Become a PowerPoint Guru by Dave Tracy
Learn the methodologies, frameworks, and tricks used by Management Consultants to create executive presentations in the business world.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizations to rapidly adopt virtual work environments, making it the new norm in the Digital Transformation process. Digital Collaboration Platforms have been pivotal in the current scenario and have forever changed the work environment to include Virtual Work and Digital Facilitation.
Digital Collaboration Platforms provide a combination of activities in one place, making meetings almost trouble-free. These platforms take leverage of tools to help perform activities, such as:
- Create agendas and conduct pre-engagement communication
- Documentation and note-taking
- File storage and documents sharing (videos, images)
- Administer surveys / polls
- Chat with facilitator-specific features (anonymize, voting, hide comments)
- Conduct assignments and exams
- Booking system and timer
- Post-engagement discussions and follow-up tasks
However, Digital Facilitation has its own set of challenges, principles, and methods that are to be managed for the future work environment to run smoothly. Digital Facilitation Methods vary from simple to very complex and there is an abundance of them. The following 3 methods are quite popular in facilitating asynchronous and synchronous Digital Collaboration:
- Double Diamond
- Open Space
- Sociocracy 3.0
Let us examine the 3 Digital Facilitation Methods more deeply.
Double Diamond
It is a structured method to Digital Facilitation that is useful in problem solving and idea generation. The method tackles challenges in 4 key phases—Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. The Double Diamond method employs the divergent thinking first—to open up the participants to share as much as possible without limiting ideas. The method then utilizes convergent thinking to focus on narrowing down the problems, finding potential solutions to the problem, and implementing the most viable solution(s).
Potential solutions and ideas can be prioritized and filtered using Digital Collaboration Platforms’ features, i.e., polls, likes, or assigning scores. All project phases can be documented on the go, in a single Digital Facilitation workspace and the same workspace can be used to continue the delivery phase.
Open Space
The Open Space Digital Facilitation method is designed for self-organization, inclusivity, and emergent agendas. The method focuses on finding important elements through discussions facilitated by Digital Collaboration Platforms in order to improve further. The Open Space method is governed by the “Law of Two Feet,” which states that if at any time you find yourself in a situation where you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet and go somewhere else where you can.
In this method, a collaboration session starts without an agenda, but the process is designed to ensure that the issues that are most important to the people involved will surface and become part of the agenda. This is done by inviting participants to propose topics as chat comments utilizing Digital Facilitation Platforms. Other participants ‘like’ a comment (topic) to show their interest or prioritize by using voting or polling features. The facilitator then organizes the topics by likes or votes and decide how many topics will be covered in a given session. A loose agenda is then created and host of each topic is assigned. Booking feature of the Digital Facilitation Platforms can be utilized for choosing which topic participants will start with. A separate page within a Digital Facilitation Platform workspace can be dedicated to each topic, to document everything and add instructions, videos, or any other files. Video conferencing tool of the Platform can be used side-by-side.
Sociocracy 3.0
This Digital Facilitation method goes a step further in problem-solving than other approaches. As the name suggest, Sociocracy 3.0 method puts everyone really behind an idea and necessitates consent of all the participants for it to work.
Interested in learning more about Sociocracy 3.0 and the other Digital Facilitation Methods and Digital Collaboration tools? You can download an editable PowerPoint on Digital Facilitation Methods here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
Do You Find Value in This Framework?
You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:
“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”
– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects
“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”
– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
Cut-throat competition in industries has driven companies to find ways to reduce costs while increasing efficiency. To accomplish this, most companies have skillfully endeavored to streamline Sales, Operations Planning, Forecasting, Inventory Management, and Logistics.
One area that has still not grabbed industry’s attention is out-bound Supply Chain Management–from packaging to final delivery. Companies generally neglect Supply Chain simply because they do not consider it their core competency.
Significant Cost Reduction in the Supply Chain can be achieved by focusing on 2 main cost categories:
- Warehousing Costs
- Transportation Costs
Warehousing and Transportation represent a significant portion of the total Logistics costs. Implementing improvement programs, without any significant capital investments, can enable 20-50% cost saving in Warehousing, 40% in Transportation costs, flexibility, and better service.
Supply Chain Cost Reduction in Transportation and Warehousing has vast potential, not only in terms of costs, but also Process Improvement using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) techniques.
