Releasing the hidden productivity potential Imagine that it is possible to scan or take an X-‐ray of a management team and identify issues that can be easily corrected and will improve the team’s performance with, say, 25%. The subsequent impact on the entire organization would be substantial. It is possible and it takes less time than you think. Try it see for yourself.
150 X-‐rays showed hidden improvement potential Over the past few years we have taken over 175 X-‐rays of management teams. All X-‐ rays revealed a hidden potential that was released very quickly and without major investment. We would now like to test if this potential was specific for the 175 companies who did the analysis on their own initiative, or whether it is general for all types of businesses.
Get a free X-‐ray of your management team
In order to get as many businesses as possible to participate in the study, we are offering a free X-‐ray of your management team. All we need is a list of e-‐mail addresses of the persons to be included in the analysis. Then we will send a web-‐ based questionnaire to each of the participants with 60 questions. Once the questionnaires have been completed our system will prepare a report and calculate an "alignment index" indicating the improvement potential. You will receive the report and can use it as you wish.
You can download a trial copy of a report here: http://issuu.com/tbkconsult/docs/valueperform_x-‐ray_report The cost of scanning
Until recently the cost of organizational scanning were of a magnitude reserving such activity for situations where problems were apparent, critical and out in the
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open. Organizational development projects were mainly undertaken by large organizations involving the big consulting companies. Smaller organizations seldom initiated organizational development projects. The cost level and the drain on organizational resources accompanying such projects made them prohibitive for small and medium-‐sized organizations.
Who is TBK Consult and why do we offer a free X-‐ray?
TBK Consult is an international consulting company. We help software companies grow and become global market leaders. Our vision is to offer our clients tools with which they can quickly and inexpensively improve their productivity by better utilization of existing organizational resources. We believe combining web-‐based questionnaire techniques with the principles of the Balanced Scorecard will meet this objective.
Can we make a living by providing free x-‐rays? No, of course we cannot. We offer the free X-‐ray because we have a reasonable suspicion that there is a hidden potential in virtually all management teams and that our X-‐ray can identify exactly where it is. The more X-‐rays we take, the better we will be able to understand and thus market the potential of our services. Just as a doctor only initiates treatment if the X-‐ray shows "something", we also make a living from the subsequent diagnosis and treatment. Whether an X-‐ray shows "something" or not, none of the participants in this project are required to use us to unlock the potential. The participating companies have full right to use the X-‐rays as they wish, including engaging consultants or advisors who are not related to us.
Can web-‐based questionnaires really replace personal interviews? Not in all situations. There will be nuances that are not captured in even sophisticated and dynamic questionnaires. The main advantage of the web based questionnaire is the huge cost saving. A cost saving of a magnitude of five to ten times compared to a personal interview. Such a saving may well justify the possibility that the 'quality' of such a questionnaire may be slightly diminished. We do not expect that our technique will replace organizational development projects in large companies. Here you will not compromise on the quality provided by the personal interviews. We are, however, convinced that the small and medium-‐
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sized enterprises, which currently do not have the means and the time for such projects, will benefit greatly from the technology.
What questions do you ask our management team?
The 60 questions relate to key strategic issues and priorities in your business. The answers will not reveal your specific strategy or other confidential strategic relationships! The X-‐ray is intended only to illustrate how the members of your management groups perceive these issues formulated in general terms that are applicable to all companies. We will not reveal the specific questions in a public document, but you can get a pretty good idea of the distinctive character from the sample report, which can be downloaded here: http://issuu.com/tbkconsult/docs/valueperform_x-ray_reportl
What will happen after the X-‐ray?
The X-‐rays will illustrate to which extent the company's management team perceives 4 key strategic areas consistently. The X-‐ray will not show whether there is consistency between the management team's perception of the 4 strategic areas and the implementation of its strategy. The company can thus well be in complete agreement about the perception of the 4 strategic areas, but still execute the strategy "wrongly". The company can benefit greatly by implementing a check, which also measures the consistency between the strategic priorities and practical implementation. This "check" is performed with the tool ValuePerform and can be completed in a few days.
What is the Balanced Scorecard?
Balanced Scorecard (BC) is a technique/method used to ensure consistency between a company's strategy and its operational implementation in the organization. BC was developed in the 1990s and has achieved great popularity across the globe. The method combines the management of both financial and non-‐financial objectives and activities. BC includes the basis for the so-‐called "Key Performance Indicators" to keep management informed whether the ongoing activities will ensure that the company manages to achieve financial budgets and other objectives.
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Conditions for participation in "Free X-‐ray" project 1.
All commercial companies with a management team of more than 2 persons may participate in the project. There can be a maximum of 15 participants in the participating team.
2.
Participation is initiated by sending a list of e-‐mail addresses of participants to x-‐ray@tbkconsult.com. TBK Consult confirms participation by sending an orientation e-‐mail to all participants.
3.
A few days after the publication of the orientation e-‐mail we submit an electronic questionnaire with 60 questions to each of the participants. One of the participants must assume the role of top executive (typically the CEO). The top executive must answer a few additional questions.
4.
The deadline for responding is 5 days. After 2 days a reminder will be sent to the participants who have not yet completed the questionnaire and after 4 days another reminder will be sent. After the expiry of the 5-‐day deadline the survey is closed and the report is generated on the basis of the responses provided.
5.
If the top executive has not responded, or if less than 3 people have submitted responses, the report will not be generated.
6.
The report will be sent as a PDF document by e-‐mail to the top executive.
7.
The participants' responses are automatically stored in the questionnaire system (Survey Monkey), which also generates statistics for the X-‐ray report.
8.
If the participants in the study coordinate their responses in advance then the result of the study is worthless for both the company and the project.
9.
TBK Consult will use the answers for statistical purposes, but will not share
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the corporate and personal information with any third party. TBK Consult will use the statistical results from the project for public articles and other material, but will not disclose any information that can be related to the participating companies or individuals. 10. The offer of a “free X-‐ray” applies once for each participating company. If a participating company wants to take additional "X-‐rays" the price is currently €2.125,00 excl. VAT for one X-‐ray with up to 15 participants. 11. If the participating company pursuant to paragraph 5 could not generate an X-‐ray due to non-‐fulfillment, a new "X-‐ray" can be ordered against payment.
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