way to progress through search, and we go further in.
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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Treasures, Maps and Compasses
Do Treasures exist? There is no Treasure without gold We have anticipated by saying that it does yes, but the question is now pertinent because maybe it is not possible to find the thing whose existence is doubted, which is simply incredible for the supposed hunter. We might say that what characterises a Treasure is gold, to the extent that we can effortlessly agree that “There is no Treasure without gold”. The main question is therefore whether we believe that this gold exists, as it is the accumulation of gold that has the power of generating the Treasure. Are we facing the case of a company that tried to export when nobody was doing so, or which seemed chimerical nearby? The same company as that which buried time and incredible resources to earn the first sale abroad? Or maybe we know another place where someone said that its people were its true competitive edge and then did much more than writing a pretty postcard with the statement. Where are their companies now? Yes, there was gold and they went to look for it, and they found it in such amounts that it turned out to be a Treasure. Treasure only exists if we are capable of seeing it beyond the seas or before our faces, but you have to believe in it and deploy an action of suitable perseverance, this is the first condition for finding it. Loyalty. Prescription. Knowledge. A possible definition of sustainable competitive edge is that which tells us that we have produced such a relationship with a person, our customer person, that nobody considers purchasing our product if it is not ours. That they might become permanent prescribers, that is to say, each time they see someone in their surroundings who needs what we have, they tell them that we have it and that it will work well, and this relationship also allows them to give us all of their knowledge practically free, so that we might permanently improve what we do for them. We insist on the questioning. The possibility of radical loyalty on the part of the customer, of automatic prescription and provision of permanent knowledge, does it exist? No, it is not a question of going back to the start, but if we do not conceive that our customer person can be loyal, a prescriber and the provider of knowledge, they simply will not be because our actions will tell them that they can't. Of course what we call reality seems constantly to return us examples of sectors of activity where there is no loyalty, where prescription requires great effort and it is a colossal job to make a customer give us their knowledge. Of course this is all part of reality, but reality also contains absolutely contrary examples; to mention one, why the name of Harley-Davidson can undoubtedly be well-known in many places. Naturally, it is always possible to escape by saying that this is true in other cultures, in other places, in other sectors or in other companies. In any other that is not “our” culture, “our” place, “our” sector or “our” company. But this probably amounts to nothing more than fleeing offstage. El Treasure is slippery Maybe sometime we have felt something similar to having found Treasure. The gold flowed, even in abundance, however its arrival started to be cut short and we didn’t know exactly why. Maybe we must therefore say that Treasures do not last, that they are temporary at most. There might be something of truth in this statement, but we can still ask about this gold: what was it for? How did it come? Beyond speculative operations, we might consider that the flow of abundance came from sales, and then wonder what these sales built; we already said at the beginning that results always and profitability with them. Did they build something more? If they did not build a relationship, if they did not build solid bonds between people, we know why the flow was probably cut short or is likely to be so and then we might agree that a Treasure that fails to build a relationship, that fails to build Long Term, is a slippery Treasure indeed. Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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Treasures, Maps and Compasses
The Treasure hunt We are not hunting alone One of the certainties that goes with us in our hunt for the Treasure is that we are not looking alone. When our Treasure is minimally worthwhile, we feel the presence very nearby of other hunters, and also their action. A Treasure hunt made by several expeditions at the same time is not a collective hunt in which failures and successes can be shared. It is an individual hunt, precisely because it is a question of generating advantage, of marking a distance. However, one consequence of the way the hunt is done is that the hunters observe each other closely so that every presumed advance, every improvement and any apparent success is immediately copied. We might even say that the expeditions going in hunt of the Treasure go very slowly in many respects, copying each other, building more equality than difference, an equality which the market returns like a mirror, incapable of really distinguishing anything. Equipment for the Route When we prepare to set out, we very carefully gather our supplies to take everything we think we are going to need with us. Along our route, the equipment will have a lot to do with what we believe we know, with our experience prior to our departure. Tangible – Reason Reason tells us why it is very obvious why someone buys something, they buy it because it is going to satisfy the need they have, and it is going to do good. The performance, that the product actually fulfils its promise of satisfaction, is central. It is essential to have a good product and reason says that whoever has the best will also be in the best position to find the Treasure. This is certainly true, although sometimes it seems that reason is not sufficient. If anyone has trouble with their car, a moment's difficulty that requires fast, reliable braking, they will naturally turn to their brakes to save the situation, which might be turning serious. If they are going to save our lives, having good brakes is very reasonably the best thing that can be borne in mind when buying a car. But how many people consider the vehicle braking systems amongst the variables? Naturally those who know a lot about cars do, but how many car buyers know a lot about cars? Of course the buyers simply think that when they have to brake, the brakes will work well and do what they have to. This is the role of the tangible, of reason, the fulfilment of the promise of satisfaction, but it is not risky to say that since Toyota set out on this path, if there is something that the immense majority of seekers have accumulated it is quality and performance, and with a few exceptions this does not seem to be causing too much difference. Of course we have a very important tangible which is the price, but maybe it is good for us to continue to equip ourselves before dealing with it more closely. Intangible – Emotion If what customers think, what they see, what they actually “touch” is not sufficient to make a difference, many seekers rapidly deduced that there is something more living in the kingdom of what, by contrast, cannot be touched. In the kingdom of the intangible, of emotion.
