ISSUE 10 – FEBRUARY 2016
FOCUS BE EXCEPTIONAL. THE HENLEY WAY.
BRINGING YOU THE INSIGHTS YOU NEED TO DRIVE YOUR AGENDA
Corporate Learning Survey 2016
439
INDIVIDUAL RESPONDENTS FROM
47
COUNTRIES
READ
READ
>
>
Servest Case Study P3
READ
>
Superbrands to Superfans – ‘Investment is key’ P6
READ
Women find their champions at Henley Forum P9
>
>
The HR Doctor asks: are you suffering from Hair shirtism P8
READ
>
How can we cope with stress and build resilience in the workplace? P10
READ
READ
Profile: Professor Nada Kakabadse P13
>
WELCOME
WELCOME TO THE LATEST ISSUE OF FOCUS@HENLEY – THE HOME OF ESSENTIAL BUSINESS INSIGHTS!
The first issue of Henley Business School’s online magazine in 2016 brings together highlights of the latest news and insights into the future of management and leadership, strategy and HR, coaching and much more. Among the wide range of topics featured in this edition are: – The latest research findings from Henley’s annual Corporate Learning Survey – How the music industry is hitting the right notes – What to do if you’re suffering from hair-shirtism – The changing face of women in leadership – Executive coaching and building resilience – The lowdown on Professor Nada Kakabadse We really do value your thoughts and comments, so please send us your feedback and help us to ensure that Focus@Henley continues to be not only relevant but compelling. Thanks for reading Focus@Henley. We look forward to hearing from you. Claire Hewitt, Editor of Focus@Henley magazine Head of Learning Design +44 (0) 1491 418767 exec@henley.ac.uk www.henley.ac.uk
2
www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation
CASE STUDY
SERVEST CASE STUDY For a full case study, click here
O
ne of the latest organisations to benefit from executive education
at Henley Business School is Servest, a group that provides multi-service solutions to over 7,000 clients across Africa and the UK.
With 40,000 employees delivering a range of services, including facilities management, catering, cleaning, landscaping, parking and security, the company identified a need to develop its future senior leaders and support global best practices. In particular, the Servest ethos of delivering value through innovation meant that the company wanted leaders who could demonstrate a combination of emotional intelligence, business skills and the ability to make effective decisions which would benefit the business as a whole.
that could deliver a flexible leadership programme, Servest found that many of the providers they considered covered the same subjects and took the same fixed approach. It was against this backdrop that Henley stood out. As Dennis explained, ‘Henley’s approach was different. Firstly, they identified our needs and then designed a programme to fit our requirements. They were not prepared to provide or suggest a solution until they had completed a full needs
Dennis Zietsman, Co-founder and Deputy Group Chairman at Servest, described the goal as producing ‘selfthinking leaders’ and recognised that this would involve a ‘shift in behaviour and leadership style’.
analysis.’ In addition, Servest took into account Henley’s top credentials and international outlook, making the Business School the preferred supplier.
With this in mind, the company began its search for an executive education provider that would help them develop leaders who could understand various business functions at the highest level, think strategically and grow the talent in their teams. Having decided that they wanted to work with a reputable business school
The Henley team, which included Jon Foster-Pedley, Dean of Henley South Africa, worked closely with Servest to create a customised two-year programme, dubbed the ‘Alchemist’. With a campus in both the UK and South Africa, Henley was ideally suited to deliver the Alchemist programme to employees across the Servest Group.
Focus@Henley
The programme covered a number of topics including coaching and mentorship, strategy and innovation, finance, strategic marketing and supply chain management – all underpinned by the Servest value of working to a common goal. Unusually for a business school programme, the course also featured facilities management, which focused on understanding the client’s needs as well as the technical aspects of the tender and bidding process. Reflecting on the success of the programme to date, Dennis believes the results to be ‘exceptional’. One of the original goals was for individuals to build on their strengths and become more aware of their weaknesses, and this has been achieved, with managers demonstrating increased levels of confidence, decision-making capabilities and business skills. Dennis attributes this to Henley’s proactive and hands-on approach to education, which has allowed the programme to evolve, enabling Servest to get the most out of their investment.
