Twitter Helps Banking With Better Customer Experience

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Meritocracy Enabled by the Collaborative Leader

10:19:51 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

A hyperconnected business world, spurred on by social media and
globalization, demands a leadership style that can harness the power of connections. Leaders
need to shed the commandand-control and consensus styles in favor of collaborative
leadership. Harvard Business Review research shows that collaborative leaders who get
results do four things well:

Where meritocracy and collaborative leadership style meet

C ll v l hp h c p c y p pl up u ’ f m l
control and inspire them to work toward common goals—despite differences in convictions,
cultural values, and operating norms. Most people understand intuitively that collaborative
leadership is the opposite of the old command-and-control model, but the differences with a
consensus-based approach are more nuanced. Below are some helpful distinctions between
the three leadership styles.

In terms of accountability and control, the collaborative leader looks at performance on
achieving shared goals. This is meritocracy, being performance driven, also looking and
people who lead collaborations. This takes out the hierarchy (more), increases employee
engagement and trust. There are a lot of cost-effective solutions that enable meritocracy once
h z h c “ p up” m c ll v c.

Do you allow for meritocracy to blossom?

Categories:
Human Resources and Leadership
Tags:
collaboration
meritocracy
leadership
social media

How Twitter Helps Banking With Better Customer
Experience and Retention


Accenture outlined Top 10 Challenges for investment Banks for 2012 from
three respective aspects: Responding to regulation, focusing on clientsand restructuring for
growth. The deployment of a microblogging strategy is a cost-effective solution to these
relationship (experience) challenges.

A research by Ernst & Young, the Gobal Consumer Banking Survey 2012, shows that
increased competition and greater choice have forced many banks to adapt their business
models to serve these changing needs.

Worldwide, the proportion of customers planning to change banks has increased from 7% to
12% since 2011.

How can banks provide a better customer experience?

 Make low-cost digital channels customers’ preferred choice. Banks should
encourage customers to use digital channels whenever possible by using price
incentives.
 Prioritize investment on critical customer interactions. Banks should focus
p l mp v m cu m ’ m v lu c p mz h
resulting impact on attrition, dormancy and loyalty.
 Use innovative technology to deliver the retail bank of the future. The use of
technology is crucial to delivering a lower cost, more reliable, more flexible but still
personal customer experience.

In the European Union consumers switch mostly due to high fees or charges, poor rates on
accounts and poor branch experience (Go here to analyze data with the interactive module).

Based on the abovementioned challenges how can microblogging help for banks in their
acquisition, retention and overall customer experience? Here are 5 practical strategies
provided y LET’ E p . :

 Content is still the KING: customers can easily distinguish marketing
purpose posts and informative ones. Pushing though provoking byte-sized
content is the only way to encourage active feedbacks. Properly using
questions to invite discussion about new product idea, improvement or
suggestions. Check my previous post about how CitiBank successfully built up
active social media community with quality contents.

 Follow your competitors: Microblogging provides a platform for businesses
to monitor and interact even with your competitors. It is encouraged to observe
the interaction between successful corporation and their followers on
microblogging platform since it works as a good channel for market search.

 Sharing is caring: If you see your competitors or other microbloggers post
something which is really worth a read, share it. Using the feature like re-tweet
on Twitter can easily pass on the valuable contents without hassle. Once the
audience get to know that you provide not only beneficial posts for your

company, but also including related informative contents from other
competitors, it might give followership a boost. When it comes to retention,
customers care more about what you tweet than who you are.

 Link back to your products, but not too often: When microblogging about
something which can relate to your products or service, insert a tinyURL into
the content to direct customers to them. Try to make the contents inviting and
informative instead of pushing or exaggerated.

 Integrate with other social media tools: Each social media platform provides
different character and advantages for business owners to utilize, but make
sure that you do the assessment of market research before jumping on it.
Publishing appropriate contents on each platform in regard of different user
expectation will never get you wrong.

Content is still king, but a the diarchy with Context is important to be relevant and understand
the business landscape, which feeds back to content. Be a thoughtleader, there is much to talk
about in relation to banking, the crises for instance and what more. Become the trusted source
for people.

Th “Sh C ”f w h h .O z tions can be/should be a connector, a platform,
f cl .D ’ f f h cl fw m f m c mp . Cu m
’ w l w y pu ly h . Th f c h y u h h f m
is much more importa h c c m h u uc .I’ c m f cu
and creation.

Categories:
Customer Experience Management
Tags:
twitter
sector
banking
retention
experience

EU: Ensuring Citizens' Trust Through Proximity and Co-
Creation

m 22:12:49 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

E u c z ’ u a major challenge for politicians and public
communicators. The majority of citizens – 54% – believe that their voice does not count in the
EU. Mercedes Bresso is first vice-president of the EU Committee of the Regions, and she says
that what is needed, is a new corporate story, not only for communication purposes, but also
f h EU’ wh l y. ‘Eu p ’ h Eu p yf wh h h

strong focus on the added value of an inclusive society is a first step in the creation of this
sustainable common story.

How can the EU communication strategy be adapted to reconnect with the citizens?

Mercedes Bresso elaborates:

I l v w m c c p : ‘ proximity’ ‘ co-creation ’.

Proximity is about shortening the gap. It starts with a clear focus on the themes and topics that
are the closest to the daily life of our citizens. Technical and legislative issues, how important
they are for our institutions, should not dominate the communication.

Proximity is also about engaging the right communicators. The information and the dialogue
must be led by our stakeholders on the field: communicators who understand the specific
context of our diverse target audience, who are known and trusted by our citizens. Here the
Committee of the Regions plays an active role in activating its members; the elected people at
local and regional level.

Thirdly, proximity is about choosing the right media mix.

With all due respect, we should not just be content with the publication of our press releases
in specialised EU publications or high-profile quality papers.

If we want to be seen and heard by our citizens, and if we want to involve them in a dialogue,
we should be on the platforms they use: regional television, local newspapers, social media,
town hall events, etc.

The second key concept is co-creation. EU communication should be more than just a sum of
ch u ’ p c . C mm c mmu c p xch f xp
better coordination and cooperation – full p c f ch h ’ p c f c p n in the
European policy process – should have a strong influence on our communication efforts. The
process of co-creation should also include other governance levels: national, regional and
local authorities, as well as stakeholders from civil society, who are involved in implementing
the EU project in the daily lives of our citizens. A common strategy with many collaborative
options.

Finally, co-creation also means an active role for the citizens themselves. Public
communication has evolved drastically in the last decade, thanks to evolutions in society and
in the technical world, allowing citizens to contribute to the public dialogue. We must make
use of these opportunities: civil participation improves the quality of our policy making and is
the best guarantee for getting our strategies accepted.

Today, more than ever, Europe is front page news for all media. Next year will celebrate the
European Year of Citizens. And in 2014, all citizens will be able to make their voice heard
during the European Parliam l c . L ’ u h m m um j f c c
new common story for Europe.

Categories:
Open Industry and Open Economy

Tags:
trust
sector
non-profit
co-creation

Acquisition And Customer Satisfaction Are Priorities in
the European Engineering Industry


Deltek conducted a research in May 2012 on the trends and priorities in the
engineering industry. You can find the full research on their website. The top priorities are
acquisition and customer satisfaction which will improve retention. Have a look at the
infographic and how CRM, collaboration and social technologies support these.

The research shows that there is an intrinsic link between winning new projects and
improving satisfaction. The quick wins are:

 Ensure harmony
 Sync your systems
 Internal collaboration

These three quick wins are supported by CRM (as stated in the infographic) and enhanced –
collaborative- processes. Another aspect that supports the three quick wins is culture, the
ability for the organization to collaborate internally, to synch people and systems and work in
harmony.

Social media supports you in winning projects and improving customer satisfaction as cost-
effective enablers. Think about monitoring to let you quickly and continuously understand
opinions and challenges. But also think about social technologies that helps you to improve
the quality of the service, such as a platform or customer care channel.

Source: deltek.co.uk via Damarque on Pinterest

Categories:
Marketing and Sales
Tags:
sector
engineering
marketing

101 Examples and How to Build Your Own Social Media
Policy


If y u’ h p c fc c lm policy for your
organization, the following 101 published examples of social media policies can help you
mould and create your own.