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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To add, and better still to “unite”, an emotion to the product became a challenge; the search engines were the first to do this, and found a Treasure. Everything that can be touched can be copied, but this is much more difficult with emotion. It seems that if a customer has a good product, that is fine, but if there is nothing more than this, they wonder why not try another? Another that perhaps “says something more”, something that maybe causes a sensation, some emotion. We have to count on emotion amongst our equipment, that is true, and to support this, maybe all we have to do is to look at the advertising, especially in the mass media, to count how many adverts show the product “bare”, basing the communicative action on the obvious reason of being made an excellent offer? How many show the product very lightly, or even almost hide it, to try to directly offer an emotion, a “something more”? Meaning Reason tells us that the product will satisfy our need, emotion makes us feel something for the product. The sum of reason + emotion will surely produce a purchase, and the questions are now: Will it produce more purchases? Reason + Emotion, is it an algebraic sum? Can it go further? Might it be a synergic sum? The reply is given by what turns out to be the final source of all acts that we give value. It is called meaning. Victor Krankl put it on the table and it has not moved on. Reason and emotion are necessary attributes but they are not sufficient, not unless they are capable of being enhanced so that a person might give them meaning. They will give meaning if, when they join what their mind and body tell them, their purchases become essential, if this sum gives them a lever for looking after themselves, or a social group to which to belong, or is a support for caring for their family in the best possible way, or gives them the chance to make a social contribution or allows them to add life to their life. If, in short, when their hand touches something to buy it, beyond anything else it is their interior voice that tells them that it is the best choice, a vital choice, a life choice. People are usually faithful to their life choices, naturally they change but not very often; and if they are faithful to their life decisions they will also be to anything that helps them to take them, wherever this might be, in their shopping basket or that of any other purchase too. Maybe equipping oneself with meaning is the most difficult thing, but how can one find meaning on a supermarket line? This is undoubtedly a challenging question, but there is more; if there is no meaning, then why are not only the cheapest products sold? If the price is the only possible or the main source of meaning, why this authentic advertising spending spree? Why do the adverts, all of the adverts, not go back to their origin and simply say “we have the best price”? Of course many do, but many more do not. Why? We have always known that prices produce sales, but they do not assure anything else. If it is only the price, it is a matter of time before someone offers something cheaper, and what happens then? The hunter who makes the price his Treasure does not need much equipment. His hunt soon comes to an end and he knows he will always live on a knife’s edge, and knives at this point cut. The hunter who equips excitedly gets ready for a greater hunt, but must know that this is only the first expedition, that their real route will be longer for sooner or later they must set out for meaning. The hunter who takes meaning with them assumes that they only know what they have to know.
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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Treasures, Maps and Compasses
Learning from everything When we believe we have tried everything, when we have so much experience that it might be better not to have so much, what do we do? Which route do we take? How do we avoid the path telling us at every step that we have already been there? The answer is as easy to say as it is difficult to carry out. It is necessary to recover the innocence of perception, the capacity of looking at the scenery you have been looking at for years with new eyes, a scenery we believe we know right down to its last corner. We have to do the same thing as the wise and children, and this is not a paradox. The wise and the children learn from everything.