3
LATEST RESEARCH
HENLEY CORPORATE LEARNING SURVEY 2016 T
largest ever, with 439 executives from
2. People and talent management objectives
3. Learning & development plans
47 countries taking part in the survey
• Organisational challenges
• Individual coaching is the most
he seventh annual Henley Corporate Learning Survey has been the
during November 2015.
The survey represents an important study of organisational learning & development priorities and their organisational contexts over time; you can click here to read the full survey.
1. Organisational challenges • When they look ahead over the
next three years, organisationwide leadership capability and the effectiveness of management teams are the two most cited challenges concerning organisations with more than 500 employees.
• Achieving cultural change is also
considered a challenge for two thirds of respondents from this group of organisations.
• Almost half of these organisations
anticipate a major re-organisation in the next three years.
Professor Adrian Bell, Chair in the History of Finance, Associate Dean (International) and Head of ICMA Centre commented on the results that, ‘There are significant concerns in the banking and finance sector, but also in many other sectors too, around the culture of an institution. How can organisational leaders affect the culture pervasively? The challenge for organisational leaders is that they need to have very positive organisational strategic aims, but they must also ensure that the organisational culture maps to these.’
4
have a direct impact on talent management objectives with a 70% increase in the percentage of respondents predicting that seniorlevel succession planning will be an objective in 2016 than reported it as an objective in 2015.
• The key development priorities for
senior & executive management are considered to be their leadership capabilities; leading in a complex, uncertain environment; and strategy execution.
Commenting on the planned focus on senior succession planning in 2016, Professor Nick Holley, Co-Director of the Henley Centre for HR Excellence commented that, ‘Organisations are experiencing a perfect storm of issues around loyalty, generational challenges and the breakdown of trust from endless restructuring. Many organisations are therefore struggling with succession and are putting a lot of work into the transition which is needed to develop good leadership.’
25%
2015
2016
34%
likely learning & development activity to be undertaken in 2016.
• Team coaching is the second most
planned activity for the survey sample as a whole.
• Coaching, in general, is also
reported to be the preferred learning format for both senior executives and high potentials.
• In terms of preferred learning
formats, there is a shift in 2016 towards classroom-based learning, which is now the second most preferred format for both senior & executive management and high potential groups.
On the continued increase in the use of coaching, Dr Bernd Vogel, Associate Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour commented that ‘when considering that organisations tell us via the survey that they also have challenges around developing management teams, organisation-wide capability and cultural change, there might be a danger to focussing on individual coaching only. Investing in the individual is good, but it needs to be supported by systematic leadership development that addresses these systemic challenges and creates organisational impact through learning.’
infographics from page 6 on CLS report
www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation
Classroom-based
43%
33%
Coaching
66%
65%
Senior & executive Management preferred formats
2016 2015 Domestic competition Online
33%
7%
36%
6%
Accessing & implementing new ideas 33%
Project-based
18%
18%
41%
Addressing technological advances 36%
Experiential
36%
25% 29%Major re-organisation
41%
41%
47%
2016 66%
55%
35%
48%
Classroom-based Speed of change
43% 52%
2015
36%
Blended
Managing growth
33%52%
Achieving cultural change Coaching
58%
51%
Managing costs
65%
59%
HighOrganisation-wide Potentials - Preferred formats leadership capability
59% to62% the other types of Carl Andersen, Learning & 4. Working with businessOnline • Compared Effectiveness of management teams learning provider, in all but one Development Specialist at the Financial 12% 6% 63% 58% schools area, respondents are more likely Conduct Authority stated that, ‘What Project-based
to see business schools’ offerings 32% as ‘very important’ including:
35%
• Business schools are fourth most
we are looking for, in working with a business school, is really about scanning the horizon and more dynamic thinking. Business schools that we work with have the ability to pull together the best of new and current thinking to create a programme that can create meaningful change.[ …] Business schools give us access to current research and innovative thinking, which 52% be applied to our organisation can then and the wider financial sector.’
