Group Partners - Business Strategy Manifesto

Manifesto 001

A Declaration Of Intention

The Manifesto

A Better Way Of Thinking About The World And Its Challenges 2

Introduction

Group Partners has long been frustrated with how the world of business works.

We were clients ourselves. We disliked the way we were forced to work with our fellow teams – in carefully designed and governed silos that mapped to a convenient physical structure. We felt that this led to thinking that was often random and mostly fragmented, lacking any useful structure or long-term value.

There never seemed to be a coherent context and it was incredibly hard to link the day-to-day job with a meaningful purpose or associate it with a clear goal As a business ourselves we’re sensitive to how hard this can all be. We know that it’s impossible to think properly without structure – and structure is best represented in a visual and easily translatable form.

Everything we do and every conversation we (in Group Partners) have as a business is translated visually.

Whether this ever sees the light of day or becomes anything more than a sketch on a tablecloth is unimportant; we always work out our thinking with a visual structure to help us see things as holistically and clearly as possible.

Every aspect of our Practice – tools, techniques and programme approaches – evolve in this manner.

The same is true of everything we do for, and with, our clients. Long before they see the value of the logic in our frameworks and develop their own bond with the tools we create for them we are visually ‘engineering’ their complexity – creating systems of value out of complex and disparate elements.

We do this by identifying and connecting the primary ‘dimensions’ of their business. By that we mean anything – internal or external – that represents their ‘system’ within which they operate and that requires alignment, understanding, organisation and nurture.

Many clients comment on how accurately we have ‘got inside their heads’. For us this is an essential step to a better way of thinking

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The Manifesto

Since 2001 We Have Pursued A Single-Minded Idea: That businesses

need to avoid solving the wrong problems really well and fundamentally change the way they think and work

In the early days this was an interesting challenge not simply because the underlying philosophy challenged many traditional models for driving change, but because how we did it was very unusual.

People would say: “You are going to draw a picture of my strategy? Now why would that help?”

At times we’ve been at the mercy of inappropriate comparison – workshop guys, graphic facilitators, management consultants – but luckily for us there were always enlightened folk who thought it was worth giving it a try and thankfully many of them have used us repeatedly to help them facilitate change in their organisation.

We are on a Quest!

Over the years we’ve strengthened, evolved and adapted our approach through countless applications in businesses of all shapes and sizes. The initial idea remains intact but now we have arrived at a significant step in our evolution and as a result we have reached a number of conclusions and refreshed our Manifesto.

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Significant for several reasons We can’t ignore the imperatives – We have learned a lot of things over these twelve years – and like all learnings they have reminded us (repeatedly) about the futility of many of the traditional approaches to business challenges. These lessons have strengthened our determination to change existing models.

There is much more value to be contributed – We have proven that our philosophy and approach works but we’ve been frustrated by the limitations imposed on us. Mostly through the wrong kind of engagement model and/or programme commitments. We have never doubted that there is much more that could be achieved under better conditions.

Our Passion is calling to us – We have had the privilege to work with some amazing organisations that are dedicated to delivering real value and creating positive change in the world. Their commitment and dedication never ceases to inspire us and we are more committed than ever to apply our energy, passion and experience to their causes.

Manifestos change because the world does As a result the primary significance of our latest Manifesto is that we intend to modify the parameters that influence the business we want to be, guide the programmes we deliver as well as the commitments we expect and make. We know that this won’t work for everyone but we do this for good reason and with the best intentions.

2013 marks the year that we shape our Practice around the conditions under which meaningful change will emerge Our Quest will apply equally to humanitarian and commercial endeavours – both will be conducted against the same principles and values. We wholeheartedly believe that one cannot survive without the other – and a greater emphasis on creating meaningful value, regardless of purpose will flow consistently through everything we do.

As we build the context behind the Manifesto and socialise these messages more widely we will turn our attention to programmes we believe will receive the right level of commitment to deliver meaningful outcomes – and we decline those who do not show the right level of commitment with transparency and respect for our clients.