The approach to Supply Chain Cost Reduction in Warehousing encompasses 3 phases:
- Set the Baseline
- Determine the Gap
- Implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS)
Meticulous and persistent application of Lean Management and Six Sigma techniques is at the core of reshaping Warehousing Operations and eradicating sources of waste, variability, and inflexibility. This article is an overview of the 6 building blocks used in Implementing Lean Six Sigma (LSS)—the 3rd phase of the approach to Supply Chain Cost Reduction in Warehousing:
- Business Processes
- People
- Performance Management
- Third Party Interactions
- Layout
- Ownership
Let us dive a little deeper into some of the building blocks.
Business Processes
Business Processes present a huge opportunity for improvement by eliminating redundancies and sources of waste in Warehouse operations (e.g., unnecessary motion or double-handling in Manufacturing). Each source of waste represents extra costs and inflexibility that can be reduced or eliminated.
Business Process Improvement can help reduce:
- Handling steps
- Motion
- Transportation
- Space requirements
- Effort
- Time spent
People
This building block of Implementing Lean Six Sigma aims at avoiding overstaffing of full-time employees and at the same time maintaining a well-trained, efficient workforce.
Streamlining this building block leverages the following benefits to organizations:
- Refined Recruitment process reduces Employee Turnover.
- Facilities can more closely match on-site staffing to demand by reducing notice periods.
- Efficiency can be raised by about 15% through regular training.
- Overstaffing of full-time employees can be avoided.
- Productivity can be improved by 5-10% by focusing on appropriate facets of Performance during training.
Performance Management
This building block aims at using existing Performance Management levers to improve Employee Performance through morale boosting and awareness exercises. A laser-focus on the performance element helps the leadership achieve the following benefits:
- Constant reminders and display of current performance give employees a sense of competition and drive.
- Quick daily discussions highlight the significance of good performance and helps employees focus on essential aspects of their work.
- Productivity is improved up to 20% by linking pay to performance.
- Real-time feedback supports pay-related performance.
- Measuring and rewarding the “softer” elements has long-term benefits.
- Recognizing employee of the month can increase staff satisfaction.
Given the existing industry cost and performance demands, wasteful or unpredictable Warehouse operations lose more than money. This can do rapid and permanent harm to a company’s reputation with customers since distribution is the logistical interface with the customer.
Improving Warehouse Operations is a significant area not only for Cost Reduction, but also a source of refining Customer Value Proposition.
Interested in learning more about Supply Chain Cost Reduction in Warehousing and Lean Six Sigma? You can download an editable PowerPoint on Supply Chain Cost Reduction: Warehousing here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
Want to Achieve Excellence in Supply Chain Management (SCM)?
Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Supply Chain Management (SCM). Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.
Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of Supply Chain activities. It also captures the management of the flow of goods and services.
In February of 2020, COVID-19 disrupted—and in many cases halted—global Supply Chains, revealing just how fragile they have become. By April, many countries experienced declines of over 40% in domestic and international trade.
COVID-19 has likewise changed how Supply Chain Executives approach and think about SCM. In the pre-COVID-19 era of globalization, the objective was to be Lean and Cost-effective. In the post-COVID-19 world, companies must now focus on making their Supply Chains Resilient, Agile, and Smart. Additional trends include Digitization, Sustainability, and Manufacturing Reshoring.
Learn about our Supply Chain Management (SCM) Best Practice Frameworks here.
Do You Find Value in This Framework?
You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:
“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”
– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects
“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”
– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
Strategy is about the methods used to attain goals. It’s the “how” of achieving goals—desired future conditions and circumstances towards which effort and resources are spent until their achievement.
If Strategy has any meaning at all, it is in relation to some aim or end in view.
Strategy is 1 of the 4 dimensions of an enterprise structure:
- Goals of the organization.
- Resources at our disposal.
- Strategies for achieving above-mentioned goals –i.e., the methods used to deploy the resources.
- Tactics—i.e., the ways in which the deployed resources are used.
Strategy and tactics – integral part of Strategy Development – bridge the gap between goals and the methods used to achieve those goals. These 4 dimensions of enterprise structure relate to one or both of the 2 domains; Policy and Management. Policies determine the goals of an enterprise, whereas attaining goals is typically a matter of Management. Tactics belong to the managers; strategy is the combined realm of the governors and managers; whereas resources are controlled jointly.
The employed resources through use of Strategies and Tactics give us “certain” conditions. Inspecting them in light of the “desired” conditions enables us to determine future employment of the resources and thus emerges a pattern of actions and decisions which makes Strategy an adaptive and evolving view of what is required, to achieve goals.
