Is your organization hungry for strategic intent?
We are living and working in an environment that is full of volatility and change. Many organizations are hungry for strategic intent, a term used to describe the intended direction, purpose, and plans that leaders put in place to achieve their organization’s vision.
SIVO Insights helps organizations set their strategic intent, by leading and facilitating the strategic planning process. This strategic planning process can be summarized into three steps. Leaders must:
1. Assess,
2. Align
3. Articulate
STEP 1: ASSESS
Leaders must gather and assess relevant trends, consumer insights, market intelligence and institutional knowledge to answer critical questions across the 5C’s Assessment Framework.
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STEP 2: ALIGN
With this knowledge in hand, leaders participate in a facilitated strategic planning session to review their assessment of the 5C’s, to ideate, prioritize and most importantly, to align on the mission, vision, and values that will carry the organization into the future.
STEP 3: ARTICULATE
Lastly, leaders need to articulate their strategic intent—the vision, mission and values as well as the plan—to employees, collaborators, stakeholders, and in some cases to consumers and customers. This communication needs to happen repeatedly, in multiple forums, in-person or virtually, in internal documentation, as well as, in external communication. Strategic Intent can’t be communicated enough to ensure it is internalized by all parties.
In this time of continuous change, with a refreshed grounding in foundational insights and market intelligence, combined with solid strategic planning (i.e., Assess, Align and Articulate), you can give your organization and your stakeholders what they are hungering for . . . strong strategic intent. Let SIVO help with strategic intent consulting!
Schedule a discovery with SIVO to learn how you and your leadership team can create or re-establish your organization’s strategic intent.
Wondering how to facilitate a strategic planning session? Strategic planning facilitation allows you to gain valuable insights from your organization, create a plan, and build strategies to achieve your goals. These exercises are a vital part of any organization's success, and with SIVO Organizational Intelligence, it has never been easier to create a strong foundation for your business. Explore the benefits of holding a strategic planning session within your team below.
First thing’s first, what is strategic planning? Strategic planning is a process used by organizations to set their short or long-term goals, determine their strengths and weaknesses, and create a blueprint to achieve those goals. It is an opportunity for leadership teams to align their vision, mission, and values and build the company's future plans and strategies. Strategic planning facilitation is the engine to the car that drives plans and strategies.
A strategic plan helps determine an organization's future, ensuring that all employees are working towards the same goals. It helps to prioritize resources and allocate them to areas that will bring the most value to the company. Additionally, it helps organizations identify areas for improvement, stay ahead of the competition, and make data-driven decisions.
So, we know what strategic planning is and we know why it matters -- but what is the best way to implement it? A best practice to gather and leverage insights is to have a third-party facilitator manage and facilitate your your strategic planning. This allows teams to participate in the planning discussion, rather than preparing for and guiding the discussion. Facilitators can also document the discussion as it happens, to focus teams on the topic and guide the discussion toward valuable outcomes.
Diving into this process is no small task. Luckily, with the help of a facilitator it becomes much more manageable because you have someone to handle the preparation, session facilitation, documentation and recap of the plan and outcomes. With an expert facilitator as your guide, you will leave your session with a Strategic Plan that will:
This is your opportunity to bring key leaders in the organization together to discuss the company's future. It helps to align everyone's goals and objectives, so everyone is working towards the same vision. Often, individual team members bring a unique perspective to the planning session. That’s why it’s important to discuss their expectations, the current and potential challenges and opportunities that each leader faces, as well as external market forces that may impact the strategic plan. Discussing these inputs during the session allows the team to address key issues and avoid pitfalls as the plan is being developed.
Strategic planning helps organizations identify areas for improvement and opportunities that will bring the most value to the company. These process-driven decisions can fall to the wayside without a dedicated space to identify internal and external opportunities and build plans to achieve them. . The planning process leads to increased effectiveness, efficiency and a better return on investment.
