The Fourth Gimbal

Organisational proposition – Nudge, nudge, think, think

“Are you involved in any charitable activity?” asked the interviewer, …….and there it was – the final question in an otherwise benign ‘magazine-meets-entrepreneur-for-‘in-depth’-interview’ piece published in one of the UK’s most popular broadsheets. Of course, the answer was a gushing ‘Yes!’, followed by a few well-chosen words about a pet project, fundraising for autistic children.
Great [...]

Business personality and the messaging triangle

If you actively manage the three sides of your organisation’s messaging triangle by consciously developing the relationship between Portrayal, Perception and Expectation, you are more likely to nudge the market in your direction. However, get it wrong and the consequences of message dislocation can be costly and very long-term.
Examples of message dislocation abound: -

The big [...]

Aligning company values with market expectations

Incompetent? Belligerent? Homophobic? Conniving? In the world of Business-to-Consumer(B2C) branding or, more to the point, in markets where the brand lives or dies by the sword of consumer opinion, having your organisation perceived consistently in such negative terms can wipe billions off of market valuations and ultimately threaten the survival of the business. Just ask [...]

Aligning business personality with buyer behaviour

I wrote recently of a barrage of culture-based articles, each with their own perspective on the irrational nature of decision-making. Thanks to sub-prime mortgages and the global financial crisis, the myth of the rational market has been thoroughly debunked. Traditional economists hang their heads, whilst proponents of behavioural economics are standing up to be counted. [...]

Focusing on personality to ‘know thyself’

I am struck by the number of executive-level articles being published at the moment which reference culture and organisational awareness. Harvard Business Review’s ‘In a Turnaround, Put Culture First’ and ‘The CEO Conundrum’ at chiefexecutive.net are just two examples published today. What is the message? Perhaps it is this: Hunkering down during a recession is [...]