KokaSexton created a list of 100 examples of social media policies, which you can find here.
It has a good mix of different kind of organizations which gives a good mix of results and
insights.

Example 101 I came across on M lc um’ w and it concerns the social media policy and
guidelines at TNT.

The guidelines then address some basic principles that need to be taken into consideration in
any online social interaction:

1. Know your business principles: As mentioned, the guidelines provide a framework to
advise employees in their dealings with colleagues, customers, suppliers and other
stakeholders online, using the TNT Business Principles as a template.
2. Point out that you are not an official spokesperson: Be sure to make clear in some way
that your profile is not an official TNT communication channel. Also, you should state
clearly that you are expressing your own views and opinions, especially when
cu pc h l TNT’ u ( p l c c.) If
c y cl m ( . . “Th p p xp my w
’ c ly fl c h f TNT.”) c h y u p
behalf of the company.
3. Respect the TNT brand guidelines: Use the latest artwork. Do not squeeze or
otherwise distort the logo. Do not use the logo in combination with a product name.
Use the correct shade of orange and the other corporate colors.
4. Recognize that you are entering a social system: Social media is like any social event
– a meeting, a party or the coffee corner. Behave as you would in such an
environment. The same good manners apply: uc y u lf ’ p
m l ’ u up up h c v f h .
Take care to ensure that your actions and behavior are consistent with the image you
want to portray in the office and with your clients. Keep in mind that you are sharing
social space – online or offline – with your boss, colleagues and clients.
5. Remember that Google never forgets: Everything you post stays online for a long
time. Think before posting something you might regret later.

The following five tips are given to create your own social media guidelines.

Building your own social media guidelines

 Connect your guidelines to your existing code of conduct. Most of the time it covers
this kind of scenario already.
 M h m y. I ’ h v l l x h c u .
 Get connected to your employees where they are. Listen to what they are saying,
u why ’ y p h mu c l p c .
 D ’ c .S c lm ood thing.
 U h “p w f m y”. Th h y u h h lp f
everyone in order to make a difference.

Which policies do stand out?

Categories:
Digital and Social Media
Tags:
guidelines
policy

Lithium Acquires Social Dynamx' Call Center Social CRM
Application

z 18:40:35 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

Social CRM company Lithium Technologies has acquired fellow customer
care application Social Dynamx. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lithium
turned it into Lithium Social Web, a social customer care service capable of responding to the
deluge of social commentary now found in the mobile, connected world.

What is Social Dynamx?

TechCrunch elaborates:

S c l Dy mx’ pl f m f l p cu m call centers to
identify, prioritize and manage millions of one-to-one social conversations on blogs, social
networks and more in real-time. Lithium Technologies was founded in 2001 and focuses on a
broad range of social CRM solutions. Lithium previously acquired brand tracking application
Scout Labs.

Social Dynamx customers include Time Warner Cable, DISH Network and Convio.

Social Web is available now and is integrated with Lithium Communities. It improves agent
productivity by more than 25 percent, Lithium says.

Rob Tarkoff, Lithium president and CEO said in a statement:

Seventy percent of complaints directed to brands via Twitter are ignored.

With the Social Dynamx technology at its core, Social Web can manage social conversations,
respond to posts and measure performance on Twitter, Facebook and across social media.

Categories:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Tags:
social crm
social media monitoring
lithium
social dynamx

Leaders Are Platforms


Ch ph l ph L Tzu “F l h p pl h y f l h
you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will
ll y ‘W h u lv .'” H m h rvation more than 2,000 years ago. Some
things never change. Leaders inspire trust and create a vision which people can build upon.

Leaders are platforms themselves for others to succeed RT @valaafshar: People ’ v
leaders. Leaders serve people. - @leadershipfreak

— G.L. Cuccureddu SMP (@glcuccureddu) October 14, 2012

In which organizational and management culture do you think that a leader as a platform
excels best?

Ch l H y “Gods of Management” mp cl fy f u c m m
cultures that exist within all organizations. He uses the ancient Greek gods to symbolize these
management cultures or philosophies. There are four types of management cultures or
philosophies present within all organizations. The four cultures are the club (Zeus), role
(Apollo), task (Athena), and existential (Dionysus) cultures.

As Sinek says, being amongst people who believe what you believe, that is key.

Categories:

Tags:
culture

The Link Between Sports, Business and Continuous
Improvements


Yesterday I was listening to juridical program on BNR, a Dutch business
.I ’ m m h x c m f h p v w u h h
been an laywer, then went into sports and then back into the legal sector. He shared his
learning from sports that can be translated to business.

His learning was that –in (t)his case, laywers, being conservative should look at sports, where
the culture of continuous improvements is much more embedded, every week looking at ways
to improve performance, strategy, tactics and the actual play to always become a bit better.

H l h l yw h l l c p much h ucc f “l w ’
pl y” v much.

Il h l y m v u u h ’ c p cy u c u lly
doing it.

Be resilient and learn to adapt. #quotes RT @valaafshar

— Pam Moore (@PamMktgNut) October 14, 2012

Are you learning to be adaptive and resilient in order to create and accelerate your
competitive advantages?

Categories:
Marketing and Sales
Tags:
continuous improvements

Six Improvements Enabled When Supply Chain
Participants Collaborate and Share Information


Research by IDC has shown that there is a growing need for solutions that
incorporate external stakeholders such as customers and suppliers in business workflow
processes and feedback mechanisms. This article on Forbes sustains the importance (mantra
as he writes it) and the ability to create and sustain collaborative processes with global supply
chain partners. It is crucial to properly manage, and in some cases, capitalize on complexity in
the current environments.

As competition increases, supply networks become more global and more organizations turn
to outsourcing, whereby networked business environments are becoming the norm and
technology is the enabler. Last week Ultriva launched its enhanced cloud-based collaborative
supply chain solution to further accelerate productivty and performance.

The six improvements through collaboration and information sharing are:

 Bringing products to market quicker,
 Reducing production and logistics costs,
 Driving market share, and
 Increasing sales, while maximizing ROI.

Which improvements can you point to that are made possible through collaboration?

Categories:
Supply Chain and Strategic Sourcing
Tags:
collaboration

Leadership Team Engagement Crucial for Supply Chain
Optimization Success


With continued economic uncertainty and increasing global competition,
supply chain design and optimization has never been more important to achieve an efficient,
profitable business - and for gaining competitive advantage. Register for this upcoming
webinar to understand more and better why supply chain excellence is business critical these
days. Read further to have a look at the four key results, one of them being the cost reductions
y upply ch c ll …

Why is leadership engagement crucial?

Because big decisions will have to be made at executive level - perhaps the closure or
movement of physical assets; at the very least, a change in core processes, roles and
responsibilities.

Four key results:

 Supply chain design and optimization improves perfect order rating by 17%
 Supply chain design and optimization improves service and halves supply chain
costs
 Supply chain collaboration reduces operating costs by up to 50%
 Supply chain design and optimization reduces inventory and increases agility

Supply chain collaboration can have an enormous impact on your ability to service customers
effectively and profitably - harnessing mutual capability, brings continuous improvement in
supply chain efficiency. Social media act as cost-effective enablers to reinforce collaboration,
transparency and continuous improvements and learning. Platforms that can be used for this
purpose go beyond Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook which we determined in this article.

The webinar is presented by Paul Archer and Steve Rowntree, both partners at Oliver Wight.

Categories:
Tags:
collaboration
leadership
engagement

Sell Through Social Media to Close More Leads
#Infographic

v j 19:12:53 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

InsideView created an infographic on how social B2B is, and how social
media is being used to generate more leads. I found this infographic here, he has good points
about social selling. The writer elaborates how social technologies also changed the way in
which we collaborate online, with most B2B buying decisions starting, progressing, and often
even closing online without any face-to-face meetings. Though, nothing beats face to face.
Have a look at S ’ “T u ” v and understand why. Balance between virtual and
“ ffl ” ll mp .

Linkedin generates more leads than Facebook, Twitter or blogging. Understanding the nature
of Linkedin in comparison to blogging this is an incorrect reasoning. Blogging and Linkedin
go hand in hand, where blogging is important for the first phases in the buying cycle, and
Linkedin for the subsequent phases.