We take a look at various perspectives on and definitions of Strategy, as explained by 8 of the most impactful and renowned Strategists in modern times. Familiarity with the perspectives of these strategists enables us to develop a more holistic and thorough understanding of the topic, helping us improve our strategic thinking, decision making, and analytical skills. All of these experts agree on the fact that Strategy is a means to implement a policy or a view envisioned by those who matter. Let’s see how the following strategists define Strategy:
- Michael Porter
- Henry Mintzberg
- Treacy and Wiersema
- H. Liddell Hart
- George Steiner
- Kenneth Andrews
- Kepner-Tregoe
- Michel Robert
Let’s break down how a few of these renown strategists define “Strategy.”
Michael Porter
Michael Porter, the father of modern Business Strategy, views Competitive Strategy as “intentionally opting a collection of activities that are dissimilar to the competitors in order to provide a unique mix of value”– i.e. Competitive Advantage. Porter states that Strategy is about:
- A competitive position.
- Differentiating yourself in the eyes of the customer.
- Adding value through a collection of activities different from competitors.
Henry Mintzberg
Mintzberg is credited with co-creating the Organigraph. He has written extensively on management and business Strategy. His contribution to Organizational Theory in the form of “The Organizational Configurations Framework” is a model that describes 6 valid organizational configurations or Organizational Design.
Mintzberg argues that the contrast of changing realities with intentions necessitates accommodation, generating Strategy. According to him Strategy is a combination of:
- The Perspective – Vision and Direction.
- The Position – Decisions to offer particular products or services in particular markets.
- The Plan – a means of getting from here to there.
- A Pattern in actions over time – for example, a company that regularly markets very expensive products is using a “high end” Strategy.
Treacy and Wiersema
Treacy and Wiersema’s Value Discipline Model talks about 3 different value disciplines: Customer Intimacy, Product Leadership, and Operational Excellence. Their research on market leading organizations reveals that they outdid their competitors through mastering 1 of these 3 disciplines.
Treacy and Wiersema assert that companies achieve leadership positions by narrowing, not broadening, their business focus on any one of the following:
- Operational Excellence – lead the industry in terms of price and convenience and is based on the Strategy of production and delivery of products or services. It implies world-class marketing, manufacturing, and distribution processes.
- Customer Intimacy – Long-term customer loyalty and customer profitability is based on the Strategy of tailoring and shaping products to the increasingly fine definitions of Customer-centric Design.
- Product Leadership – concentrates on quick commercialization of new ideas. It hinges on market-focused R&D as well as organizational nimbleness and agility.
Interested in learning more about the 8 definitions of Strategy? You can download an editable PowerPoint on 8 Perspectives on Strategy here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
Want to Achieve Excellence in Strategy Development?
Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Strategy Development. Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.
“Strategy without Tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without Strategy is the noise before defeat.” – Sun Tzu
For effective Strategy Development and Strategic Planning, we must master both Strategy and Tactics. Our frameworks cover all phases of Strategy, from Strategy Design and Formulation to Strategy Deployment and Execution; as well as all levels of Strategy, from Corporate Strategy to Business Strategy to “Tactical” Strategy. Many of these methodologies are authored by global strategy consulting firms and have been successfully implemented at their Fortune 100 client organizations.
These frameworks include Porter’s Five Forces, BCG Growth-Share Matrix, Greiner’s Growth Model, Capabilities-driven Strategy (CDS), Business Model Innovation (BMI), Value Chain Analysis (VCA), Endgame Niche Strategies, Value Patterns, Integrated Strategy Model for Value Creation, Scenario Planning, to name a few.
Learn about our Strategy Development Best Practice Frameworks here.
Do You Find Value in This Framework?
You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:
“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”
– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects
“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”
– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
Warehousing costs at most firms are extraordinarily higher than they ought to be. Across the world, organizations spend around €300 billion annually on Warehouse Management. With the boom in online retail stores and the increasing complexity of Supply Chain Management, this spending is going to surge further.
The leadership at these organizations understands that they should spend less on Warehousing operations, but is not aware of the real costs associated with it. Most leaders are unable to tell how much is their human resources cost per facility.
Lack of appreciation of true Warehousing operations costs is one of the main reasons for failure of most Business Transformation programs. Without this knowledge, the leadership is unable to comprehend where the improvement areas lie and how much value creation can be achieved from those.
Ascertaining these costs warrants a clear approach, which many organizations lack. Most firms inquire about their operational costs from 3rd party Logistics (3PL) providers—by soliciting requests for quotations (RFQs). However, this does not give an idea of what these principal activities really cost. The most common approaches to Warehouse costing include:
Benchmarking
The Benchmarking method uses a top-down approach to analyze costs based on industry benchmarks. However, accessibility of benchmarks at lower levels is hard to access, since benchmarks available for comparison are predominantly at high levels—e.g., Total Warehouse Cost as a proportion of Cost of Goods Sold. Industry Benchmarking fails to take into consideration distinct product or service offerings.