Strategic planning allows organizations to prioritize their resources, ensuring they are used in the most effective way possible, to achieve the company goals. Expert-led planning exercises can uncover redundancies and slowdowns within current processes. The strategic plan can help to increase efficiency by reprioritizing resources to align with key opportunities.
By having a clear roadmap for the future, leaders can make data-driven decisions that are in line with their goals and objectives. The strategic plan provides focus and clarity and it helps to reduce the risk of making poor decisions that could harm the organization in the long run.
Remaining competitive in your industry requires consistent reevaluation and reimagination. From identifying issues in current workflows, to hearing ideas from team members, to researching emerging trends in your industry and related industries -- there are so many opportunities to enhance your organization and get ahead. This information is used as inputs into the planning session, to help you build a strategic plan that addresses key issues and capitalizes on the best opportunities to grow the business and gain market share.
When employees understand the company's plans and strategies, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to contribute to the organization's success. Chances are, they also have valuable thoughts on areas for opportunity and improvement. That’s why it can be very valuable to include employee insights in the strategic planning process. It can unlock game-changing opportunities that company leaders may have overlooked. Plus, gathering employee feedback can improve company culture and create a positive work environment by improving employee morale.
Strategic planning provides a roadmap for the future, ensuring that everyone in the organization is working towards the same goals. This helps to ensure that the organization remains on track and empowered to achieve its long-term objectives. SIVO’s Organizational Intelligence provides the tools to create a rock-solid plan for your business, so you can execute, and get ahead.
SIVO Organizational Intelligence is a trusted partner for organizations looking to leverage strategic planning. In our strategic planning sessions, SIVO's expert facilitators listen and probe to understand your organization’s needs and goals. Then, we help you develop a comprehensive plan with strategies to grow your business and win in the marketplace.
By working with SIVO, your team can leverage experts with 20 years of experience, across industries and company sizes, in organizational development and strategic planning facilitation. Our strategy and market research firm creates custom solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients.
Could your business benefit from our insights and expertise? Get in touch with our Organizational Intelligence team to schedule a discovery call. SIVO will develop a custom Organizational Intelligence solution that aligns with your needs so you can get ahead.
When you read the news these days, regarding women leaving the workforce, the outlook and reality seem bleak. According to the Wall Street Journal,
“Due to challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis, more than 1-in-4 women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely.”
The White House Fact Sheet, April 21, 2021 also reported,
“There are now 3.7 million fewer women working than there were in February 2020, in large part because of the pandemic, eroding more than 30 years of progress in women’s labor force participation.”
Not only are these the facts, but this has been my reality. I have spent the last decade and a half building a business career in a traditional corporate setting, across Consumer-Packaged Goods companies that span from cereal to mascara. I’ve built a rich network of connections, and grown my skillset to span across sales, marketing, research, and innovation. I’ve invested in my career, but COVID-19 made me re-evaluate where my investment was most needed.
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When the lockdown hit in March of 2020, I added an entire workstream to my day job: manage childcare and distance learning for my two young children. I also lost my part-time nanny, my relief and respite, due to the pandemic. I did not know how I would stay afloat, deliver against my job’s requirements, while also ensuring that my kids got what they needed.
COVID realities created both unreliable childcare and unreliable school days. One exposure could turn any sense of schedule or order upside down. Some of those months went by in a blur. I recognized something had to give. I had to give. I had to make a change for myself and my family. I chose to leave my corporate job to explore something more sustainable for my life.
Fast forward to early spring 2021 and some of the facts and realities haven’t changed all that much. While the nation is becoming hopeful with relaxing Covid restrictions and rise in vaccinations, women have not as readily returned to the workforce. This year, I shifted to the gig economy and started a new career as a Research Strategy Consultant with SIVO’s On-Demand Talent team, a local women-owned agency that really understands what it looks like to do the work you love while also being present for your family.