Another result is where a hospital saw a 15% conversion of leads to sales using live tweeting
during orthopedic surgery. Using social media in such cases creates trust, openness and
engagement, ultimately resulting in sales. Another great example is the social media project
by Philips Healthcare.

Online conversations with prospects accelerate deals, have a look at the bottom of the
infographic.

At the end, the infographic mentions three key reasons why businesses need social selling.

1. Customers are already there
2. Competition is there, and if not, they will be soon
3. Employees and new hires expect it

Another reason I add is the opportunity to distinguish yourself as a business through
thoughtleadership, become a trusted source to rely upon.

A lot of companies know already what their problem is, they want a partner that navigates
them, that supports them effectively in their journey.

Source: hosting.ber-art.nl via Damarque on Pinterest

Categories:
Marketing and Sales
Tags:
social media

Eight Tips to Unlock Employee Engagement


E m ’ h x ff y u mpl y v m h m
c mp y ucc . I ’ wh mpl y m m everything go a little better
for each other, their customers and their communities. Read further how you as a leader can
influence your employees and teams.

The eight tips are:

1. Give your time
2. Look for their strengths
3. Involve them in the process
4. Pick a cause. Get involved
5. Be honest
6. Actions speak louder than words
7. Ask for help
8. Customize your interactions

What tip(s) can you recommend from your own experience?

Categories:
Tags:
employee engagement

Social CRM Requires a Whole Brain Approach


Interesting article by Chris Bucholtz, where he outlines that success in
social CRM requires as much knowledge of processes as it does willingness to engage with
customers. A social CRM team, therefore, has to have people whose strengths lie in these
different areas. What is needed is a good combination of people who are left-brained and
those who are right-brained.

One of the tricky parts of developing a social CRM (sCRM) strategy is that it requires left
brain and right brain thinking. The left brain, where more logical and procedural thinking
takes place, is comparable to how "traditional" CRM operates, organizing and distributing
data based on predetermined processes. The right brain, the center of creative thinking, is
comparable to SCRM, discovering new relationships and communication models and
engaging and conversing with customers.

Read here the complete article.

Basically any kind of change journey and adaptation in the knowledge-centric and connected
society requires a whole brain approach.

Look at this presentation to understand the four critical (left and right brain) areas to be
successful.

Stay tuned for more information on the whole brain approach and business improvements!

Categories:
Tags:
social crm

Unilever Reaches Out to Innovation Community to Help
the Business Deliver on Its Sustainable Growth Agenda


Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer goods manufacturers, has
released a new set of challenges to the world's innovation community to help the business
deliver on its sustainable growth agenda.

In March 2012, the company's Open Innovation team launched a new online platform which
offered experts the opportunity to find some of the technical solutions it needs to achieve its
ambition of doubling the size of its business while reducing its environmental impact, as set
out in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.

Following the success of the platform, Unilever has now unveiled the details of another three
research projects for which its Research & Development department is seeking external
know-how.

The three new "wants" which Unilever is seeking collaboration on span two of its four global
categories, Homecare and Refreshments. They are:

 New technologies which break down fatty deposits left on clothes and hard surfaces in
an efficient, odourless and environmentally friendly way. The solution could be
incorporated as an ingredient in the detergent formulation or work as a pre-treatment
application.

 New technologies which enable us to reduce the sugar in our ready-to-drink teas by 30
per cent, without impacting on their taste or mouthfeel.

 New technologies which enable us to stabilise natural red colour cost-effectively, for
use in our fruit and dairy products. The solution must maintain the stability of the
colour throughout its shelf life and be water soluble.

All ideas submitted on all 13 wants will be assessed by Yet2.com, an independent open
innovation consultancy, before any reach Unilever's Open Innovation team.

Jon Hague, VP Open Innovation, Unilever said:
We've been hugely impressed by the quality, ingenuity and inventiveness of the submissions
that we've received since we launched our Open Innovation platform six months ago.

We have a long track-record of working with external partners to develop new technologies,
so we were already very aware of the strength and depth of the innovation talent which exists
outside of Unilever. However this was the first time we have shared our research projects in
such an open forum and it's very exciting to have tapped into a new community of inventors
who share our passion for sustainable innovation and creating a better future for our
consumers and the environment.

Categories:
Innovation
Tags:
open innovation
unilever

Nicholas Christakis: The Hidden Influence of Social
Networks


This is a great video that you have to watch! We're all embedded in vast
social networks of friends, family, co-workers and more. Nicholas Christakis tracks how a
wide variety of traits -- from happiness to obesity -- can spread from person to person,
showing how your location in the network might impact your life in ways you don't even
know.

One piece stood out to m Ch ’ l h wh h p u c c h
matter.

He gives as an example the graphite and diamond difference. If atoms are arranged in one
particular way, it becomes soft and dark. If you interconnect atoms in another different way it
comes hard and shining (diamond). He said that those properties do not reside in the (carbon)
atom itself but in the interconnection between those atoms.

In a world where intangible capital is of increasing importance, this interconnection between
people, knowledge etc is important to understand. It is important to understand that an
employee in one organization is not happy and in the other one that same employee is a rising
star.

You can reason this between individuals, teams, departments and organizations (within the
chain).

H v l h c mpl v ’ w ll w h h 9 m u . Al l h p wh
he talks about Obesity and relationships and clustering.

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
social networks
Christakis

Content Marketing Is Increasingly Important But Strategy
Lacks


A survey conducted by Econsultancy amongst 1,300 marketing
professionals, shows a surprising result. 38% of the respondents do not have a content
marketing strategy in place whilst a whopping 90% believe that content marketing will
continue to become more important. Content marketing is now seen as an emerging discipline
it its own right by a majority of marketers. Indeed, 64% of in-house marketers agree that
c m ‘ c m w c pl ’.

(taken from the Econsultancy website)

What is more interesting for me are the content marketing objectives. Increased enagagement
(52%) was the most common objective, followed by driving traffic (42%) and brand
awareness (35%) the most given objectives.

What I find interesting is that some of these objectives are not linked to business objectives.
Increased engagement, for the purpose of what?

Increasing traffic to the site, for the purpose of what?

Be sure to link your content marketing efforts with your business objectives and then
downdrill which tactics will support that effectively and efficiently.

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
content marketing

Valorize Your Employees' Knowledge And Experience!

okt 16:52:22 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

Collaborative innovation has been gaining traction for quite a while now.
The outside-in mantra is hot and sexy. Incorporating external stakeholders has definately lots
of advantages, also being proven. However, what I do miss and do see and hear is that the
employees are being left out or not being seen as equal potential innovators. This is a missed

opportunity in terms of sustainable HR, happy and engaged employees that are able to fully
valorize their knowledge and experience.

We reported u h Luf h C ’ upply ch p v ch ll . Th
challenge is open to external stakeholders and I was interested to learn if employees were able
to submit ideas. Lufthansa Cargo answered friendly the following response:

@damarqueviews Employees of Lufthansa Cargo may participate in the contest but are
unfortunately not eligible to win any prizes.

— Air Cargo Challenge (@LH_Cargo) October 9, 2012

Collaborative innovation is also a great means to create better internal connections and
relationships. Employees want to be part of the brand and want to be engaged. Just as external
stakeholders, employees can have great ideas, make use of them in an equal way. With this I
mean that they should be eligable of prizes, or when turning it around, first create an internal
collaborative innovation challenge. This way you can test collaborative innovation processes
lly c ly y u c wl y u mpl y ’ mp c . I pu mpl y
motivation and takes away a potential feeling of disadvantage.

Michael Porter said that employees are the major source for a company to increase
competence and profits. Take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers
and your profits.

From this perspective, the customer experience can also be seen as a measure for your
employee experience and engagement.

Unlock the collective intelligence of your employees!

Wh ’ y u p h ?

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
innovation
open innovation

The Four Benefits of Intangible Capital Management in
the Social and Knowledge Era


Recently I interviewed Mary Adams, an expert in intangible capital
management (ICM), on the intersection of intangible capital and social media. One of the
important things to realize is that the intangible nature of the social and knowledge era forces
businesses to look holistically at their business, to think differently about what makes the
business competitive and viable. Intangible capital is everywhere. Have a look at a clear
introduction on what Intangible Capital is and what the benefits are.