likely to be the area of single Experiential greatest investment in 2016 for • the 39% proven ability to impact 38% on organisations larger than 500 individual performance and busiBlended employees, and third most likely for ness issues (72%) 44% 37% smaller organisations. • quality of teaching and learning Classroom-based resources (70%) • Business schools are expected to 44% 32% • value for money (59%) demonstrate that they can deliver Coaching across a broad range of factors • access to original research and 56% leadership (48%) in order to satisfy organisations’ thought perception of what is ‘very • cutting edge practice, methods Online important’ for them to provide and knowledge (48%) To read a full report, please click here 12% 6% as a partner. Project-based
Factors selected as ‘very important’ when choosing a provider
32% Learning and networking opportunities with peers35% from other sectors/organisations 17%
19%
30%
39%
Attention to implementation and follow-up 40% 41% 39%
44%
Efficient delivery of learning with minimum disruption
44%
28%
43% 34%
56% Cutting edge practice, methods and knowledge 26%
22%
Experiential Blended Classroom-based Coaching
38% 37% 32% 52%
48%
Access to original research and thought leadership 15%
23%
48%
A tailored approach to our organisation/executives 54%
66%
67%
Value for money
51% 59% 58%
Quality of teaching and learning resources
Individual consultants/coaches Business schools Training providers
Focus@Henley
36%
57%
70%
Proven ability to impact on individual performance/business issues 51%
72% 65%
Join a group of senior directors and expert faculty to discuss the results at a breakfast event in London on 23 February 2016. To find out more and book a place, please click here.
5
EVENT
SUPERBRANDS TO SUPERFANS – ‘STORYTELLING IS KEY’ Helen Gammons, Programme Director – Music & Creative Industries Engagement |
H
enley Business School recently hosted another Creative Dynamics
event, this time under the banner of SuperBrands to SuperFans, which included a special set from The Drifters. Here, Programme Director, Helen Gammons, outlines the key themes.
The event explored the rise of the ‘super fan’ and investigated whether the growth and mobilisation of brand communities around artists and talent is now an essential route to success. Speakers at the event included Alec Samways, CEO and founder of Splendid Communications; Olivier RobertMurphy, global head of new business and chief of possibilities at Universal Music Group; and Jason Legg, director of sales and head of client services for The Physical Network. The event also featured panels of top executives, with the ‘talent’ panel being joined by Jonathan Shalit OBE; S Records’ Dan Parker; Kathy Mashadi, co-founder & managing director of Prism Music Group; and Dumi Oburota, founder of entertainment and lifestyle brand, Disturbing London. The ‘fan’ panel featured Stereotribes’ Travers Lee; SupaPass CEO, Juliana Meyer; and CEO and co-founder of Influence Digital, Richard Marshall. ‘This was Henley’s eighth Creative Dynamics event,’ explains Helen. ‘My work at Henley Business School is to enable and facilitate strategic thinking in a marketplace that is constantly changing. The strength of our industry moving forward will depend on such capabilities.