In parallel we are sharpening the way we work with members of our extended network. It is completely against our philosophy to inflict other commitments on our clients that will not resolve their issues and so we will only endorse partnerships when the time is right, there is a genuine need for specific expertise and our clients require this help.

To do otherwise simply compromises the first part of our aim – not solving the wrong problems really well.

This manifesto explains why we have arrived at this point and what we will be focused on for the next chapter of Group Partners.

We hope you find the following valuable and of course we hope you buy into the ideas contained within it.

The last twelve years have taught us another important thing as well – that this won’t be the final chapter nor the last time we evolve our thinking.

We hope to see you on the journey with us – clients and partners.

John Caswell CEO & Founder

Hazel Tiffany Practice & Portfolio

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The Manifesto

The View From Our Hilltop It’s impossible to ignore what’s going on around us and yet we seem very capable of doing just that. Too many of us are taking a ‘head in the sand’ attitude, a belief that everything will just get better on its own or someone else will fix things. Well, we’ve looked at just some of the issues that affect us all as businesses and societies around the world.

There seems to be a lack of meaningful and determined effort in everything from defining that inspiring vision, to genuine engagement with the workforce and successful execution of strategy.

Nothing tangible or deliberate against which to align capability and mobilise the people building it. And very little time spent understanding, engaging and empowering those who are going to put their shoulders behind it.

And so we compromise. We look for the quick wins, the easy fixes. We stick plasters over open wounds without testing whether that wound needs a deeper examination. We look for the simple solution.

“Compromise is a stalling between two fools.” Stephen Fry

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Why is that?

Is it really too difficult?

Is it because we never get to the high-hanging fruit?

Is it that tough to engage more widely in these conversations?

Are we afraid of making mistakes in front of our peers; the whole business?

Is it that we lack the leadership, the information or even the talent to think and plan, design and engineer the journey to a better construction?

Have we just reached a point of complexity that has made everything simply unmanageable?

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The Recurring Questions It’s not that difficult to spot the repetitive nature of the debate. Everyone is talking about the challenges we face. From the big-ticket items like energy, climate, education and feeding the world to business stability, changing consumer trends and the inability to forecast the next big thing With so much cynicism over financial corruption, political dysfunction and societal unrest, who is prepared to come through to lead communities out of the troubles we face – and what type of leaders do we need today?

In what way do we need to rethink our business models so as to embrace and adapt to modern-day patterns of consumption and attitude?

How should business reinvent the way it thinks about what it needs to do – how should it operate to justify its place in the marketplace? And how can business give something back to the communities it serves?

Can we create new capability of thinking and managing the ever more complex networks of resource and culture, inspiration and behaviour – achieving the level of congruence needed for our ‘systems’ to work in harmony?

How can the businesses of the future gain a better appreciation and understanding of how to embrace new tools and technologies quickly enough to harness the opportunity that’s available to them?

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The Manifesto

On these few questions alone there’s a series of fundamental tensions and conundrums that add yet more spice to the mix.

Within these somewhat subjective perspectives you will have your own prejudices, belief systems and points of view but these are our genuine reflections and observations of the environment we are all struggling with

A World Full Of Opposing Ideals And Ambiguity A Frustrated Society?

Profit At All Costs?

In the West there’s both an increasing societal urge for authenticity and integrity in a commercially driven world. And a pride and status for the leader who achieves the profit required

by Wall Street.

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There’s an increasing social and environmental concern within systems designed purely to create commercial gain to the exclusion of people and the environment. But there appear to be few direct ways to change the system other than through activism or long-term behavioural change.

An Implicated Media?

There’s a goldfish bowl of media attention creating a high-risk environment for leaders to drive change or for businesses to explore real differentiation. The media itself is under pressure to conform at the same time as the web enables reporting and pressure of an even more disparate nature. Does the more fragmented nature of these media voices reduce the likelihood of wholesale change or not?