What is Intangible Capital? from Mary Adams

The four benefits of IC Management:

 Optimized performance
 Increased innovation
 Higher valuation
 Great reputation

Read the interview to understand how intangible capital is defined.

Social media are enablers to cost-effecitvely support the four "capitals" within IC.

Think about Structural Capital, IT and processes that are more collaborative, to unlock and
valorize knowledge.

Think about Relationship Capital and how social media are platforms (means) where
stakeholders can communicate faster.

By taking an IC view, you can look at your business beyond functions, beyond departments
and teams, and look at value that is being supported and concretized through your functions,
departments etc.

Are you looking at your business from this intangible and holistic point of view?

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
intangible capital

Ultriva Launches Enhanced Cloud-Based Collaborative
Supply Chain Software


Ultriva, a player in collaborative supply chain solutions, announced on the
ninth of October an enhanced version of its cloud-based software that further accelerates
productivity and performance for manufacturing firms around the globe. In a co-creation with
their customers they enhanced the software incorporating innovative social media concepts.

The enhanced version includes:

 a 'Collaborative RFQ' (Request for Quote) module that incorporates innovative social
media concepts,
 an 'Inventory Optimization Tool' that helps organizations to improve the operational
and financial performance of their supply chains and
 a 'Collaborative Planning' module that combines historical consumption and
replenishment data with forward-looking demand data to calculate future inventory
positions.

The inability of current supply chain management systems to support true collaboration and
execution between manufacturers and their supply chain partners results in supplier
whiplashing, poor delivery performance and lost revenue.

Narayan Laksham, Ultriva founder and CEO said:

These new features are in line with our mission of providing greater transparency and
collaboration between manufacturers and their supply chain partners. Ultriva's customers have
experienced an average 35% increase in inventory velocity along with across-the-board
improvements in employee productivity and supply chain decision making. We will continue
to work closely with our customers to deliver even greater value through ultra-responsive,
demand-driven supply chains.

Scott Harvey, vice president of Operations at CareFusion said:

The Ultriva cloud-based platform has a low barrier to entry and allows for an incredibly high
level of standardization across all of our suppliers, which made it the obvious solution for
CareFusion. As a medical device company working in a highly regulated industry, it is
imperative that we maintain a high level of transparency and accountability—something that
Ultriva's solutions provide for us and our suppliers.

Categories:
Tags:
social media
social technology

McKinsey: How Leading Companies Develop More
Innovative and Cost-Effective Products


By combining deep insights about customers, competitors, and costs, a few
l c mp f h “w p ” p uc v l pm : l w c wh l
designing better products that customers value more. The results—including better products,
happier customers, higher margins, and, ultimately, a stronger ability to innovate—should
serve these organizations well in years to come.

A few leading companies (in industries as varied as appliances, automotive, consumer
packaged goods, high tech, and medical devices) are encouraging more focused collaboration
among multiple functional groups (notably marketing and sales, operations,
engineering/R&D, and procurement), these leaders are combining deep insights about
customers, competitors, and supply bases to strip out costs and amplify what customers truly
value.

The McKinsey article discusses three of such companies. Their experiences offer insights for
any product maker hoping to improve its competitiveness. Below you will find excerpts of
these cases. Click here to read the complete cases.

Case 1: Appliance maker

The challenge

Senior executives at a large, low-cost manufacturer of appliances and white goods were
c c u h lu h p f m c f h c mp y’ h u h l f u .I h
l m h pl pl y h c mp y’ h m c u y—an emerging
market—but was now losing domestic share in two important, and fiercely competitive,
product categories.

Case 2: Medical-capital-equipment maker

The challenge

A large manufacturer of medical devices and capital equipment was losing market share to an
Asian-based entrant offering lower prices for a key product. The manuf c u ’ R&D m
w p pl x . By m h c mp ’ c m h p uc h ul u
20 to 25 percent higher h h c mp y’ c f w p uc . A h -to-head
comparison of product characteristics clearly indicated tha h c ’ w f
many dimensions, including quality. The consensus of the R&D group was to stay the
course—the competitor, they grumbled, was selling below cost to grab market share and
would eventually have to raise its prices.

(taken from Mckinsey article)

Case 3: Medical-device manufacturer

The challenge

An acquisition created big expectations—and challenges—for the operations group of a
medical- v c m . Th c mp y’ l h v c uc f
15 percent after examining the various operational synergies possible from the deal. Hitting
the target would require the company to, among other things, rationalize its product portfolio
while modifying how it designed and sourced its products.

Are you cost-effectively making use deep insights about customers, competitors, and costs to
create better, faster and cheaper products?

How are you gathering these deep insights about customers, competitors and costs?

Categories:
Innovation
Tags:
insights

The Role of Culture and Leadership in Creating
Community-Centered Organizations


An academic paper published by International Journal of Leadership
Studies, t l “Toxic versus cooperative behaviors at work: The role of organisational culture
and leadership in creating community-centered organisations” (G l C -Ruffino,
Ivancevich, Konopaske) provides an excellent summation of defining a toxic workplace.

“A w pl c m y x c f:

1. mediocre performance is rewarded over merit-based output (Colligan &
Higgins, 2006; Doyle & Kleiner, 1993)
2. employees avoid disagreements with managers for fear of reprisal (Jones,
1996);
3. personal agendas take precedence over the long-term well-being of the
company (Atkinson & Butcher, 2003);
4. l c ly l h mp f (“M l ” 003);
5. new leaders do not stay long and employee turnover is common; and,
6. employees are treated more like financial liabilities than like assets (Macklem,
2005), and
7. bosses routinely throw temper tantrums, make unreasonable demands, scream,
and use obscenit (A ym u 8).”

In sum, organizational leaders and managers would be well advised to take steps to infuse
their organizational cultures with a more community-centric orientation. As stated previously,
such a cohesive entity or community is characterized by mutually supportive persons, an
environment comprised of policies that are perceived as egalitarian and fair, and colleagues
who are engaged in the process of self-development.

Differences between Toxic and Community-Centered Organizations

Business2Community further elaborates on the research:

One word springs to mind when I read a list like this – Values. It is clear that when assessing
those companies whose culture is defined as toxic, the values of the organisation are either
corrupt, non-existent or exist in the world of PowerPoint templates only. In other words
values misalignment equals toxicity. In such environments many people choose to leave the
organisation. An early 2012 survey by Corporate Crossovers of more than 300 female
entrepreneurs found almost a quarter (23%) cited that culture and values misalignment was
the main reason they have left their corporate jobs. The results, as demonstrated in the
previous post (Part 1) can materially impact the bottom line.

But what about those employees who stay? In a tough labour market, job choice is often
limited and hence employees may be unable to resign without the security of a confirmed new
job. Employees who continue to work under the stress of a toxic environment risk effecting
their health.

What is your opinion on the differences between the two types of organizations?

Categories:
Tags:
culture
leadership

Tactics to Sustain Employee Commitment To The
Customer Experience


Jeff Valentine has led transformative customer experience initiatives at 3
companies, across 12 different business units, and has been doing this work for over 10 years.
He gave a presentation for the Customer Experience Professional Association. Read what his
h c c wh h Cl A v yB ’ (CAB’ ) c m .

Changing the customer experience takes the coordination of many departments and spans all
tiers of the company. To be successful a customer experience practitioner must become a
master at effective communications inside and outside of the organization.

Connect the voice of your customers to your employees

Jeff shared a variety of tactics for sustaining employee commitment to the customer
experience. These included:

 Using the company Intranet to keep everyone updated on progress
 Using video footage of clients speaking about how changes the company made helped
to improve their businesses
 Having the CEO give updates on what the company is hearing from clients will go
miles in keeping everyone focused on improving the customer experience

Yesterday, on the business radio BNR, two companies elaborated how they are deploying
sustainable HR and keep their employees engaged (who will take care of their customers).

The two companies score high on:

 Engagement
 Leadership
 Clear focus and vision
 Training and self-development.
 Passion for the job
 Open and honest

This is in line with one of the wise lessons of Richard Branson:

F B h m mp f c f l hp l h p pl . “If
y u’ w h p pl … y u lly c u ly c u p pl h I’m u w
c ul f j f y u V ”h y . “Th c mp h l f h p pl
h c mp h lly w ll. I’m u w ’ l f w h u u h w ul
th m mp .”
T h mpl y mp m pl y c uc l h ucc fB ’ V
Emp pu mpl y f cu m c h h l h . “A c mp y
p pl … mpl y w w… m I l ed to or am I a cog in the wheel? People
lly f lw .”

