Benefits

The ValueGroove process helps small to mid-sized organizations address a number of common challenges.

  • How to differentiate offerings to drive sales and avoid commoditization and margin pressure
  • How to attract, energize and retain great people
  • How to innovate for future relevance and growth while running the business day to day
  • How to avoid burnout and achieve some level of work-life balance
  • How to communicate value effectively and engage customers, including via social media, while managing the risks of increased transparency
  • How to do all of the above when resources, especially management bandwidth, are scarce, and many days are consumed with fire-fighting

How ValueGroove delivers these benefits

ValueGroove helps you:

  • Create or confirm a business strategy and roadmap that make sense: that can deliver compelling, sustainable, real value for customers, employees and investors.
  • Build deep, shared understanding, buy-in and commitment to the strategy and key execution issues by engaging all managers in the development of their own goals and plans, aligned with the strategy and roadmap. Establish a structured goals process that drives successful execution of the strategy and that provides clear ownership and accountability for all goals.
  • Establish a structured goals process that drives successful execution of the strategy and that provides clear ownership and accountability for all goals.
  • Focus individuals, teams and the organization as a whole on a proactive agenda, and minimize reactive fire-fighting.
  • Identify both operating and asset goals, as a practical way to achieve excellent results in the current year, while building the foundation for continued superior performance.
  • Create structured, practical opportunities to accelerate learning and adaptation—adaptability, for individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole.  This supports the continuous renewal and relevance of the organization’s value-creation efforts.

ValueGroove versus common management practices

The following table compares the benefits of ValueGroove "Succes Patterns" versus common management practices

Issue

Common Patterns

ValueGroove Success Patterns

1: Roadmap & strategy

Lack of a clear, focused, pressure-tested roadmap and strategy that make fundamental sense from a value creation perspective.

Create or confirm a business strategy and roadmap that makes sense: one that can deliver compelling, sustainable value for customers, employees and investors.

2: Shared clarity & commitment

Lack of a clear, shared understanding among managers and employees regarding the strategy and critical issues.  People inadvertently working at cross-purposes.

Build deep, shared understanding, buy-in and commitment to the strategy and key execution issues by engaging all managers in the development of their own goals and plans, aligned with the strategy and roadmap.

3: Goals, plans & results

Inconsistent planning and execution processes.  Occasional breakthrough planning sessions are not translated into effective action. 

Establish a structured goals process that drives successful execution of the strategy and that provides clear ownership, motivation and accountability for all goals.  This entails setting monthly milestones and weekly action items tied to the strategy and goals, and reviewing results weekly.

4: Taking control of the agenda

The building is always on fire, as managers set and then extinguish the flames.  Much of management’s attention is consumed in reacting to crises.  The company is ultimately driven by circumstances and the agendas of others.

Focus individuals, teams and the organization as a whole on a proactive agenda, and minimize reactive fire-fighting.  The company is driven by the roadmap, strategies, goals, milestones and action items it has chosen.

5: Balancing short & long-term objectives

The company whipsaws between long-term plans and reactive short-term actions.  Concrete actions that advance longer-term goals are constantly being delayed until the current situation is “under control.”

Identify and advance both operating and asset goals, as a practical way to achieve excellent results in the current year, while building the foundation for continued superior performance.

6: Learning & adaptation

Learning is inconsistent.  Many systematic mistakes (or failure patterns) are repeated again and again, which frustrates employees, and makes managers feel that the failure patterns are an inevitable part of the business.

Create structured, practical opportunities to accelerate learning and adaptation—adaptability, for individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole.  This supports the continuous renewal and relevance of the organization’s value-creation efforts, as learning is ultimately the only sustainable advantage.