Cleansheet Analysis
Cleansheet (or a Bottom-up Analysis) is a more comprehensive method to estimate Warehousing costs. It is a numerical approach to ascertain precise costs of critical components of Warehousing operations, including facility spread out, workforce, and equipment. This method facilitates in understanding where the cost exceeds and how it can be eliminated.
The focus of the Cleansheet Analysis is on determining the lowest possible cost of each major element, and comparing it with the actual cost being paid. Identifying the lowest costs of major elements allows the organization to determine the most problematic areas and confront major cost inconsistencies.
The Cleansheet Analysis comprises of 3 main steps:
- Ascertain Critical Parameters
- Perform Bottom-up Calculations
- Determine Ideal Throughput Metrics
Let’s dig a bit deeper into the initial step.
Ascertain Critical Parameters
The first step of the Cleansheet Analysis entails scoping the Warehousing facility’s configuration, work, team, volumes, and orders. Specifically, this includes evaluating:
- The workforce, accountability distribution, workloads.
- The actual warehouse activity levels.
- The volumes.
- The volume drivers—number of SKUs, order patterns, order lines.
Interested in learning more about the steps to using a Cleansheet Analysis? You can download an editable PowerPoint presentation on Warehouse Costing: Cleansheet Analysis here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
Do You Find Value in This Framework?
You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:
“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”
– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects
“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
“As a small business owner, the resource material available from FlevyPro has proven to be invaluable. The ability to search for material on demand based our project events and client requirements was great for me and proved very beneficial to my clients. Importantly, being able to easily edit and tailor the material for specific purposes helped us to make presentations, knowledge sharing, and toolkit development, which formed part of the overall program collateral. While FlevyPro contains resource material that any consultancy, project or delivery firm must have, it is an essential part of a small firm or independent consultant’s toolbox.”
– Michael Duff, Managing Director at Change Strategy (UK)
Employee Engagement has emerged as one of the significant pillars on which the Competitive Advantage, Productivity, and Growth Strategy of an organization rests. Employee Engagement has many facets. To assess an organization’s current status of Employee Engagement, executives need to devise a measurement system. Measuring Employee Engagement is vital in shaping Employee Engagement Strategies that help propel the organization towards growth.
A framework that is quite effective in measuring the existing levels of Employee Engagement and devising strategies based on the individuals’ requirements is the “Employee Engagement Scorecard.”
The Employee Engagement Scorecard comprises of:
- Metrics for each component of Employee Engagement.
- A scale for scoring metrics in each component.
- A comprehensive scorecard that pulls everything together.
The Employee Engagement Scorecard is composed of a number of metrics used to measure the individual employee engagement components. Each metric is based on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being lowest and 5 being highest. The scorecard was developed through an extensive research process involving academic literature reviews and managerial interviews across the world.
The Employee Engagement Scorecard categorizes engagement scores into 4 groups:
Score of 20 to 39 – Low Engagement Level
Indicates that individual components—e.g., Employee Satisfaction, Employee Identification, Employee Commitment—should be addressed.
Score of 40 to 59 – Somewhat more Engaged
Implies that some Employee Engagement factors require immediate attention.
Score of 60 to 79 – High Level Engagement
Shows that generally the company would operate smoothly and achieve good results but further improvement is needed for growth.
Score of 80 to 100 – Adherence
Signifies that the company observes Employee Engagement Best Practices and the Employee Engagement is at a very high level giving the company an advantage in growth.
The Employee Engagement Scorecard encompasses 5 guiding principles (or dimensions):
- Enhance Employee Satisfaction
- Promote Employee Identification
- Enhance Employee Commitment
- Ensure Employee Loyalty
- Manage Employee Performance
The 5-dimension Employee Engagement Scorecard has been implemented in 7 countries across the Asian, European and American continents in more than 75 companies. Let us delve a little deeper into the first 2 dimensions of measurement and key actions needed for Strategy Development.
1. Enhance Employee Satisfaction
Valuable time and resources of the organization may be lost because of dissatisfied employees. Dissatisfied employees tend to be unenthusiastic about work, which negatively affects the quality of work.
Various measures by the management can enhance Employee Satisfaction once the metrics are analyzed, i.e.:
- Rearranging roles and responsibilities to correspond effectively with employee skill sets and interests.
- Mentoring employees more actively.
- Developing effective rewards and benefits systems in line with performance.
- Offering flexible work hours.