Client Advisory Board's (CAB's)

J ff v c f f m Cl A v yB ’ (CAB’ ). A CAB up f
individuals representing the portfolio of your customers. These individuals are selected for
their strategic insights and are regularly tapped for ideas on how the vendor could improve the
xp c l v . CAB’ c c ly u ful ul up y u V c f h
Customer efforts and Jeff offered advice on going about the selection process, measuring ROI
of these meetings, and general best practices for managing the CAB relationships.

What tactics are you deploying for employee engagement that spur a great customer
experience?

Categories:
Tags:
customer experience
employee engagement

Four Ways to Strengthen The Collaboration Culture


I spotted this whitepape c ll “Bu l c ll v w pl c ”
which explores what is meant by collaboration and why organisations and individuals should

build their collaboration capability. Then, based on that understanding, it lays four ways for
developing a collaboration capability.

What is collaboration

Collaboration is a process through which people who see different aspects of a problem can
constructively explore their differences and search for solutions that go beyond their own
lm v f wh p l .A y ’ m h up f p pl w
together as teams and communities.

The three types of collaboration

In team collaboration, the members of the group are known, there are clear task
interdependencies, expected reciprocity, and explicit time-lines and goals. To achieve the
l m m mu fulﬁl h p w h h m .

In community collaboration, there is a shared domain or area of interest, but the goal is more
often focused on learning rather than on task. People share and build knowledge rather than
complete projects. Members may go to their communities to help solve their problems by
asking questions and getting advice, then taking that advice back home to implement in their
teams. Membership may be bounded and explicit, but time periods are often open or ongoing.

Network collaboration steps beyond the relationship-centric nature of team and community
collaboration. It is collaboration that starts with individual action and self-interest, which then
accrues to the network as individuals contribute or seek something from the network.
Membership and time-lines are open and unbounded. There are no explicit roles. Members
most likely do not know all the other members. Power is distributed.

Read more the three types of collaboration here.

Success factors

Below you find a neither definitive nor comprehensive list of things that are important to
achieve collaborative success.

Team

 Common purpose or goal
 An outcome that is valued
 Pressure to deliver (a due date)
 Complex problems that a single person could not resolve on their own
 An explicit process for getting things done (no ESP required)

Community

 A topic that members care about to a point where their identity is wrapped up in that
topic
 A community coordinator who can orchestrate activities, introductions and
opportunities for learning

 Regular social activities to build trust and new social connections among team
members
 Opportunities to practise and gain experience, or vicariously gain experience by
hearing the stories of other practitioners
 Leaders who see value in the community and at best encourage their staff to
p cp w ’ c u c mmu y p c p

Network

 Technology to store and retrieve information of interest which makes it immediately
fi l v y h w
 An appreciation of how effective use of social technology, such as bookmarking, will
save time and assist team and community collaborations
 Having diverse skills in the organisation— c fil c c —who help
make sense of information and connections from the network and bring them back into
h fl w f lw .N v y h h u u h p pl
to
 A tolerance for a high volume of information—knowing that you can catch what you
f m h fl w u y uc ’ he entire river
 Ability to see connections across diverse signals and bits of information

Read the complete list here.

Does your organisation have a culture that works for the team, community and network types
f c ll ?O y ufi h cul u h fl c ll ?S fl
culture may include a singular focus on individual achievement, a culture that does not value
sharing knowledge or expertise, or simply ignoring the network.

Read further to understand the role of leadership, the team-,community- and network culture.

Four ways to strengthen the collaboration culture:

 Foster collaboration leadership and support. Look here what the eight key indicators
are for a collaborative leader
 Communicate the fruits of collaboration
 Implement collaboration tools
 Start Communities of Practice

What type of collaboration to you have in your organization?

Have you already implemented the four ways to strengthen collaboration culture?

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
culture
collaboration
leadership

Cisco Elaborates on its Corporate Social Responsibility
Programs On #CSRchat

w 22:41:57 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

The Cisco CSR team was a guest on the bi-weekly #CSRchat. Read the
Corporate social Responsibility insights that Cisco shared with the crowd.

[View the story "Cisco Elaborates on its Corporate Social Responsibility Programs" on
Storify]

Cisco Elaborates on its Corporate Social
Responsibility Programs
CiscoCSR wasa guest on the bi-weekly #CSRchat. Read
the insights that Cisco CSR shared!
Storified by Damarque · Wed, Oct 10 2012 13:36:44

@CiscoCSR Q1: Why does @CiscoSystems do CSR? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A1:CSR helps build relationships & incubate new tech for benefit of society, planet & our
business http://csr.cisco.com #CSRchatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q2: The slogan of @CiscoCSR is: "you + networks=impact ^ x". Can you
explain this philosophy? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A2: When people & technology come together to address an issue, you can multiply your
impact. http://cs.co/6018TCv0 #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q3: What is the focus of the @CiscoCSR program? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A3:Focus on 5 pillars:Governance & Ethics, Supply Chain, Our People, Society & the
Environment. http://cs.co/6012TCv4 #CSRChatCisco CSR
A3:In society we focus on: #Education, #Healthcare, Economic Empowerment &Critical
Human Needs http://cs.co/6015TCv7 #CSRchatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q4: How does @Cisco leverage its products and skills to impact communities?
#CSRchatSusan McPherson
A4: We donate people expertise, networking& collaboration technologies and cash to address
social issues. http://cs.co/6017TCvh #CSRchatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q5: Can you tell us about one or two of your favorite @CiscoCSR initiatives?
A5:Networking Academy has provided ICT skills education to 4+ M students thru people and
tech networks. http://cs.co/6016TCay #CSRChatCisco CSR

A5:After Sichuan quake built tech foundation to improve access to healthcare & education for
rural residents http://cs.co/6012TCaO #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q6: Why did Cisco CSR decide to partner w/ @HuffingtonPost on new
@HuffPostImpact section #ImpactX? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A6:We partnered w/ @HuffPostImpact on #ImpactX to inspire others to multiply their impact
through partnerships and technology. #CSRchatCisco CSR
A6: We also hope to share what @CiscoCSR has learned about using technology for
#socialgood. http://cs.co/6014TCaw #CSRchatCisco CSR
A6:Here is the link to the intro #ImpactX blog post from Cisco SVP Tae Yoo that explains
more. http://cs.co/6011TCa9 #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q7: Who are some of @CiscoCSR's community partners and how do you select
them? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A7: We partner with many NGOs like @CityYear, @Inveneo, @FeedingAmerica and
@OneEconomy. http://cs.co/6014TCaY #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q8: The @Cisco YouTube channel is quite popular. How do you use video to
engage audiences w/ @CiscoCSR? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A8:Video really brings a story to life-seeing & hearing from those impacted. Powerful
engagement tool in #SocialMedia. #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q9: Big question. How does @CiscoCSR use social media to advance its CSR
goals? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A9:We use #SM to share best practices, impact metrics, promote our partners, encourage
employee & customer engagement. #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q10: Which social platform have you found most effective for @CiscoCSR?
A10: A combo of blog posts, twitter and FB, with links to videos and stories on
http://csr.cisco.com. #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q11: Why do you think it's so important to communicate the @CiscoCSR
program w/ such a wide audience? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A11:Cisco is a global co committed to driving value for society, the planet & our business.
Hope to inspire others on #socialgood. #CSRchatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Q12: @CiscoCSR What tips would do you have for other CSR managers hoping
to incorporate social media? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A12:Be clear on goals and success metrics; focus on sharing best practices and lessons
learned, not just building followers. #CSRChatCisco CSR
@CiscoCSR Ahhh. Employee Enagement! Q13: How does @CiscoCSR engage employees
with programs? #CSRchatSusan McPherson
A13:We build awareness then encourage employees to donate to local/ global causes. Cisco
has an active volunteer program. #CSRChatCisco CSR
A14:Yes, one goal is to make our 60,000+ employees #CSR ambassadors for Cisco. Social
media is a great way to do that. #CSRChatCisco CSR
Q15: The @CiscoCSR reports are very thorough. What is your strategy for measuring
impact? #CSRChatSusan McPherson
A15:We follow the Global Reporting Initiative(GRI) -provides a complete sustainability
reporting framework http://cs.co/6012TCxg #CSRChatCisco CSR
Q16: What does the future of @CiscoCSR look like? #CSRChatSusan McPherson
A16:Our goal is to embed #CSR into daily operations so we can further multiply our impact
on society, the planet and our business. #CSRChatCisco CSR
Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:

CSR

Customer-Centricity Is Not An End Goal


Forbes published an article called "The CMO is dead" which has
p .I ’ h h CMO l ead, and the reasons given are not reasons
to clarify the CMO dead, but to enrich the way CMOs conduct their role. One remark stood
out which was that the number one objective for the Chief Customer Officer (the new CMO
according to the writer) is customer-centricity.