MariĂ Moreno and Francisco GimĂŠnez - December 2011
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Treasures, Maps and Compasses
We need a map! What is important? What is essential? When we equip, it seems that in some way, by this simple action we have already been given some clues, clues that come with questions. The paths produce luck by mandate, from previous alignment and at the same time these tracks do nothing more than accumulate before us. Beliefs? Seekers? Slippery treasures? Reason? Emotion? Meaning? And we still have to ask more questions: What is important? What is essential? The law of focusing tells us that we must concentrate on this, and it is true. It is entirely necessary to focus and act in consequence. If we go to Reason, the product and the price must be our focus, nothing else; if we want to add the emotion, then the person appears. Only the person is capable of feeling emotion, but we feel emotion to get meaning, what more is there? This is still a rhetorical question, the path has already told us: transcendence, connecting with customers’ vital decisions. ¿”Customer” or “Customer Person”? A customer person is capable of providing loyalty, prescription and knowledge, and this is undoubtedly fundamental for finding the Treasure, but once more it would seem that this depends on the hunter. The hunter equipped with reason does not need to humanise anything; they provide an object so that someone who is not much more than another object finds it. Nothing will be left of this meeting, or maybe a slight promise of going back to find the object in case their reasons are the same. If they are not, the customer punishment is immediate, they will take another object which offers “better reasons”. There is no dialogue, this is not necessary between the product object and the customer object. Customer is a good name for this, and undoubtedly sounds more respectful of what they really are. A seeker equipped with emotion needs to add something more, they cer tainly do not work for customer objects; the person comes into action and more aspects of the person must be contemplated to generate emotion. This is undoubtedly a seeker in transit, or perhaps it is already possible to talk about “customer person”, but maybe sometimes one does not dare. A seeker equipped with meaning knows that they only want to relate to “customer people”. They have no doubt in humanising all people, in fact they need to do it in this way. Only people take life decisions and they need to address the full person who takes them. Not only a buyer, not only capable of being excited, but also firmly interested in what they do; in their purchases they connect with their life decisions and it is precisely with these that this seeker wishes to bond. The question comes back, what is essential? And more questions continue to appear ; who is actually my customer? Is it a “customer person”? Does my relationship allow them to express life decisions? What if they don't now, but they manage to do so later? Are we prepared? How much will it cost us, not only economically, to make the step from customer to customer person? We must cer tainly begin to move, but where do we star t? One more question… Although this time the answer seems elementary, we must star t where all Treasure hunters star t; we need a map, we do, We need a Map!
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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Treasures, Maps and Compasses
Maps What must a Map tell us? Territory. Inhabitants. Language. A Treasure Map performs the same basic function as any other map. Above all it must be useful to guide us, to try to indicate, albeit dramatically, the place where we are going. Therefore what a Map must do is to define the territory, to locate its limits, to frame the terrain of the search. This is the first question and, as the Map itself will reveal, the territory also depends directly on the seeker and it must therefore not seem strange that some Maps are extraordinarily local whereas others tend to draw little less than the whole world. No, it is not strange but no seeker must forget that everything, even the largest thing, is built from some specific place and is usually related to the local, to what is nearby. For the seeker moving in what is local, it will be relatively simple to draw the limits to their Map. Whoever wants to do so on a large scale must probably begin to think that a single Map will not be enough, that what they must try is that each specific point, each local point on their network should be capable of drawing their own map, because the gold might still be in a thousand places, it is always at a specific geographical point. The gold is part of everything, of course, but “it is not in the whole”, but rather in each of its parts. The gold of our Treasure is never in deserted places, but rather feels a preference for populated places. This means that in our territory there are always inhabitants, and it is their action that produces the gold. The Map must therefore tell us who the inhabitants of our territory are, but in a way that is fairly distant from human geography, as, with exceptions, we are not interested in demographic data. The initial questions that the Map must answer are well-known, Marketing provided them long ago and almost all had to do with the fact that they are inhabitants of our territory, that they are or are not customers. Now more questions must be asked, questions related to the customer being turned into a customer person. Do we have anything to do with this complete person? Do we form part of their life decisions? Can this complete person express themselves in any way in our relationship with them? When they try to reply to the questions, the treasure hunters will probably find something similar to this: • The rational attributes remain stable and this is good; their solidity is fundamental, and building is done on them although they very often fail to stand out. • The emotional attributes multiply the importance and without their contribution, what is solid would simply be petrified. There is no way to answer the questions without turning to them. • Life attributes appear strongly, now it is not just an emotion, it is a decision. It is a way to understand the world, a way to enjoy life. Their presence is not only important, but it is vital for seekers of meaning. Without the life attributes, paradoxically the search for meaning is meaningless. Something else is needed, what language do these customer people speak? How do they call us? What qualifications appear when they refer to us? How do they define what we are offering? And yet more, can we learn their language? Or maybe better, can we suggest a language that connects with theirs? Or better still, could we create a new language together?