For me SIVO has been a beacon, offering me a way to continue investing in my career without compromising my family, especially during a pandemic. SIVO is a woman owned and operated business founded on the belief that the world needs more people doing what they love. SIVO recognized 12 years ago there was an overflow of great talent that wanted to work but NEEDED flexibility, especially parents juggling family and childcare demands.
I’ve learned that part of making it ‘work’ as a working mom is to find the type of work that meets your needs. Workplace norms have pivoted to meet marketplace realities. My advice to women is to consider something that fits YOUR lifestyle priorities instead of the other way around.
I love being a part of an organization like SIVO, a company committed to redefining what work looks like. SIVO is helping companies work differently through their On Demand Talent (ODT) practice, which helps fill in resource gaps for short or longer-term engagements. Sometimes a company just needs an extra perspective on a special project, or someone to fill in during a parental leave.
SIVO’s ODT can provide the right talent – at the right time – so that companies can keep moving forward without disrupting workflows or putting additional strain on existing staff. I am currently on an ODT assignment and am loving the opportunity to work on unique business problems while, not only continuing to nurture my professional career, but also be the kind of mom I want to be for my family.
Are you curious what working differently looks like? – just ask. SIVO Insights can help you figure out the best path forward for you or your company to get the resources – and talent – you need. Schedule a discovery call today to get started.
by Cindy Blackstock
In Part 1 of our Jobs Theory series, we described how uncovering the underlying needs and motivations of consumer decisions leads to new opportunities for product innovation, renovation and positioning/messaging. Now let’s dig into the keys to success for Consumer Job Mapping.
“Jobs to Be Done” mapping works for all industries and any products or service to create a competitive advantage for your company or brand. There are a few points to consider when embarking on jobs discovery:
There are multiple ways to understand your consumer: in-home observation, longitudinal diaries, one-on-one interviews, in-context intercepts, etc. The optimal approach should be customized for your objectives and your consumers.
Enlist an experienced researcher to listen and interpret your consumers’ words and behaviours to identify the Job. For example, consumers cannot answer the question “What job are you hiring this face cream for?” Asking the right questions in the right way is key to uncovering hidden motivations.
A jobs map will be comprised of multiple jobs ranging from functional to emotional. Ensure each job has been defined – or structured – with context, motivation, and desired outcome. For example, a consumer statement such as “When (the situation) … I want / need (the motivation) … so I can (outcome).
Go beyond just identifying the job. Use activation sessions to translate the Jobs to address your team’s business goals. For example, mapping competitors against your jobs map identifies “white space” opportunities for new product innovation.
At SIVO, we have successfully helped our clients identify opportunities with Job Mapping including white space and positioning opportunities to win in the market place. Here are a few examples to bring it to life.
Innovate in an existing category
OPPORTUNITY: A food manufacturer wanting to find white space in the hot snack category to grow sales and earn a bigger share of consumers’ wallets.
SIVO APPROACH: We used a multi-phased approach to get a comprehensive view into the lives of their consumers. This included mobile journals, in-home ethnographies, in-store intercepts and product user immersion.
RESULT: With the Jobs Map framework, the client was easily able to identify and prioritize jobs signalling white space opportunities, and that led to the launch of a new and unique product to the hot snacks category.
Communicate with your target
OPPORTUNITY: An apparel supplier needed to more fully understand a new consumer target to develop effective messaging.
SIVO APPROACH: We dug deep with both consumers and the sales team to uncover hidden motivations for apparel purchases. We designed an approach that used online boards to capture longitudinal learning (multiple days of apparel choice) followed with webcam focus groups to dig deeper on what was uncovered during the online board.
RESULT: We learned how the target consumer “hired” her apparel and accessories to convey her personal style. This discovery was then reflected in our client’s Facebook and Instagram posts with a focus on the finer details and accessories that are unique to this apparel brand.