2. Promote Employee Identification
Identifying with the organization is as vital for growth as is employee satisfaction. A satisfied employee who does not identify with the organization will not be able to embody the organization’s culture and values, and thus will stand out from the ones who do. This creates dissonance in team building activities which are a necessary part of generating new ideas for employee development. In such a scenario, the leadership can encourage employee identification by:
- Offering mentorship programs
- Creating Idea development platforms
- Reinforcing the organizational culture and values, to connect the employees with the organizational culture and nurture growth.
Interested in learning more about the Employee Engagement Measurement & Improvement and the results of its implementation in 75 companies? You can download an editable PowerPoint on Employee Engagement Measurement & Improvement here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
Want to Achieve Excellence in Human Resource Management (HRM)?
Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Human Resource Management (HRM). Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.
The purpose of Human Resources (HR) is to ensure our organization achieves success through our people. Without the right people in place—at all levels of the organization—we will never be able to execute our Strategy effectively.
This begs the question: Does your organization view HR as a support function or a strategic one? Research shows leading organizations leverage HR as a strategic function, one that both supports and drives the organization’s Strategy. In fact, having strong HRM capabilities is a source of Competitive Advantage.
This has never been more true than right now in the Digital Age, as organizations must compete for specialized talent to drive forward their Digital Transformation Strategies. Beyond just hiring and selection, HR also plays the critical role in retaining talent—by keeping people engaged, motivated, and happy.
Learn about our Human Resource Management (HRM) Best Practice Frameworks here.
Do You Find Value in This Framework?
You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:
“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”
– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects
“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”
– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
Today’s information-based, knowledge intensive, and service-driven economy has forced organizations to make substantial changes to the way they compete. Changing perspective and responsibility of top management amidst rapid Business and Digital Transformation and the shifting role of HR from being an auxiliary function to that of a driver are some of the dynamics of the evolved competition.
This evolution of Competition has been reached by passing through 3 phases:
- Competition for Products & Markets
- Competition for Resources & Competencies
- Competition for Talent & Dreams
Throughout the evolutionary phases of competition, the focus of Growth Strategy, the tools used, and the key strategic resources have been shifting. The strategic objective of front-running organizations is on continuous evolution and Transformation, and motivated Human Capital is their key resource. This realization is now at the forefront of Strategy Development as competition for scarce Talented Human Resources becomes more intense. However, modern-day managers are still using old tools to deal with an emerging reality.
Dexterity in leadership and management is a prerequisite for leaders now. Research suggests that the 3 important changes that the CEOs must make in terms of their strategic perspective are in:
- Strategic Resources
- Value Creation and Distribution
- Role of Senior Leadership
More on this topic in our editable PowerPoint presentation on Strategic Human Resources.
With the fast-changing focus in Strategy, Human Resource Managers are finding themselves leading the strategic charge. However, a large majority is ill prepared for the role. With Human Capital becoming key strategic resource and basis of Competitive Advantage, HR must adopt 3 core processes to evolve into the strategic HR function that has become their new realm:
- Building
- Linking
- Bonding
Let us delve into the first 2 core processes to strategic HR function in a little more detail.
1. Building
The first core process of Building is all about creating human resource systems, processes, and culture to counter the deep-rooted bias towards financial assets and recognize the value of Human Capital. For instance, Microsoft annually scans the entire pool of 25,000 U.S. computer science graduates for the best 500 to be given offers, of which 400 – top 2% of that year’s graduates – accept. This only fills 20% of the positions. For the rest, Microsoft maintains industry linkages with 300 recruiting experts who scour the industry for the best and the brightest individuals, often wooing them for years.
2. Linking
Developing Knowledge Sharing Networks is core to leveraging Human Capital. Converting individual expertise into embedded intellectual capital is what linking is all about. For example, British Petroleum in the 1990s introduced the Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning program. The main feature of the program was the “Peer Assist” where frontline workers in one location would help solve a problem for workers in another location without the usual hierarchy intervening. Peer Assist was augmented by the “Peer Groups” of business units—i.e. business units engaged in the same assisting activities as frontline individuals. This way managers of decentralized operations compare experiences and share ideas. Once this Information Sharing Network took root it was supported by setting up information-sharing infrastructure – e.g., video conferencing, chat rooms, video clip encoders etc.
Interested in learning more about the details of the 3 Core Processes required to evolve your HR into a strategic HR function and Key Actions needed to implement these? You can download an editable PowerPoint presentation on Strategic Human Resources here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
Want to Achieve Excellence in Human Resource Management (HRM)?
Gain the knowledge and develop the expertise to become an expert in Human Resource Management (HRM). Our frameworks are based on the thought leadership of leading consulting firms, academics, and recognized subject matter experts. Click here for full details.