6
‘All the work we do at Henley is about building strategic capability in the sector, so everything I’ve done from day one, in relation to both the MBA for the Music and Creative Industries and the one-day Creative Dynamics events, is about bringing senior to middle management together at Henley.’ Henley Business School has undertaken research on market segmentation, and Helen says the topic emerged from the event as being a key issue in the music industry. ‘In the traditional sense, it’s fairly easy to segment customers and know how to reach them and communicate with them,’ she adds. ‘But, in the online space, customers can be found in multiple ways belonging to multiple communities. There needs to be an increase in “customer tailoring”, which becomes key to unlocking increased engagement that will in turn lead to increased drivers to purchase or participate in the proposition.’ Helen goes on to explain how traditional marketing models are becoming less relevant. ‘Marketing in the digital and social media world is not transacted according to the usual four ‘P’s of product, price, place and promotion, or even the seven ‘P’s (including people, process and physical evidence). Instead, according to our speakers, the use of other tools, such as the four ‘E’s (engagement, experience, exclusivity and emotion) are seen as being far more relevant to success.’ The event looked at the importance of engagement and digital capabilities in the sector and conducted some interesting primary research, which concluded that there was a far more
Helen Gammons
@Helen Gammons
haphazard approach to marketing and digital engagement than would be anticipated, with digital strategies being less defined and less measured than many would expect. Helen describes how the research found that ‘Engagement is not being strategically planned and executed well enough. Due to the pace of technological change, there is a need for more digitally savvy marketeers within all sizes of companies if online engagement is to be successful. The need for e-leadership and e-learning skills came through as themes within the discussions. You have to look at how you engage, rather than sell. Selling is wrong, and selling doesn’t work. Brands realise that. There are some great examples of brands online, where occasionally they will talk about the product, but actually more of it is about the sentiment and the use of imagery to evoke an emotion. It’s really important how you engage
You have to look at how you engage – it’s about having something to say and telling a good story; brands have realised that for a long time. Businesses struggle to engage and communicate, forgetting that a great story well told can be a magnet for attention and action. Helen Gammons
www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation
‘Fans are no longer passive consumers in the creative process’ Here, some key attendees from Henley’s SuperBrands to SuperFans event share their reflections on the one-day programme. Jason Legg, director of sales, The Physical Network: The key message from us at the SuperBrands to SuperFans event was to embrace your fans and convert them into brand ambassadors. Convert them from being passive to being active. Peer-to-peer marketing can turn fans of events into brand ambassadors, helping brands not only reach new audiences but to retain existing fans, spark advocacy, start conversations and ultimately sell tickets. A peer-to-peer platform can be a sustainable marketing asset for an event promoter.
Alec Samways, CEO and founder, Splendid Communications: Music presents an excellent passion point for brands to connect with people, but it’s a minefield for those who don’t follow the rules. This is not complicated, though many brands seem to make it so. It’s simply a case of respecting that when you enter the world of music, for the artists and fans alike, the music must always come first and your brand messages must fit around that. Travers Lee, CEO, Stereotribes: Fans are no longer passive consumers in the creative process. Fans are now powerhouses of distribution and influence with their own audiences, because of platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud. Fans are now ‘part’ of the creative process and our platform, Stereotribes, joins the ranks to empower both fans, funders and creatives. Crowdfunding is new to the world still, but it’s going to be a way of life for generation K... Stereotribes is all about empowering those creative tribes of tomorrow.
Music and Brand Partnerships Rafael McDonnell, CAA (Creative Artists Agency) Music Partnerships: There has never been a better time for brands to connect with their audience via partnerships with music talent. The vast reach that artists have through their fan bases and social media footprints enable brands to cut through the media clutter and directly reach millions of consumers.
Staying on top – building brand/fan loyalty and increased monetisation requires a fresh perspective on sustainable music and brand relationships.
‘The music industry needs focused interventions’ ‘My experience in this sector spans the last 30 years’, explains Helen. ‘I have taken a company from startup to flotation and been involved in much more besides, including record label management, writer and producer management, music publishing, synchronisation and music supervision for film and television, financing and building studios and international production companies, and now running a multi-award-winning tech company based at Pinewood Film Studios. Because of my passion and commitment to an industry I love, I have made it my personal mission over the last five years to facilitate engagement between Henley Business School and the music and creative sector. With our first MBA graduates now coming through, it’s clear that executive education can and is making a significant difference and the energy it is generating is very real. In the middle of my career, I took an MBA programme, and it unleashed a new understanding and sharpened my abilities at every level of operation within an organisation. Having always worked in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector and being the owner of a successful, high-growth SME, I know first-hand what executive education can bring to a business. ‘A new piece of research that I am conducting will examine the current dominant model of leadership, which focuses on non-creative solutions (Mueller, June 2011), and the need to turn the tables and scrutinise the capabilities of leaders to be able to recognise and empower creativity as a prerequisite to running a business. Today’s business climate requires leaders to value creative strategic capabilities and bring creativity to the boardroom and not exclude it, perhaps suffering the same fate as women over the past few decades even though we’ve seen the real difference women can bring. So let’s hope there are not too many leaders who are both women and creative, striving for senior management positions.’