The following end paragraph of the article was:

Back in the 1950s, the management guru Peter Drucker wrote that a company has two and
only two key functions – marketing and innovation – and that all other functions should
support these. Back to basics: Objective number one for the CCO is customer-centricity. This
focus must come from the very top and filter down through the whole organization so
everyone has the incentive to add value to the customer. Although paying attention to the
customer is common sense, unfortunately common sense is less and less common. The CCO
must be the first step in the right direction.

So – goodbye to the CMO, hello to the CCO.

What Drucker also said is that the purpose of an organization is to create and retain a
customer. Thàt is the basic which is being achieved through marketing and innovation. I don't
think that the objective number one for the CCO -CMO or however you want to name the
role- is customer-centricity. Customer-centricity is a means to and end. Companies do not
become customer-centric in order to achieve customer-centricity, they become customer-
centric to gain competitive advantages, to create profitable growth, to be able to be a resilient
organisation that does things different and relevant.

Categories:
Marketing and Sales
Tags:
customer-centricity

Why Global Processes Help the Locals in Customer
Experience - Forrester Report

w 17:05:43 | Frederic Gilbert

According to the Forrester's report recent report "Global Processes Help to
Deliver Relevant Local Customer Experience", companies need to master 6 key disciplines of
Customer Experience in order to make their Customer Experience Strategy effective both on a
global and local scale. It all starts with people and how you let them express in your
framework. Here are the 6 disciplines you need to master:

 Customer Understanding,
 Measurement,
 Governance,
 Strategy,
 Design
 Culture.

The study clearly identifies the pitfalls and hurdles companies are experiencing to scale
Customer Experience to the local level. The variabilty due to human interactions can boost or
burn down the entire project. Hence the necessity to set up an agile process starting at the top
level but capable of adapting to the above topics. Trust & getting the people with the right
mindset to interact with customer would also be very important matters to master.

The questions raised by the study :
In the end, the study challenges the decision makers to respond to the following : Does your
organisation have a global vision of the Customer Experience Strategy it wants to set up? are
all executives on-board? do you understand the stakes of Experience and how it can be used
to serve your business & customers? Can you scale the initiative and let it be embraced by the
locals to deliver the brand promises?

Key Findings

As already-heard as it seems, the 2 key findings of the research document are :

 Customer Experience is Local by definition : As markets are more and more
commoditized in terms of services & products, Customer Experience has become the
key differenciator. However the experience is characterized by the interactions one has
with a brand. The perception of the experience and interactions can be largely
influence by culture, language and geography. Consequently local should be
empowered to adapt to the specificities of the environment
 Firms need a global approach to Customer Experience Management : The choices that
existed before were either controlling everything from the headquarters or letting local
branches be entirely autonomous in the initiatives. However neither of these strategies
are profitable and tend to erode the brand's consistency and promise. Hence the
necessity to frame the approach with a set of processes and practices that can be
repeated, transferred to local branches. Success is in sharing the vision, values,
promises and delivering them at a local level with relevance.

Is your experience scalable? and can you act locally? Feel free to connect with us and lets
discuss the topic together.

Categories:
Customer Experience Management
Tags:
customer experience
Change Management
Global Technology
Processes
research

Eight Key Indicators For Collaborative Leaders


What is collaborative leadership? Collaborative leadership is a philosophy
of leadership where the leader becomes a facilitator instead of an authority figure and allows
the team or a group of people to collectively discuss problems, make decisions and innovate
lu . Th f m c u h v z l “Z u cul u ” wh h
leader is key. In a time where organizations are more and more perceived as platforms, I
believe that leaders need to be platforms as well. Have a look at the eight indicators.

Source: visual.ly via Damarque on Pinterest

Categories:
Tags:
collaborative leader

Lufthansa Cargo's Supply Chain Open Innovation
Challenge

9 7:14:58 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

Lufthansa Cargo has just launched its second Air Cargo Innovation
Challenge. This is for customers or anyone who thinks they know at supply chain, to submit
creative, exciting (or not so exciting) and out-of-the-box ideas about improving customer
service in the air freight industry.

This challenge is being split into four categories;

 Customer touch points and services - Tell us how we can better and more effectively
interact with our clients.
 Applify Cargo and the use of new technology - How can all modern means of
communication via new technology be applied to Air Cargo customer service?
 Customer loyalty programs - Can you imagine innovative and attractive loyalty
programs which provide added value to the customer?
 Blank room - forward thinking and out-of-the-box ideas. Anything goes here, be a
visionary and inspire us!

The contest ends on November 7th, with winners announced the first week of December.

Categories:
Innovation
Tags:
Lufthansa Cargo

Three Critical Elements to Sustainable Employee
Engagement

m 8 21:06:12 | Gianluigi Cuccureddu

Th “ Gl l W f c S u y: E m R ” study by
Towers Watson provides a snapshot of the attitudes and concerns of 32,000 workers around
h w l .I h l h h w mpl y ’ v w ff c h m h w
commitment to their employers, and ultimately, their behavior and performance on the job. As
such, it provides us with important insights into the elements of the work environment that
help shape employee behavior and performance in positive ways to support growth goals.
And it presents a new and more robust definition of engagement — sustainable engagement
— designed for the 21st-century workplace. Sustainable engagement fits the Purpose-driven
organization we wrote about earlier.

Globally, nearly two-thirds (65%) of the more than 32,000 full-time workers participating in
u u y h hly . Wh l h ’ up — considering workers have
been doing more with less, and for less, for over half a decade — it poses a significant risk for
employers. Are they at a critical tipping point in their ability to sustain engagement over time?
And if they are, what actions can they take to turn the tide, given the significant implications
of declining engagement on productivity and performance?

Other key findings from the survey:

 Stress and anxiety about the future are common.
 Security is taking precedence over almost everything.
 Attracting employees is almost entirely about security.
 R mpl y h m w h h “qu l y” f h w xp c v ll.
 Employees have doubts about the level of interest and support coming from senior
leaders.

There are three key points to understand sustainable employee engagement:

 1) Engagement is not satisfaction or happiness at work. Employees can be
quite satisfied with their work and happy to come in every day because the
love the Starbucks in the café or spending time with their friends at work. That
’ m h y’ uly engaged – willing to give additional discretionary
effort (above and beyond job specs) because they want to.
 2) Sustained engagement requires you change the game. You cannot
continue to do the same things ad nauseum and expect continued strong results.
What engages people today will change as the people themselves and their
w l ch . Th ’ h yp f h “enablement” portion of the
sustained engagement equation. Are you continuing to give your employees
what they need so they want to deliver the discretionary effort you need?
 3) Energy matters – and so does attitude. Well-being, a key component of
T w W ’ f f “energy ” h p c I’v w
before that is too easily discounted. Do you want to come to work and do your
best in a miserable environment of grumpy, mean or even abusive people? I

w h ’ c uc v m ng my best work. Creating a positive work
environment is fundamental to sustained engagement.

Source: recognizethisblog.com via Damarque on Pinterest

What does your organization do to create an energized and purpose-driven environment?

Categories:
Tags:
employee engagement

The Five Biggest Supply Chain Challenges According to
the Supply Chain Council


The Supply Chain Council (SCC) is an independent, nonprofit, global
corporation with membership open to all companies and organizations interested in applying
and advancing the state-of-the-art in supply chain management systems and practices. The
recent economic recession forces companies to take an intense look at their supply chains,

question some of their assumptions, and root out major inefficiencies. Read what the SCC
identified as the five key supply chain management challenges.