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2012
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Teasures, Maps and Compasses
Nothing of what we might understand, do or even feel exists without words to describe it. The words, the external, the internal, literally create our reality and these words always form a language. Yes language is undoubtedly extraordinarily important. A piece of paper or much more? Our beliefs. A Map is nothing more than a piece of paper, but a Treasure Map is a very particular piece of paper that contains a promise that encourages one to hunt, but we must remember that it is only this, a promise. Of course very often as the drawing goes on reasoning appears and also learning, but at the base it is only a promise. A Treasure Map is not a contract, it cannot be won, which is why the search has a risk and will therefore probably have a rather large amount of innovation. Do we believe our Treasure exists? It seems that we have already asked this question, but now it is not a question of answering generally, Treasures undoubtedly exist. No, now it is a question of asking very specifically, do we believe that our Treasure exists? Do we believe that it is really worth trying to move on from rational to emotional hunters? Or from emotional hunters to seekers of meaning? There is something that nobody can change for us; we create them and we change them, only us: these are our beliefs. And if these say that there is no case, that there is no gold and less still Treasure, the Treasure Map will have no further value than that of a mere intellectual exercise, another exercise. Furthermore, it is practically sure that any trip with the slightest difficulty will block the search. The difficulties are large strengtheners of inaction when there is no belief in action. Our own Treasure It may be rather bold to say that the difference between treasure hunters lies in their beliefs, but we can ask a couple of questions: do people achieve what they want when they believe that they CAN achieve it? Or, on the contrary, do people achieve what they want when they believe that they CANNOT achieve it? Maybe it is possible to find more differences between the hunters, differences that are immediately projected on what the Map can tell us. A new paradox appears when we try to ask whether in the Treasure Hunt we already have a Treasure, something like our own Treasure. What are our strengths? How do they relate to the hunt? Can we align them still more? How will they lead us through the Map? Show the Route Of course we haven't forgotten, but a Map must show the Route, the route we must take to find the Treasure, and our Map will do so too. We see that this Map is becoming a demanding Map and that even more than offering answers, it seems to be asking questions. Now the Map tells us that the route is a route of variable geometry which in some way will be built from the decisions taken. Everything is related on the route; crowning one of its mountains, walking along one of its paths related to the rest. At the peak of each mountain, treading every path, there is something valuable and necessary for finding the Treasure; however, only when this all works at the same time is it really useful. Undoubtedly for a route like this, the most valuable equipment is that which we have already taken from the wise and children, “learning from everything” which can also be expressed as “learning from everything and from everyone”. Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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Our Route The first step It is easy to agree that the first step is always decisive as this has the ability to define our direction. This is also the case of our first step, a first step that is not surprising as the paths have already given a clear indication. We must humanise everything, “move the person into the foreground”. And we must do so not so much from a geographical perspective which maybe would not be more than a mere change of position (such as that which would be derived from moving into the foreground from the back). This “moving into the foreground” makes sense when it gives an intention that passes from a single dimensional view to a multidimensional view that contemplates the person as a whole, complete. In a single dimensional plain, the customer is one who buys the product and with whom the relationship is maintained that always moves in what is strictly related to this. Beyond this, and we are aware that we are repeating ourselves, a “customer person” is also one who buys a product but is also a person who can have a certain way of life and/or social concerns and/or a certain kind of family and/or certain relational needs and/or the possible capacity to transfer knowledge to the organisation, and therefore, more than a relationship we must push forward a true “relational model” that contemplates this multidimensionality so that it might favour, support and develop the generation of a lasting, permanent bond. To humanise, to bring the person into the foreground therefore means developing the capacity to integrate all interests that the person might consider relevant within the framework of their relationship with the company. Mountains¹ The Map anticipated it, we must crown mountains and the magic of any Treasure Map would not be completed if there were not precisely 7 that had to be known. At the peak of each one there may be something important for our Treasure. The order is not particularly important, once more the Map depends on the Hunter, the Hunter is the person who must say where to place the stress and is also the person who must complete the synthetic description that the Map offers us. Giving Meaning Human Beings give meaning to what they do when they are capable of connecting it with something that has a superior value for them. Giving meaning means transcending what is done to take it to a higher level, much greater and more desired. Innovating in Relationships Only people who can build relationships will be key in building and sustaining the bonds. The Power of Emotion What is intangible connects with our values, emotions and sensations.What moves us are our values and our emotions. Excitement and Passion People who get satisfaction in their work achieve results that would not be able to be achieved in comparison with those who simply do jobs that do not excite or stimulate them. ¹ The “mountains” and the “paths” which are shown below are integrated by the authors in the Building Communities program, of which they are the creators. HTTP://www.buildingcommunities.eu. Similarly, their full conceptual and operational development is developed in their works Marketing for Human Beings (2007) and Building Community (2011). Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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Long-term A focus to become a company with meaning is a long-term focus. Community Creating a Community with all people relating to the organisation is the starting point and also the arrival. Paths The mountains are connected by paths, and once more it is the hunter who decides which paths will be those that make up their route. There are 12, all of them are useful. Accompanying The important thing is that the people should feel constantly accompanied in developing the satisfaction of their needs. Good Treatment Good Treatment is revealed by the consideration that people are always those responsible for exchanges. Sustainable long-term exchanges take this very much into account. Communicating Listening comes before speaking. Communication is always person-to-person. Knowledge Skills and capacities are the heritage of people and not systems. And the key to the true progress of the organisation lies in the knowledge given by people. Creating and Sharing Value A Community must create Value and a large part of this is given to its members and the rest is held back by the Community to progress, transform and last in time. In this way, the Value held back is a shared Value that is fed back into the whole Community. Enjoying The satisfaction of and with what one does drives people to give the best of themselves and to do so happily. Emotion We convince from reason but we move from emotion. Information This is key in the transparent, accessible handling of information, information must be true and relevant. Freedom Freedom is a fact when people can wish or not wish to belong and wish or not wish to remain. Values and Principles The Values and Principles must be viewed from action after being formulated from conscience. Bond A prosperous relationship creates bonds. The bonds materialise the belonging to the Community. The bond is broader than the contact derived from material exchange. Lastingness The lastingness in an economic relationship that is based on producing a long-term bond. MariĂ Moreno and Francisco GimĂŠnez - December 2011
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A compass for our Map Undoubtedly the ideal complement for a Map is a compass, orientation becomes much easier, which is why we have also wished to give one to our seekers of meaning. Yes, to give them a particular compass that is expressed through a quantitative formula relative to making meaning in customer people.
Challenges of our compass The challenges for our compass, which must always reach a specific formula, are: • To explain the reality so that the formula might correctly discriminate companies that are achieving or which are close to the Meaning with their Customer People from companies that are still far from this. In other words, to explain why Meaning is given or may be given and why it is not given or may not be given. • To guide the company's action with respect to how to improve its position in achieving Meaning, to help it decisively in handling the Map. • To make it relatively simple both in operation and understanding.
Elements for arming the compass As we have already said, to arm our compass we have considered the presence of three groups of elements that interact on Meaning: 1st Group: Distinctive Advantages which includes the distinctive elements with which the seeker of reason is usually provided. A non-exhaustive list leads us to include elements in this group such as Distinction of the Product, Price, Brand/Company Positioning, Financial Strength, Leadership and Capacity of People, Adaptability/Flexibility, Technological Position, Operations Efficiency, Innovation or Alliances and Networks. 2nd Group: Customer Person including the elements with which the seeker of emotion is to be provided, defines the situation of the company with respect to the fact of havingbrought “people to the forefront”, that is, the degree of development of the transit from “Customer to Customer Person”. These are the mountains and paths on the Map. 3rd Group: Being which includes the position of the product or the company with respect to its Customer Person’s life decisions, in other words their position before the Life Attributes of this person. It is the seeker of meaning who will try to achieve the elements of this group. At the time of “assembling” our compass, the first job was to try to see the nature of the relationship between the groups. In other words, whether it is egalitarian (or flat), weighted or any other. We rapidly see that in some way we have already dealt with this when we said that the sum of Reason + Emotion will generate a Purchase, which places the two groups in a state of equality and can be expressed as follows: Reason + Emotion = Purchase Distinctive Advantages + Customer Person = Purchase
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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Now we repeat the questions that we have not asked: • Will the sum generate more purchases? • Reason + Emotion is an algebraic sum. Can we go fur ther? • Can Reason + Emotion be turned into a synergic sum? To answer them, we come to the conclusion that it is the Life Attributes grouped in the Being that give the right answer, the answer that best explains what is really happening.