www.henley.ac.uk/mbamusic Focus@Henley
7
HR DOCTOR
ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM HAIR-SHIRTISM? IF SO, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS A CURE… Visiting Professor Nick Holley, Co-Director, Henley Centre for HR Excellence |
Visiting Professor Nick Holley
@Nick_Holley
For the full article, click here
I
n this, the last episode of Nick Holley’s tongue-in-cheek series exploring
common HR problems, the HR Doctor looks at one of the most pitiful infections, hair-shirtism. The good news is that there is a cure…
What are the symptoms? • HR people who suffer from this
disease are some of the most pitiful patients, spending their time asking why they don’t have a seat at the table rather than doing things that actually add value.
• They endlessly indulge in navel-
gazing, wondering why no one respects them, rather than getting out there and listening to their customers.
• They become delusional – thinking
it’s more fun to whinge about the problem than actually do something about it. This can lead to a mental disorder where the patient projects his or her own short¬comings onto the business.
• A key symptom is increasing
frustration caused by their lack of credibility.
• Warning: this is highly contagious;
patients can often be found roaming HR conferences winding each other up and spreading their infection to vulnerable young HR professionals.
8
What is the impact? Of all the diseases I have diagnosed, I would argue that this one leads to the most professional suicides. People who suffer from hair-shirtism develop a reputation for being whingers. At best, people avoid them; at worst, they offer them the chance to carry on their whinging somewhere else.
And what is the cure? I once worked in a partnership in an HR role. A lot of high potentials asked me how they could make partner. My answer was ‘be one’. We never promoted anyone to partner unless they had been consistently displaying the skills and behaviours of a partner for several years.
•
Behave as a member of the top leadership team, focusing on the business issues.
•
If you want a seat, take your hair shirt off and focus on building your personal credibility.
•
Work with the organisation to understand its needs. Drive your agenda out of theirs.
•
Very few people are as passionate about HR as you are, but the danger is that you are drawn to those who share your passion rather than those with the power and influence.
•
HR should still be the moral compass for the business, but if you want to play the game you have to understand the rules and engage with it – not sit on the touchlines whinging.
www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation
LATEST RESEARCH
WOMEN FIND THEIR CHAMPIONS AT HENLEY FORUM
Dr Shaheena JanjuhaJivraj
For a full report, click here
T
he London offices of global law firm Allen & Overy recently played host
to the latest event in the Henley Women in Leadership calendar, with the latest research from Henley providing the prologue for a panel discussion on the subject of championing. Championing is the proactive support and advocacy that advances a woman’s leadership aspirations with care for them as a person. It can be clearly differentiated from other forms of support such as mentoring and sponsorship. Championing occurs as senior leaders build a relationship that is based on promoting talent but taking into account altruism and recognising specific traits that hold women back. Dr Shaheena Janjuha-Jivraj, Associate Professor at the Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship, opened the proceedings with an update on her research into women in leadership, which had been undertaken across 53 Commonwealth nations. The survey, which was carried out between August 2014 and January 2015, included 25 case studies and 50 interviews with women from diverse backgrounds and in a range of roles, including a former prime minister and the first woman speaker at the Bangladeshi parliament. The data collected for the survey highlighted the fact that in so many countries, relevant, accurate data still isn’t available; in fact, only 18 countries were able to produce comprehensive information, and even some of the most developed countries failed (or were reluctant) to provide meaningful information. But as Dr Janjuha-Jivraj was at pains to point out: ‘It’s absolutely essential that we
Focus@Henley
create the baseline data so that we can provide a basis for future comparison and establish the rate of progress.’ The data covered politics, the civil service, and private and public sectors, and it was from the public sector that it proved particularly difficult to obtain figures, especially – and, perhaps, somewhat surprisingly – from the UK. But time and time again, Dr Janjuha-Jivraj found that ‘governments were suspicious and wanted to know why we wanted them.’ Nevertheless, Dr Janjuha-Jivraj felt that there has been a cultural shift in the past few years. ‘Not so long ago,’ she said, ‘women were seen as the problem, and some people are still making excuses, but it was evident that in some countries where massive barriers exist, huge progress has been made, proving what can be achieved.’ The research looked into the ratio of women at C-level compared to the number who were at board level, and it became clear that while imposing quotas had been doing more harm than good, having clear, measurable targets was working far better.