The purpose of Human Resources (HR) is to ensure our organization achieves success through our people. Without the right people in place—at all levels of the organization—we will never be able to execute our Strategy effectively.
This begs the question: Does your organization view HR as a support function or a strategic one? Research shows leading organizations leverage HR as a strategic function, one that both supports and drives the organization’s Strategy. In fact, having strong HRM capabilities is a source of Competitive Advantage.
This has never been more true than right now in the Digital Age, as organizations must compete for specialized talent to drive forward their Digital Transformation Strategies. Beyond just hiring and selection, HR also plays the critical role in retaining talent—by keeping people engaged, motivated, and happy.
Learn about our Human Resource Management (HRM) Best Practice Frameworks here.
Do You Find Value in This Framework?
You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:
“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”
– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects
“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”
– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
The introduction of emerging, digital technologies has ushered in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To keep the competitive advantage in this era of Digital Transformation, leveraging contemporary technology is an absolute necessity. Using cutting-edge technology means not just augmenting, but in fact, revamping the whole Quality outlook.
Quality 4.0 is the complimentary Quality approach to the Industry 4.0 era. Quality 4.0 is about transforming and improving Organizational Culture, collaboration, competency, and Leadership Development among other things through the application of technology.
Quality 4.0 is characterized by:
- Transforming and improving culture, collaboration, competency, and leadership through the application of technology.
- Digital Transformation of Management Systems and compliance.
- Enabling technology and processes necessary to maximize value, resolve customary Quality impediments, and provide innovative solutions.
Quality 4.0 is not just about Digitalization, but more importantly about the impact of that Digitalization on Quality technology, processes, and people.
Companies can use the 11 pillars of Quality 4.0 Framework to identify how the existing capabilities and initiatives can be transformed and then educate, plan, and act accordingly. The framework uses the traditional Quality methods to build upon and improve them. The 11 pillars of Quality 4.0 include:
- Data
- Analytics
- Connectivity
- Collaboration
- App Development
- Scalability
- Management Systems
- Compliance
- Culture
- Leadership
- Competency
The majority of the companies are still not in a position to take leverage of Quality 4.0. This warrants making investments in improving traditional Quality and bringing themselves in a position where they can spring up to use Quality 4.0 to prepare for the future.
There are strong interrelationships between the pillars of Quality 4.0, and adding new capabilities to certain pillars facilitates new applications on other pillars. Let us delve a little deeper into a few of these pillars
1. Data and 2. Analytics
Data and Analytics form the first 2 pillars. Data is key to informed decision making. Most companies are still using fragmented data while the innovating market leaders have progressed to taking leverage of Big Data. Data can be better understood by understanding its 5 components: Volume, Variety, Velocity, Veracity, and Transparency.
Analytics help reveal the insights contained within raw data. Correct metrics are key to uncovering correlations and patterns—meaningful information. Big Data Analytics using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is beneficial if the Analytics Framework—comprising Descriptive, Diagnostic, Predictive, and Prescriptive Analytics—is understood clearly.
3. Connectivity
Connectivity encompasses the link between Business Information Technology—e.g., Enterprise Quality Management Systems (EQMS), Product Life-cycle Management (PLM), Enterprise Resource Planning—and Operational Technology that is used in Manufacturing, Labs, and Services. Connectivity is achieved through abundant and inexpensive sensors providing real-time feedback from Connected People, products, edge devices, and processes.
4. Scalability
Scalability creates uniformity in Quality. It is the ability to harmonize processes, best practices, competencies, and lessons learnt across the organization, be it global. Cloud Computing has played a pivotal role in harnessing scalability by providing Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Solution (PaaS), and connection of databases.
The reality of the future is Quality 4.0. It is being adopted very swiftly. Those who remain unfamiliar with it or are slow to adopt run the risk of being marginalized very quickly.
Interested in learning more about Quality 4.0? You can download an editable PowerPoint on Quality 4.0 here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
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– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
Restructuring becomes essential at some stage in the lifecycle of any organization. In order to emerge triumphant through this tumultuous challenge, it is necessary that the focus remains on the challenges impeding the organization, Strategy Development to tackle the challenges, and prioritizing Strategic Initiatives to deliver radical results that lead the organization to Operational Excellence.
Redeployment is the most significant phase in the Restructuring process. Within Redeployment, the Assessment phase is critical as the revitalization of the whole organization is dependent on correct Assessments and right placement of employees based on those Assessments.