The five challenges identified by the Supply Chain Council:

 Customer service
Effective supply chain management is all about delivering the right product in the
right quantity and in the right condition with the right documentation to the right place
at the right time at the right price. If only it were as simple as it sounds.
 Cost control
Supply chain operating costs are under pressure today from rising freight prices, more
global customers, technology upgrades, rising labor rates, expanding healthcare costs,
new regulatory demands and rising commodity prices. To control such costs there are
thousands of potential metrics that supply chain organizations can and do measure.
Managers need to zero in on the critical few that drive total supply chain costs within
their organizations.
 Planning and Risk Management
Supply chains must periodically be assessed and redesigned in response to market
changes, including new product launches, global sourcing, new acquisitions, credit
availability, the need to protect intellectual property, and the ability to maintain asset
and shipment security. In addition, supply chain risks must be identified and
quantified. SCC members report that less than half of their organizations have metrics
and procedures for assessing, controlling, and mitigating such risks.
 Supplier/partner relationship management
Different organizations, even different departments within the same organization, can
have different methods for measuring and communicating performance expectations
and results. Trust begins when managers let go of internal biases and make a
conscious choice to follow mutually agreed upon standards to better understand
current performance and opportunities for improvement.
 Talent
As experienced supply chain managers retire, and organizations scale up to meet
growing demand in developing markets, talent acquisition, training, and development
is becoming increasingly important. Supply chain leaders need a thorough
understanding of the key competencies required for supply chain management roles,
specific job qualifications, methods for developing future talent and leaders, and the
ability to efficiently source specific skill sets.

Do these challenges is these areas also apply to you?

Categories:
Tags:
supply chain council

The Purpose-Driven Organization - First Why Then Trust


We live in an era of transparency, of an easyness to collaborate and share
f m . Bu ’ l h f distrust, of crises and a Post-Growth Economy or Shared
Value by Porter. It are in these turbulent times that a Purpose driven organization will have
more impact, be more directive and inspiring and is more sustainable. As Sinek says, being
amongst people who believe what you believe, that is key. This counts for your employees,
your business partners and customers, the complete supply chain. Being amongst people that
share the same the Purpose, only then Trust thrive in this connected society.

Have a look at this inspiring video by Sinek, First Why and then Trust.

In a social media ruled era, outside-in reigns, the customer is king, co-create with them and
what more.

One of the wise lessons of Richard Branson however is:

F B h m mp f c f l hp l h p pl . “If
y u’ w h p pl … y u lly c u ly c u p pl h I’m u w
c ul f j f y u V ”h y . “Th c mp h l f h p pl
h c mp h lly w ll. I’m u w ’ l f w h u u h t would be
h m mp .”
T h mpl y mp m pl y c uc l h ucc fB ’ V
Emp pu mpl y f cu m c h h l h . “A c mp y
p pl … mpl y w w… m I being listened to or am I a cog in the wheel? People
lly f lw .”

If you take care of your employees they will take care of your customers. This is where
Purpose and Trust are important.

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
purpose

Social CRM Company Capillary Technologies Raises
$15.5M: Real-time Is The Big Differentiator


TechCrunch reports that Capillary Technologies, a social CRM company
that helps retailers engage over mobile, email, social and in-store channels, is announcing the
close of $15.5 million in Series A funding led by Sequoia Capital and Norwest Venture
Partners with Qualcomm Ventures also participating in the round. The company, which offers
a cloud-based SaaS platform for customer engagement, clienteling, loyalty and social CRM
solutions, currently works with over 100 major brands across 10,000 locations worldwide, and
just recently entered the U.S. market.

What makes the system a big draw for brands, he explains, is its ability to integrate with
hundreds of different point-of-sale systems, as well as th fw ’ l-time nature which is
able to identify customers immediately after sign-up – f wh l h y’ ll h .

How the tech works:

A cu m h up u h ph y c QR c h ’
display. Th y’ h p -up to receive messages from the brand, and that
page uses Facebook Connect to quickly pre-f ll h cu m ’ f m wh l l h
customer data back with the brand. The moment the sign-up process is complete, the cashier
at the point-of- l mm ly h cu m ’ p c u ll pp
h y m. B f f h cu m ’ c h c u ff
c mm h c um ’ vc .

Co-founder Krishna Mehra (President – Americas), who founded the company alongside
CEO Aneesh Reddy and VP of Operations Ajay Modani:

Trying to engage with customers is adifficult thing. The existing mechanisms to capture
customer data and interact with customers through plastic cards, and all these things, are very
sub- p m l. M y m v pu ch c ’ lly c p u l f qu l y cu m
. Th ’ m h w lve very well.

What makes the system a big draw for brands, he explains, is its ability to integrate with
hundreds of different point-of- l y m w ll h fw ’ l-time nature which is
able to identify customers immediately after sign-up – f wh l h y’ ll h .

Categories:
Tags:
social crm

The Supply Chain Defines Social Media Too Narrowly


We are investigating how transparency and collaboration –through the
integration of social technologies- can help supply chains to innovate, to be resilient.
Improvements in the supply chain are created through information sharing and better
alignment in decision making. There are discrepancies between the above and practice. I came
across this article on supply chain executives and how social media is perceived. It describes
well some of the experiences and feedback we encounter.

The majority of the supply chain executives who participated in the sessions of the The
Logistics & Supply Chain Forum, believe that social media will transform supply chain
p c (f h ) w y w c ’ m y.

However, and this is not just limited to the supply chain, the writer elaborates:

F m x cu v h pu l c l h m“ c lm ” c lly qu
F c Tw L I h pu l cly cc l . Bu h c y m f “ c l
w ” lu l clu “E p . ” ppl c ( “Enterprise Social
Software”) h c mp c pl y lly f c l c mmu c
collaboration between employees and different functional groups, and with suppliers,
customers, and other external partners in a private, secure environment.

Th ’ f c nuous learning curve in educating the supply chain (and business in
general) in what social technologies are, the scope and applications of them. Partially the
discrepancy is sustained by the supply side of social technologies (agencies, consultancies
etc), focussing on B2C, specific functions such as Marketing, PR and comms and specific
networks. As the review of the Forum continues :

[…]I h h l l l yu c lm ff c v ly v c u u
mp v m v h c mp y u h x cu v ’ u l w
because his definition of social media was limited to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

In other words, many executives get caught up in the terminology (blogs, wikis, tweets,
discussion forums, RSS, Enterprise 2.0, etc.) and view social media as more work to do, more
information they need to sift through in addition to emails and voicemails. Think beyond
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Focus on the work, not the words.

The perception of social technologies to be additional work is an incorrect approach. Social
technologies offer better, faster and cheaper ways to support a vision or solve a business
p l m. If h y ’ v lu y u h v c f h m . “Bu l
ff h y w ll c m ” ff c v pp ch ch l y-centric instead of
business-centric.

In our continuous efforts in understanding the top challenges within supply chain
management and how potentially social technology integration can help solve them, please
share yours in the blog or contact us.

C c ly u ch h ’ ch ll w ll h lp uc ch h cc l
supply chain innovation.

Categories:
Tags:
social technology
integration

Key Role of Social Business Analyst Is Emerging


In a previous article about delivering the social business imperative, the
enabling roles to deliver social business mentioned an emerging critical role, the Social
Business Analyst. A dedicated role that acts as a liaison between IT and the business.

In the Forrester article, Koplowitz ends with the role of the social business analyst which is
often not funded and where skills are only now being defined:

Social business analysts define and measure business value. Emerging systems of
engagement and their ever-increasing integration with systems of record offer businesses the
opportunity to re-think knowledge worker-c cp c .O c “fy u ul
h y w ll c m ” pp ch unlikely to drive optimal results. Forward-thinking organizations
have established a dedicated role to act as a liaison between IT and the business to educate the
business on driving business value and to take technical requirements from the business back
to IT to drive social business and collaboration strategy and investments. This critical role is
just emerging and often requires organizations to add net new headcount.

Th “ f y u u l h y w ll c m ” pp ch w ll ò v p m l ul v g and
linking it with business issues and how it can create business value is a sustainable approach.
Secondly, start small, test and learn, build your business case and decide upon results if and
how you should proceed with further integration.