Of the 53 countries surveyed, 17 achieved the 30% critical mass, and in four Caribbean countries, an impressive 68% of deputy permanent secretary roles were taken by women. More women, it seems, tend to join organisations where they see opportunities for progress and championing provides a pivotal intervention that supports women into leadership roles. Research by McKinsey in 2015 demonstrated that gender-diverse companies were 15% more likely to outperform companies that did not have gender diversity. Dr Janjuha-Jivraj commented that: ‘This is not gender for gender’s sake, but recognising the value of diversity.’ Shaheena Janjuha-Jivraj has co-authored a book on Championing Women Leaders: Beyond Sponsorship with Kitty Chisholm, published by Palgrave MacMillan. The report authored by Shaheena JanjuhaJivraj was presented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, the Women’s Forum held in Malta in November 2015.
In the UK, Dr JanjuhaJivraj reported that board representation has reached 25%, but the same focus needs to apply to women at C-suite level. The UK has demonstrated the most effective way to achieve gender leadership diversity by strong and open collaboration between government with a clear target, businesses who recognise the value of diversity and advocacy groups who can effectively promote the inclusion of women in leadership.
9
EXECUTIVE COACHING
HOW CAN WE COPE WITH STRESS AND BUILD RESILIENCE IN THE WORKPLACE?
INSIGHTS FROM NEUROSCIENCE PART 1 Dr Patricia Bossons
By Dr Patricia Bossons, Director of the Henley Centre for Coaching and Behavioural Change and co-author of a new book on the impact of neuroscience on leadership coaching
I
n this article, I will be taking some of the fascinating insights we now
have about activity in our brains,
and relating it to practical experiences from the coaching and leadership development field, specifically looking at how we cope with stress and can learn to develop a greater resilience at work.
An evolutionary response Our responses to stress developed in our brains at a time when there were very real threats to life out in our everyday environment. We needed to be able to react automatically in the face of wild animals or tribal attacks, and our brains remain much the same today as then.
So what can be done to help us manage these sometimes unhelpful reactions and how can coaching contribute? As we’ve seen, we have the same stress responses to smaller events in the workplace today as we had to life-threatening events in the past. This suggests that we get stressed by our perception of an event, rather
Leadership coaching needs to be well equipped in the area of stress, as it is one of the most common drivers for which people seek out – or are sent for – coaching. At various times, we’ve probably all felt out of control of our emotional responses to things that happen to us at work or we’ve not been able to focus or concentrate on a task, had feelings of being overwhelmed or felt unable to perform at our usual level, and so on. Even reading this might start to cause your stress levels to go up, as I invite you to relive these experiences by bringing your attention to them! And it’s true, one really interesting finding from neuroscience is that either remembering or imagining an event creates the same biological responses in us as actually experiencing the event first-hand. Our brain does not differentiate completely between felt, imagined or remembered emotions, which is why positive daydreams can have such an uplifting effect on us, and being fixated on something that troubles us can drive up our biological stress responses.
10
Now, however, the stimuli that create the same stress responses in us are the things people bring to executive coaching, such as a bad relationship with the boss or being furious with the marketing department.
than the intrinsic danger of the event itself. Therefore, if we can change our perception of the event, we can change the level of our stress response to it – and so increase our emotional resilience. Coaches can work with their coachees in a number of ways to help this process.