Proper Redeployment Assessment Management is of utmost importance in Restructuring, and it should follow a structured approach, which means managing 5 core areas:
- Manage Assessment Team
- Manage Anxiety Level of Candidates
- Manage Amount of “Deviant Behavior” in the Assessments
- Manage Level of Duplicity, Wild Guessing, and Other Forms of Distortion
- Manage Amount of Feedback and Its Timing after the Event
Managing 5 core areas ensures smooth implementation of the Redeployment Assessment process, which is a major milestone of the Restructuring project.
The Redeployment Assessment process has to be detailed, accurate, and prompt. Due Diligence in documenting the process, verifying particulars, and balance between Rapidity and Accurateness is essential because:
- Organizational requirement to concentrate on post-restructuring environment is intense.
- Employees’ urge to swiftly find out about their future is deep-seated.
- Objections by employee stakeholders, as a consequence of large-scale retrenchment is high.
- Probability of legal recourse by employees is also distinct.
- Future Employee Engagement is dependent on fair Assessment and correct placements.
Assessments are based on Data Integration which involves a complex set of Data Points. Therefore, Data Integration has to follow a strict process for it to be productive. Following guiding principles will help in comprehensive and unbiased Data Integration:
- Behavioral evidence, gathered throughout the assessment, should form the basis of discussion.
- Weightage given to certain competencies should be based on the evidence gathered in assessments.
- Decisions should be derived solely on the basis of evidence.
- Facilitator, who is experienced in integrating assessment data and challenging assessors to support their assessment ratings with behavioral evidence, should be engaged.
- Standards of performance should be very clearly defined against which individuals are assessed and assessment information is integrated.
- To increase consistency, the chair of integration should present at each assessment session.
Grounded on these guiding principles, strict adherence to the following 8 Key Steps can steer the Data Integration phase in the right direction and make it productive:
- List all measures
- Weight all measures
- Identify minimum qualifications
- Create an overall score
- Quality and reality check
- Enter real data
- Review results
- Pool the candidates
Let us look at the first 3 steps in further depth.
1. List all measures
This list includes both qualitative and quantitative aspects, i.e., job performance data as well as the performance measures.
2. Weight all measures
Relevant weightage should be assigned to each measure. Job performance measures normally have more weightage than the potential measures.
3. Identify minimum qualifications
It is important to build checks into the system for anomalies, such as someone scoring overall high while failing to meet the essential criteria. For such eventualities a minimum qualification criterion has to be set.
Interested in learning more about the 8 key steps for Data Integration during Redeployment Assessment Management? You can download an editable PowerPoint on Restructuring: Redeployment Assessment Management here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
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– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
Technological advancement has come a long way. Artificial Intelligence is taking charge of a number of repetitive logistics tasks. Organizations are benefiting from Automation in streamlining their cumbersome processes and cutting down delivery times.
Automation is profoundly affecting the way Logistics are handled. It is disrupting the entire Logistics Supply Chain, not just the warehousing, picking, and sorting functions. The impact of Automation on roads, rails, and ports is immense. Ports are increasingly embracing Automation, but they haven’t yet started getting the return on their investments.
In Logistics, ocean and air shipment has potential for Automation—which is certainly under way—but its effect on enhancing throughput is yet to be seen. Logistics operations are being transformed at quite a pace with new models, concepts, and offerings evolving rapidly. With the current pace of technology evolution, experts believe Logistics operations would be done autonomously in the not too-distant future.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted businesses and industries alike significantly. Businesses are trying to grapple with the ambiguities the situation has presented to them. Automation is being viewed by many Logistics companies to be the only option to prepare for and survive in the future.
Logistics companies are exploring ways to automate their businesses mainly due to 3 trends that are shaping their industry. These 3 trends include:
- Shortage of Labor
- Proliferation of E-commerce
- Advancements in Automation
Let’s talk about these trends in a bit detail.
Shortage of Labor
Labor markets are stiffening globally with lowest unemployment rates and high wages. Online retailers everywhere have a huge demand for skilled workers. This demand rise steeply in the holiday season. A sizable workforce is engaged in Supply Chain related jobs—about 4 million only in the US as packers, handlers, and supervisors in warehouses. This translates to $100 billion in payroll costs. Automation will definitely reduce this cost head. However, it will have implications for the workforce.
Proliferation of E-commerce
Another trend that is affecting the Logistics industry immensely is the explosive growth of E-commerce retailers. The sales of e-tailers are growing at a consistent pace every year. With this trend, the range of products has grown considerably, benefiting the logistics businesses. Logistic companies are making significant profit from this large volume of online shipment orders—saving about $12 to $20 on a sale of $100.
Interested in learning more about the trends that are shaping the Logistics operations? You can download an editable PowerPoint presentation on 3 Trends Driving Logistics Automation here on the Flevy documents marketplace.