Position your new product
OPPORTUNITY: A tech start-up had developed a training app for athletes and were preparing for their next wave of fundraising. They needed to demonstrate they knew their target consumer and how to communicate with them. The company had a hypothesis around what their target consumer was looking for but needed to be sure.
SIVO APPROACH: We needed to capture the First Moment of Truth when exposed to the app and the Second Moment of Truth after using the app. We combined one on one interviews capturing the immediate reaction to the app, followed by a 2-week diary using the app, then one-on-one interviews to learn about the experience.
RESULT: SIVO uncovered an new consumer job, “I want to train like a pro” which was more compelling than the client’s original positioning for the App. The client shifted the messaging, in their introductory video, to focus on this job.
Are you ready to uncover, activate and deliver on your consumers’ jobs through data-driven product evaluation services? Please reach out to SIVO and we will help you build a Consumer Job Map that is full of opportunities to grow your business!
By Natasha Weith
Market research is often designed to answer specific business questions, such as how a product compares to the competition or what new features consumers desire. While this information helps guide important business decisions, it does not really help brand teams to truly know their consumer target. To connect with consumers on a deeper level, brand teams must move beyond understanding what is in their consumers’ heads (how they think) and delve into what is in their hearts (how they feel and their underlying motivations.)
The Importance of Empathy
Empathy is the key to unlocking this deeper understanding. It is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves not only recognizing what someone else is going through but also being able to emotionally connect with their experience, as if you were in their situation. Empathy fosters compassion, support, and meaningful relationships.
In a business context, it is about going beyond data points or demographic segments to genuinely connect with consumers’ experiences and feelings. By building empathy, marketers and R&D teams can cultivate a more intuitive grasp of consumer needs, enabling them to make decisions that not only meet consumer expectations but anticipate them.
Building Consumer Empathy
Most of the time, marketers are not their own target consumers so they must spend time with them to truly understand their lives, values, hopes, challenges, and behaviors. The goal should be to move through the following spectrum to genuinely empathize with your consumer target.
The Empathy Trek: Walking in Your Consumer’s Shoes
Building consumer empathy requires more than traditional research methods. It calls for what we like to refer to as "empathy treks." Unlike typical market research, which is focused on specific business objectives, an empathy trek is a more immersive and observational approach focused solely on getting to know the consumer. The goal is not to gather data for immediate business decisions but to develop a profound understanding of the consumer target.
An empathy trek involves spending time with your consumers in their natural environments. It means observing how they live, understanding what they value, exploring their beliefs, and witnessing their behaviors firsthand. This exercise helps brand teams to “walk in their shoes” and “feel what they feel,” leading to a more holistic understanding of their lives.
For example, if your target consumers are busy parents, an empathy trek might involve spending time in their homes during the weekday morning rush, observing how they juggle responsibilities, and understanding the emotional pressures they face. This experience can reveal insights that traditional research might miss, such as the stress points that influence purchase decisions or the small moments of joy that a brand could tap into.
The Value of Empathy in Brand Management
So, why is building empathy for your consumer target so critical? The benefits are numerous and can transform the way brand teams approach decision-making.
Let SIVO Guide your Path to Consumer-Centric Success
In a world where consumers are increasingly seeking brands that understand and resonate with their values, building empathy is not just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. Brand teams that invest in understanding their consumers at a deeper, more emotional level will be better equipped to create meaningful connections that stand the test of time.
As an insights partner, it is SIVO’s responsibility to champion empathy with our clients. By advocating for empathy treks and encouraging client teams to walk in the shoes of their consumers, we can help you build brands that not only meet consumer needs but also win their hearts.
Contact us at Contact@SIVOInsights.com or visit SIVOInsights.com to schedule a discovery call and connect to your consumers!
SIVO Insights brings together research, talent, and intelligent technology to help organizations navigate complexity with confidence. Have a business challenge? Let's talk!
We bring together research, talent, and intelligent technology to help organizations navigate complexity with confidence
