07/23/2010 02:26:29 PM 
(4) 
(4) The issue of corporate culture is a huge one and it's a big problem for a number of large players.
Here's a story from Fast Company today about Nokia's troubles.
"Many management posts are filled with folks who've been promoted through their incompetence (the classic Peter Principle). While Nokia's R&D is roaring along on rocket-powered roller skates, Risku believes many of the potentially world-beating ideas are ditched by managers who merely don't like them. Or else they are delayed and then tinkered with by unthinking staff to the point that they become flat and boring by the time they become real products."
It suggests to me that there's a market for a new type of agency- a cultural change agency.
This isn't the company you go to when you want to communicate your brands and your image. It isn't the company you go to to tell you how to improve your bottom line by cutting out costs.
It's a new type of company that helps you work out who you are and doesn't walk away, it stays with you; it helps, it motivates, it inspires and it brings the moving parts of the organization together.
Think of this new entity as a entirely new type of agency; one that inspires companies to change and get the best out of themselves by working from the inside out.
Posted by Ed Cotton
Yes.
Your post outlines a vital need for firms across industry. Cisco has been doing this type of work for quite some time, but we could certainly use additional firms that solely focus on this type of work. This Fast Company article talks about it Cisco's approach: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/131/revolution-in-san-jose.html Great post. JNOMICS JNOMICS.TUMBLR.COM
Posted by JNOMICS on 07/23/2010 10:47 PM
Your post outlines a vital need for firms across industry. Cisco has been doing this type of work for quite some time, but we could certainly use additional firms that solely focus on this type of work. This Fast Company article talks about it Cisco's approach: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/131/revolution-in-san-jose.html Great post. JNOMICS JNOMICS.TUMBLR.COM
Posted by JNOMICS on 07/23/2010 10:47 PM
more
Ed, I'm sure you know that "change management" has long been a staple of business school courses and MBA-staffed consulting firms. A very hot topic in the early 1990s, a Google search of books that deal with it currently returns over 100K references. Of course, BSSP has a strategy practice, which is the first step in generating change to manage. And when strategy is much about market positioning, it's not a stretch for advertising agencies to offer that expertise. Ad agencies getting involved in operations processes and product development is a few steps farther away, I'd say. But maybe it makes sense: strong executive management most certainly requires that same mix of skills. So, are you saying that advertising agencies should enter this market segment and compete with traditional consulting firms? Are you proposing some sort of hybrid of advertising agency and management consultancy? If so, how should advertising agencies entering this segment differentiate themselves from the incumbent competitors? Best, Peter
Posted by Peter Loeb on 07/25/2010 03:27 AM
Ed, I'm sure you know that "change management" has long been a staple of business school courses and MBA-staffed consulting firms. A very hot topic in the early 1990s, a Google search of books that deal with it currently returns over 100K references. Of course, BSSP has a strategy practice, which is the first step in generating change to manage. And when strategy is much about market positioning, it's not a stretch for advertising agencies to offer that expertise. Ad agencies getting involved in operations processes and product development is a few steps farther away, I'd say. But maybe it makes sense: strong executive management most certainly requires that same mix of skills. So, are you saying that advertising agencies should enter this market segment and compete with traditional consulting firms? Are you proposing some sort of hybrid of advertising agency and management consultancy? If so, how should advertising agencies entering this segment differentiate themselves from the incumbent competitors? Best, Peter
Posted by Peter Loeb on 07/25/2010 03:27 AM
Cultural Change Agencies
Peter, I have a feeling that there are players who are specializing in this space and they might be under the radar. Certainly, they aren't traditional big tier management consultants and i don't know of an agency that offers these service. It seemed to me that corporations could use some of the thinking that goes into thinking about brand problems and solutions, but done inside of the organization, rather than outside it. This would be highlly differentiating for any one who offers it, but it would require new types of people and a new way of working.
Posted by Ed Cotton on 07/26/2010 07:07 PM
Peter, I have a feeling that there are players who are specializing in this space and they might be under the radar. Certainly, they aren't traditional big tier management consultants and i don't know of an agency that offers these service. It seemed to me that corporations could use some of the thinking that goes into thinking about brand problems and solutions, but done inside of the organization, rather than outside it. This would be highlly differentiating for any one who offers it, but it would require new types of people and a new way of working.
Posted by Ed Cotton on 07/26/2010 07:07 PM
It appears you don't have Flash installed.
The agency would also need to do more than bring the moving parts of an organization together, they may need to have the experience and credibility to change some of the processes and structures that keep old cultures in place. I also imagine that the anthem spot (which doesn't seem to be inspiring consumers as much anymore) may have a place within organizations to inspire employees and humanize business strategies. If an agency could effectively create and maintain positive cultures, clients would have much more confidence trusting their employees to communicate openly with the outside world and transparency wouldn't be a scary word but a competitive advantage.