The compass The result of the process of reflection and research led us to the proposal of this compass (formula): (Distinctive Advantages + Customer Person) * Being = Meaning Which admits the abbreviated expressions (Advantages + Person) * Being = Meaning Purchase * Being = Meaning Through the formula, we can say that the key effectively lies in the action of the “Being” generating or not generating synergy between “Advantages” and “Person” by being precisely a multiplying element.
Working with the compass Always considering that the position in each of the three elements is defined between a range of 1 and 5, the target is to ensure that the company can attain a score for each of them and manage to define its position on the Map using the formula. The position marked by the compass. We take this example: “Advantages” = 4; “Person” = 3; “Being” = 3, which gives a result of (4+3) * 3 = 21 To achieve the scores, the organisation must fulfil certain positioning matrixes (one for each element, which, always quantitatively, allows this score to be achieved. These matrixes work as auxiliary maps. Obviously the positioning matrixes refer to the questions present in each of the elements. The company can choose the matrixes to be fulfilled only by people with responsibility in the organisation, only by Customer People (always Representative) or by the two groups or even by more groups of people with contributing capacity. The formula does not require further operation, as its aim is to give the orientation it already offers, and if we take up the example we have just given “Advantages” = 4; “Person” = 3; “Being” = 3, which gives a result of (4+3) * 3 = 21 We can say: a) Considering that the maximum score is 50 = (5+5) * 5, the achieved result of 21 lies in the lower section of those possible, so the company is not operating with the Meaning, in other words it is in an area of the Map which is relatively distant from it. In this case, a strong position in “Advantages” is diluted by the discreet position in “Person” and “Being”.
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
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b) Advancing in the Map through “Advantages” to move the score on from 4 to 5 would not be par ticularly efficient as the difficulties on the way would be considerable and the final location would move relatively little (5+3) * 3 = 24 (+3) c) Any advance along the path of the “Being” would cause a clear improvement, thus compensating the possible difficulties: Advance from 3 to 4 = (4+3) * 4 = 28 (+7) And from 3 to 5 = (4+3) * 5 = 35 (+14) d) Given the obvious difficulties in achieving a position of 5, it might move forward along 2 paths at the same time, that of “Person” and “Being”, and the result would also be pushed on firmly, so if we pass: “Person” and “Being” from 3 to 4 = (4+4) * 4 = 32 (+11) e) As we said, it is not excessively bold to say that to improve the position of “Person” and “Being” is less difficult and more feasible than taking the “Advantages” from an already high 4 to the maximum position of 5. Therefore, for the seeker of meaning, the compass (formula) offers them a specific, efficient path to take a firm step towards Meaning with their Customer People.
A Treasure which is real Our passion for asking all of the questions. Our deep belief that the Treasure exists. The view that our customer can be a Customer Person capable of giving loyalty, prescription and knowledge. Our solid reason that might be synergic with emotion to generate meaning. Our wish to learn from everything. Our capacity to bond with life attributes. Our strengths, our own Treasure. A first step, to humanise, to bring the person to the forefront. To crown 7 Mountains, to walk 12 paths. To arm our compass. Yes, the Map exists and the Treasure does too; however, we know that the reasons for not seeking are almost infinite, but not to do so denies the existence of the Treasure and only shows our incapacity to hunt. And if to hunt for a Treasure it is necessary to be a hunter, only people who hunt can be called this. Of course not all companies want to be defined as “Seekers of Meaning”, nor all Customer People give Meaning to each of their purchases, but we are convinced that the growing tide of companies and people do want to. They do want to know each other and recognise each other on the common beach of Meaning, they do want to exchange Life between them making what they do together “something more”, even though it might only be “a little more”.
Marià Moreno Integral Managing Partner Creator of Building Communities
Marià Moreno and Francisco Giménez - December 2011
Francisco Giménez Plano Creator of Building Communities
14
years
Inspiring growth
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