www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation
Firstly, we know that if we can experience an event a couple of times without getting stressed by it, we will break the link that triggers a stress response in us when confronted by that particular event. With the help of a coach (or even self-coaching), we can use various techniques to have the experience of the event, without the stress response. For example, we can rehearse a presentation a number of times in a ‘safe’ environment, before delivering it to a real audience. Coaching could support this by helping the individual notice the positive aspects of each rehearsal, the growing feelings of confidence, and the appreciation from the audience. Successfully completing tasks that have been considered stressful provide us with new memories which reinforce our resilience to new instances of the same task, and there are a number of coaching tools and techniques that can reinforce this progress and ensure it becomes part of our brain’s new neural make-up. Responding appropriately to challenging situations is part of the process of building resilience, but some people are naturally more resilient to stress than others. The less resilient among us are more likely to have faced long periods of stress that were outside their control, where they couldn’t respond positively to the challenge. Again, coaching can explore a person’s natural resilience to stress, focusing on personal experiences. Once someone becomes more practised in this way of thinking, their brain will also become much quicker at making these kind of resourcing connections for itself, without the person needing to consciously work through the issue. Coaching can then be used to increase the levels of positivity someone feels towards various challenges, and build resilience even further. And watch this space for more insights! The Neuroscience of Leadership Coaching by Patricia Bossons, Patricia Riddell & Denis Sartain was published in August 2015 by Bloomsbury.
Follow on Twitter @HenleyBSchool@
Business Snippets
Does what you wear to work affect your career? After this summer’s heatwave, union bosses spoke out against restrictive dress codes while John McFarlane, executive chairman at Barclays, revealed that sandals and flip flops would be banned from the office, as well as the humble t-shirt. But can an exposed toe really scupper an international bank? What, if any, is the real impact of dressing smart casual? UBS certainly seem to side with the prescriptive approach. In 2011, the bank published an exhaustive guide to workplace attire, tackling everything from underwear to socks in excruciating detail. But they may have a point: a study from the US found that undergraduates who wore a doctor’s coat paid more attention than those who didn’t, suggesting clothing can have a significant impact on how we work. However, the benefits of the collarsand-cuffs approach may be limited. Sixty per cent of senior managers in the US believe a return to rigid corporate dress codes would result in lower productivity. Workers in the UK agree with this sartorial solution; new research from employment experts Totaljobs found 55% of those who currently wear smart casual to work hope to retain the dress code in their future career, outstripping those hoping for a more sharp-suited approach. Employers want to attract the best and brightest to their business and, as such, need to create an environment that’s comfortable for us, their employees.
But not all the responsibility sits with the employer. When it comes to considering your own workplace wardrobe, here are some top tips: • Your choice of colour can boost
productivity, from trustworthy blues to powerful reds.
• Some studies suggest we associate
jeans with unhappiness – probably best avoided!
• For power dressing, add a blazer
– the perfect smart signature to enhance your look.
• Accessorise intelligently – as well
as a simple but showy statement watch or jewellery item, remember to have a smart notepad and pen ready for on-the-spot ideas.
Your choice of footwear is a great way to make a big statement about how you work. Strong boots, brogues or Doc Martens are bold and characterful choices that connote a cultured yet professional manner. It’s all about what makes you feel comfortable. It comes down to one simple phrase: state of mind. Productivity is not defined by your attire, but corporate culture often can be, and it continues to do so at its peril. We should wear what allows us to best reach our potential in the role, not what the prevailing culture defines. At all levels of industry, perspective is paramount; so long as the work gets done, that’s what matters. http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/31179does-what-you-wear-to-work-affectyour-career
The Henley Centre for Coaching and Behavioural Change is relaunching with a brand new membership offering. The Centre will be the focus of a community of Henley coaching alumni. Members will access: • leading edge thinking around coaching and behavioural change • CPD through supervision and our online knowledge library • priority booking for conferences, events & masterclasses Please join us for a welcome event on Friday 22 April 2016. For information email the Centre manager Viki Rice – victoria.rice@henley.ac.uk
Focus@Henley
11
LISTMANIA
TEN TIPS FOR NEW EXECUTIVES WITH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Adapted from an article by Carl Dickson, Author, trainer, and innovator of techniques for developing business and winning proposals
C
ongratulations – you’ve been promoted or have started your
own company! You’re an executive now. You probably have some experience with business development, sales or proposals, but being in charge of it is another matter. This guide will help you avoid the mistakes that your competitors make
1 Business development is about what you close and not about how many leads you have. Closing requires understanding what it will take to win. 2 For services businesses, the
best competitive advantage is an information advantage, so only bid on leads where you have that information advantage. Otherwise, you are competing purely on price or luck.
