Newsletter Volume 9
OUR NEWS & INSIGHTS ON Q... Globalisation has been given a kick in the shins by voters on both sides of the Atlantic. ‘Change is unpredictable’. Yet, so many people were shocked by the unpredictability of Brexit and the US presidential election. Businesses have embraced digital technology, found cheaper ways of manufacturing goods, and have taken advantage of off-shoring various business functions. Employees, displaced by these developments, have felt let down and disenfranchised. Sixty percent of projects that Q5 support involve some form of ‘globalisation’ – be it organisation restructuring or designing and implementing ‘digital’ ways of working. But, change also brings opportunity. Q5 itself grew out of a frustration with the way the Big 5 consulting firms had evolved in the ‘90s and ‘00s. Many business leaders began reacting against oversell - ‘you will need forty consultants for the next 18 months’. Too many change projects were going off track. Q5 seized on this sentiment. We wanted to build a firm that became the authority on ‘change.’ We wanted clients to think of Q5 first, when they needed ‘to make change happen effectively’. We’d partner with our clients (not ‘do’ to them). We’d mobilise small, highly capable teams. We’d work on a fixed fee to a fixed brief wherever possible. Since 2009, Q5 has grown at an annualised rate of 60%. We serve about 70 different client organisations a year, from our offices in London, New York, Sydney and Hong Kong. Our projects last from 3 weeks to 12 months.
Hitas dem. Itatent fugiatis pero consequ atecum imin porro esciet aut aut invellature. It’s a given that Q5ers are deeply experienced in organisation design, process design, strategy implementation and change management. One differentiator - at least to Big 5 firms - is that every Q5er is immersed in the ‘rhythm’ of business. They oversee P&L. They manage cashflow. They know what a ‘debtor day’ is. They care about the commercial success of your organisation, and the reputation and performance of our own. Will business leaders turn their backs on globalisation? This is very unlikely in a digital economy, whatever politicians say. However, we do, as business leaders, have a responsibility to think wisely and compassionately about the people in the organisations we lead and the markets we serve. We need to be circumspect in the way we support those people who are dislocated by our corporate decision-making. If we want our businesses to enhance their influence and reputation, we must support and develop those who are most impacted by business change. Business has a pivotal role to play in society. Q5 will continue to work with business leaders to support the communities that are most disrupted by change, building new skills and capabilities. We hope you enjoy this newsletter. It offers a few glimpses of the work we do. We’d love to hear from you.
Olly Purnell, Managing Partner