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– Michael Duff, Managing Director at Change Strategy (UK)
Reorganization becomes essential at some stage in the lifecycle of any organization. In order to emerge triumphant through this tumultuous challenge, it is necessary that the focus remains on the challenges impeding the organization, thorough Strategic Planning to tackle the challenges, and prioritizing strategic initiatives to deliver effective Business Transformation. Strategic Restructuring has the capability to deliver these results.
When the word “Restructuring” pops up, the foremost idea that comes to mind is achieving Cost Reduction by minimizing payroll costs—predominantly by cutting back on the headcount.
Scores of organizations have suffered because, in the melee of headcount reduction, the most competent employees quickly found opportunities elsewhere, leaving inappropriately competent employees behind, resulting in a crippled organization.
The purpose of Restructuring is to make the organization profitable, efficient, and effective. Headcount reduction should be a consequence of the Restructuring initiative and not the prime objective.
To avoid an outcome that debilitates the organization as a result of Restructuring, it is absolutely essential to keep an eye on the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) while the organization moves through the 4 phases of Strategic Restructuring. Strategic Restructuring’s 5 CSFs include:
- Strategic Focus
- Continuous Communication
- Participative Focus
- Positions before People
- Focus on Competency
Experts suggest envisioning a “Future State” for the organization, to be achieved through a robust Strategy that includes Change Management, implemented by the most competent employees who are redeployed. The rest of the employees either severe ties voluntarily or are laid off—ideally with a good severance package or a job placement, with the organization’s help, somewhere else.
Leadership has to ensure firm resolution in employing these Critical Success Factors in order to establish its role and build a constituency among employees who believe in the need for change. Let’s dig deeper into the 5 CSFs of Strategic Restructuring.
1. Continuous Communication
- Communication is a decisive factor in Strategic Restructuring. Pitfall in this factor is the “need to know” approach. Top-level leadership should be communicating with the whole organization quite frequently.
- Immediate and full disclosure of information builds trust in the management’s actions.
- Repetition is key in getting the message across. Believing that enunciating once is enough, will be erroneous on the leadership’s part.
2. Participative Focus
- Redesign of structure is a bottoms-up job because the information and expertise are dispersed throughout the organization.
- Employees in the thick of the action are in the best position to undertake this effort.
- The management develops the organizational framework and keeps apprising the employees regarding the overall strategy in order to keep the direction true.
- A participative approach to Restructuring assists in building employee morale and engagement levels.
Interested in learning more about the Restructuring’s Critical Success Factors, Transformation Phases, and a Case Study on Restructuring?” You can download an editable PowerPoint on Strategic Restructuring: Critical Success Factors on the Flevy documents marketplace.
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“If you don’t transform your company, you’re stuck.” – Ursula Burns, Chairperson and CEO of VEON; former Chairperson and CEO of Xerox
Business Transformation is the process of fundamentally changing the systems, processes, people, and technology across an entire organization, business unit, or corporate function with the intention of achieving significant improvements in Revenue Growth, Cost Reduction, and/or Customer Satisfaction.
Transformation is pervasive across industries, particularly during times of disruption, as we are witnessing now as a result of COVID-19. However, despite how common these large scale efforts are, research shows that about 75% of these initiatives fail.
Leverage our frameworks to increase your chances of a successful Transformation by following best practices and avoiding failure-causing “Transformation Traps.”
Learn about our Business Transformation Best Practice Frameworks here.
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You can download in-depth presentations on this and hundreds of similar business frameworks from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives. Here’s what some have to say:
“My FlevyPro subscription provides me with the most popular frameworks and decks in demand in today’s market. They not only augment my existing consulting and coaching offerings and delivery, but also keep me abreast of the latest trends, inspire new products and service offerings for my practice, and educate me in a fraction of the time and money of other solutions. I strongly recommend FlevyPro to any consultant serious about success.”
– Bill Branson, Founder at Strategic Business Architects
“As a niche strategic consulting firm, Flevy and FlevyPro frameworks and documents are an on-going reference to help us structure our findings and recommendations to our clients as well as improve their clarity, strength, and visual power. For us, it is an invaluable resource to increase our impact and value.”
– David Coloma, Consulting Area Manager at Cynertia Consulting
“FlevyPro has been a brilliant resource for me, as an independent growth consultant, to access a vast knowledge bank of presentations to support my work with clients. In terms of RoI, the value I received from the very first presentation I downloaded paid for my subscription many times over! The quality of the decks available allows me to punch way above my weight – it’s like having the resources of a Big 4 consultancy at your fingertips at a microscopic fraction of the overhead.”
– Roderick Cameron, Founding Partner at SGFE Ltd
