Together, we deliver breakthrough and accelerated business performance by using design and innovation methods
prescription & latitude
Boards and company leaders have always had a number of different ways to grow their businesses and deciding on an approach which satisfies stakeholders, exploits market opportunities, outperforms competitors and leverages the accumulated assets, whilst keeping customers happy is a perennial conundrum. Here’s one such example…
Our recent discussions with a well thought of technology business, making sales of circa. £150m p.a. from designing and manufacturing specialist machines and equipment for a variety of sectors have highlighted some of the key challenges and questions the Board faces as it continues to guide the company on a path of sustained, profitable growth. Here’s a summary;
- Through recent acquisitions the company has bolstered their capability and capacity but how do they go on to realise the maximum value from its newly-acquired talent to ensure the output is greater-than-the-sum-of-the-parts?
- The rate of innovation, together with the productivity and wellbeing of their R&D function, will be the foundations from which the company can achieve sustainable competitive advantage. How do you organise, deploy and manage these resources to maximum effect as competition intensifies and new entrants have the luxury of moving quickly in ever-changing markets?
- How can company’s leaders foster a culture and ways of working which encourage an internal self-confidence and perception of R&D that matches the outside world’s perception of them?
- How can departmental heads improve the cross-fertilisation between internal disciplines, previous experience, technologies, their supply-chain and, therefore, realise better productivity and ROI attributable to the R&D function?
- R&D leadership has been formalised with the recruitment of a ‘Head of Engineering’ from a large multinational who has introduced tighter controls as a way of managing and controlling R&D productivity and output. But can they find a sustainable balance between applying proven NPI-management processes whilst still nurturing the confidence, freedom and flexibility to explore ideas generated by the natural curiosity and creativity of their R&D teams?
- How can the layout of their existing building, together with the construction of a new building, and within it an innovation space, help to encourage improved R&D productivity and equally reflect and promote the status of innovation?
- Brand strategy and business strategy are rapidly converging and the most sophisticated companies are already using brand strategies to lead their business strategy thinking. How well defined are their brand and commercial strategies to deliver stronger business performance?
Does any of this sound familiar?