3 Relationship marketing doesn’t
work by getting potential customers to like you, but by producing an information advantage.
4 The staff involved in the proposal
process must know what it will take to win the proposal, or they can’t deliver it. You can measure your readiness to win by how well you can answer the questions related to what it will take to win.
5 Don’t debate whether a lead is a
‘good opportunity’ or not, but whether you understand what it will take to win and have an information advantage. Making your meetings about what
12
it takes to win and how to get an information advantage will set the right expectations and help train your staff.
those criteria should be in detail or hasn’t done so before the writing starts, then you’ve got a problem.
6 Make sure you understand how to
9 If you hardly ever cancel a pursuit,
build a funnel or pipeline and the maths related to it. This will help you set the right targets and know what to expect in the future.
7 Be aware of the questions that your proposal team can’t answer on their own, and help them get the answers they need.
8 Don’t allow the proposal review
process to be subjective. Proposal quality should be defined in writing. Reviews should validate specific attributes or criteria. If your organisation can’t articulate what
you’re probably doing something wrong.
10 The best proposals are written from the customer’s perspective. They should not describe your company; they should describe why your company’s qualifications and approaches matter to the customer. You need to understand what matters to the customer in order to achieve this. Adapted from an article by Carl Dickson.
www.henley.ac.uk/executiveeducation
PROFILE
PROFESSOR NADA KORAC KAKABADSE HEAD OF SCHOOL, MARKETING & REPUTATION
Professor Nada Korac Kakabadse
For more about Nada’s academic career, click here
N
ada Kakabadse is, proudly, a very cosmopolitan person, and while the UK has been her home for over 20 years, her roots and influences span the globe.
As a child growing up in central Europe, Nada aspired to be a scientist, and a pilot. Her ambitions then stretched to lunar exploration as an astronaut, and this sense of curiosity was encouraged by her parents.
Leadership at Henley – at an academic conference in New Zealand, she moved to the UK. Here, she focused on exploring leadership capability as it relates to IT systems. In particular, she was interested in looking at how IT is adapted to organisational cultures.
‘My mother was more inclined to art, ’ she recalls, ‘but she always wanted me to be an academic, like my father, and he gave me my love of reading and science.’
Nada’s role grew from being a research fellow with Andrew to that of a senior research fellow, and subsequently a chair at the University of Northampton, before transferring to Henley in July 2013, attracted by the balance of research and teaching, as well as its global reputation.
Nada’s first degree was in maths and computing and her experience spans both private and public sectors in Australia, Canada, Sweden, the Middle East and North Africa. After meeting her future husband, Andrew – now Professor of Governance and
‘I feel very much at home among the international audience at Henley’, says Nada, ‘and I’m very comfortable with the Business School’s collegial approach. I enjoy reading, classical music and taking long walks, so this is a good place for us to be.’
But Nada is very aware of the bigger picture too, and recognises that Henley has to work within the context of cultural trends, including increasing social inequality, changes in our nutrition and health, and some of the downsides that IT advances have created. ‘Being connected doesn’t mean that we’re more productive,’ she observes, ‘as I have done a lot of research into the effects of our addiction to new technology. There’s a real lack of awareness of the practical as well as psychological consequences of this, and more training is needed. We also have to address the amount of sugar and fat in our diet, taking a similar approach as we did with tobacco. With this in mind, I am now researching and consulting on governance, ethics, and policy development and execution.’
So what are Nada’s ambitions for the future of Henley? ‘I want to enhance Henley’s reputation for marketing, director development and how to safeguard and enhance organisational reputation, and to ensure that Henley is perceived as being in the very top strata of management development. I’d like us to be working more closely with the boards of major global organisations and with government, applying our expertise to solve real issues.’
Focus@Henley
13