The Holy Grail?

An increasing technological divide between the haves and the have-nots at the same time as technology is enabling massive advances for the new worlds we see emerging – coupled with the opportunity that it gives to the underprivileged. What does that mean to global audiences?

Mind The Gap?

There’s a growing polarisation of the wealthy and the poor.

This creates conflict and resentment at the same time as it becomes easier to identify the nature and reality of these inequities.

A Life of Convenience?

Mass consumption is increased by the spread of more and more global franchises turning our streets into carbon copies while at the same time we see growing dissatisfaction with the lack of personal touch and poor quality of experience.

A Crisis of Identity?

Globalisation has led to clashes of culture in many cases and an increasing blandness of communities in others.

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The Manifesto

A Quest For Resilience Over the years we have developed our own viewpoints when it comes to the way we need to address these questions within the complexity that most businesses wrestle with daily.

Pick a word, any word that describes the ambitions every business has. There are some real winners. Profitable?

Higher Margins? Lower Costs?

We often hear the cries for – Differentiation. Quality. Performance.

Agility. Growth. Efficiency. Indeed they could all be on the list. Knowing what the next big thing might be and being ever ready to respond quickly when a new trend emerges or a new curve ball heads its way.

Typically this boils down to needing to be able to adapt, to be agile and as a result stay ahead.

To Be More Resilient If it were easy to achieve any of them then more companies would be far more successful. Well, we have thought long and hard about this phenomenon and why these words are not really the right way to think or even the right things to aim for.

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So, How Might We Engineer A More Resilient Future?

Without the great engineering minds where would humanity be? No movement across territories. No security or safe housing for our people. No methods of communication. We would starve.

Since the dawning of man every community on Earth has had to consider the design of their environment in order to survive and make progress. Every society has had to reflect on what makes it work, how it will defend itself and how it will thrive within the context within which it exists.

It seems counter intuitive that in the ‘business’ world so little time is spent thinking about these things. People seem too busy focused on short-term action and reacting to what is going on rather than understanding the dynamics and creating better plans. Everything is too open to the idea of good enough...

“I can accept anything, except what seems to be the easiest for most people: the half-way, the almost, the just-about, the in-between.” Ayn Rand

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The Manifesto

We Do Have A Point Of View Yes, we are obsessively neutral when it comes to anticipating outcomes or solutions, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a point of view on how to deal with challenges and opportunities. Our Practice and its tools and techniques is built on these points of view We believe:

Impartiality and solution neutrality is the core ingredient of solving the critical challenges of the world.

In creativity at every stage – inspiring, innovating and facilitating people to believe in themselves and make the required adjustments.

Whole-systems thinking must be applied to every challenge.

(To avoid solving the wrong problems really well.)

Visualisation is one of the most important dimensions of this era. Speeding up and clarifying the transfer of understanding to wider stakeholders.

Creating clear definition and meaning of the language and taxonomy used between people are vital to ensuring a low-risk outcome and the purposeful exchange of value.

All the resources and advisory relationships (partnerships) need to share the spirit and appreciation of these dimensions for progress and successful outcomes.

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We believe in being true to these key ideas and at the same time true to ourselves We’ve arrived at a place where we know what is required to deliver real value. In order to create progress or increase performance it relies on us being able to apply our approach in the way we know will create value. It is common sense. It is logical but if we cannot get the right level of agreement with our clients and partners then how can we possibly make a difference?

The question is what are we all doing about it? And who is willing to really take ownership and responsibility for playing a part in changing the way we think and work? Isn’t it about time we stopped pointing the finger at others?

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The Manifesto

For a long time we have been forced to compromise.

We intend to change the game and be as resilient as a business ourselves while helping our clients to achieve their version of resilience.

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The Manifesto Group Partners July 2013

Group Partners 109 Farringdon Road London EC1R 3BW

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