The benefits of this process are higher speed, lower risk and a better outcome versus
traditional IT implementation processes. Furthermore, this approach promotes sharing and
collaboration and leads to a better mutual understanding among the team members of their
respective missions, goals and needs.

From a non IT perspective, social business analysts need to understand and be able to change
and direct culture, processes and capabilities in order to align effectively the social IT
solutions with the business. Besides those, there are the politics, reaching out to the right

stakeholders and what more that need to be addressed effectively, if a social business
transformation wants to happen effectively.

Do you think all these skills can be unified in one person? Or would a cross-competence team
be more feasible?

Ask us if you wish to find out what skills a social business analyst needs to have within your
business context and challenges.

Categories:
Tags:
social technology
social business

Forrester: Four Major Goals for Enterprise Social
Networking Integration


Forrester fields hundreds of client inquiries each year on the topic of social
business and collaboration. And the trend doesn't appear to be slowing. Transparency,
collaboration and acceleration of the intangible capital are creating both challenges and
opportunities.

Vice president of Forrester Research Rob Koplowitz said at TUCON 2012, Las Vegas:

W ’ v c l ch l y m h f . Wh ’ ch m h yh
l h l l c m c l y… W ’ w c ph c u .

Why are they implementing social technology? Koplowitz answered that companies are
depending on information.

By having a (more) transparent infrastructure, across silos where different perspectives
h c u p c p pl wh m c mp l “
p ” much f ff c v .

Earlier this year, Koplowitz wrote this article on delivering the social business imperative.

The goals he hears from clients revolve around four major goals:

 Breaking down geographic boundaries. There is a keen recognition that large global
organizations do not capture information and identify expertise effectively. Finding
content and experts in a large, geographically dispersed organization can be like

finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. If I have a question in London and the
best answer is from someone in Singapore, can I really expect that connection to be
made?
 Breaking down organizational boundaries. Same dynamic as above, different
barriers. If I'm in customer service and the information I need to help a customer is
with a salesperson, can I make that connection?
 Flattening organizational hierarchy. Of those investing in social networking
solutions, many are driven from the top down. C-level executives are often turning to
IT with the mandate to make the enterprise "more social." Why are these executives
looking to drive such profound change? Because they recognize that their businesses
are far too complex to be run effectively without meaningful input from the people
that are actually running the business every day.
 Driving collective action. The actions of many are more powerful than the actions of
few. And organizations are acutely aware of this. In most of my client conversations,
the topic of innovation is a top-level driver of enterprise social initiatives. Within
innovation, the topic of new product development is top of mind. In other words,
many organizations are looking to drive the lifeblood of success, the products they
sell, collectively.

In a previous article we reported about four reasons why Enterprise Social Networking is
exloding. One of the reason was the ability to drive real business value. McKinsey researched
that the unlocked potential annual value of social technologies is 1.3 trillion in four sectors.

In order to achieve this, Koplowitz says that successful implementation of social business and
collaboration solutions requires standard IT diligence and the usual roles to apply it. Some of
these roles are tecnical and some are non technical. Examples are collaboration managers,
solution- and enterprise architects, HR professionals, community leaders and social business
analysts.

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
Enterprise Social Networking

The Future of Retail: Consumers Expect An Ingrated
Multi-Channel Service


In a new report, l “D l Sh pp R l v cy ” C p m uv y
16,000 digital shoppers across 16 developing and mature markets about their use of different
channels and devices for shopping. The study demonstrated that shoppers are not loyal to one

channel but expect a seamless integration across online, social media, mobile and physical
stores.

The study also highlighted that 56 percent of respondents are likely to spend more money at a
physical store if they had used digital channels to research the product prior to purchase,
however 73 percent of respondents also expect online prices to be lower than those in physical
stores.

When asked what channels were important or very important for learning about products, 72
percent said Internet sites, 58 percent cited email newsletters and product/coupon offers, and
49 percent mentioned in-store technology.

The Tennessean reports on the study:

The simple availability of information is no longer an issue. What companies must do is
become trusted sources of knowledge and provide the platforms where consumers can share
experiences. Those companies will become the preferred brands.

Exactly this is important, creating such a compelling and relevant customer experience that a
brand becomes a trusted source.

SocialCommerceToday elaborates on the report by writing that the retail landscape as we
know it is set to change. More than half of the respondents from both developing and mature
markets said they expect physical stores for increasing numbers of categories will simply
become showrooms to select and order products by 2020.

This development might mean it helps the change the brick and mortar retail landscape.
Creating areas of mainly showrooms, pop-up stores and what more, combining it with an
online environment, creating the expected integrated (transmedial) all-channel service.

Local shopping engine Milo has produced an infographic of the research, see below:

Source: socialcommercetoday.com via Damarque on Pinterest

Categories:
Business Models
Tags:
retail
sector
capgemini
research

Co-operatives Are Resilient And Contribute To a More
Balanced Economy


The Guardian reports about the launch of The Co-operative Enterprise Hub
to support the creation and growth of community-owned enterprises. The Co-operative has
pledged a further £5million between 2012-14 to continue to develop the service which
provides free specialist advice, training and access to finance – plus a radical new scheme to
underwrite community share issues - enabling co-operatively-owned organisations to get off
the ground or grow.

From pubs to post offices and retail to renewables, resilient communities are turning to co-
operatively-owned solutions to operate business and services that are set-up, run and
controlled for the benefit of the community.

Michael Fairclough, head of community and co-operative investment at The Co-operative,
said:

Communities, driven by needs other than to maximise profit, are turning to co-operatively-
owned solutions to tackle local issues and, for the provision of businesses and services
important to their needs - enterprises operated by a general public increasingly concerned for
environment, accountability, community cohesion and sustainability. The co-operative
business model has a significant role to play in fostering the growth of future enterprise and
contributing to the rebuilding of a more balanced and stable economy.

Tiziana O'Hara from the Northern Ireland Co-operative Forum - the regional body
representing existing and emerging co-operatives in Northern Ireland, said:

Co-operatives are resilient even in a downturn, reinforcing the fabric of our communities and
contributing to a more balanced economy.

I ’ x c ly h m l c c my w ’ l f . Th f x mpl u h
collaborative consumption initiatives, or where networks of self-employed people are helping
each other. These kind of initiatives, spread the risk and benefits the individuals within
communities.

Indeed communities and societies need to have a better grip on the economy. How do you
think this fits within the purpose of a business and shared value, as explained by Michael
Porter?

Categories:
Open Industry and Open Economy
Tags:
co-operative

Social Media Monitoring Tools Comparison Guide:
Radian6 Tops


PR 20/20 has created a social media monitoring tools comparison guidethat
compares nine monitoring tools. They have compared things like price, the ideal user, blog
coverage, social media coverage, email alerts, dashboard and more. There are a lot more
m l I ’t know why exactly thése nine have been selected, but it does give a
good overview between the tools.

Radian6 tops the other eight tools. Of course it depends on what kind of user you are and for
what objectives you want to use monitoring. The coverage, completeness and depth of
Radian6 in terms of sources is impressive. Having a full (or near full) overview of the
landscape is a precondition to do your analysis on. Have a look at the guide below.

Which monitoring tool do you advice which is not listed?

Categories:
Technology
Tags:
social media monitoring

Top Five Trends in B2B Content Marketing


Holger Schulze conducted a survey and compiled the report B2B Content
Marketing Trends 2012. I ’ p f h f wh c m
wh .I’ lz h c m ju xp c
m m f l v wh l . W ’v pply c marketing for many
years now, amplifying the brand, spur thought leadership and being a platform where people
(businesses) with the same Purpose gather.

The top five trends are:

1. Content marketing is expanding dramatically in terms of tactics, forms and volume of
content.

•8 p c fm yc p uc h

• Ov h lf f h p cp u m f m c c h h y m
“ ff c v ”

• Th m p p c c c ff t functional roles

2. Content is at the heart of B2B marketers top 3 goals—lead generation, market
education and brand awareness.

3. The fastest growing content format is Infographics, whose use increased 1.5x from last
year.

4. Biggest challenge for marketers is time and bandwidth to create content.

•9 p c fB Bm c wc f m c ch

5. Most B2B marketers are trying to measure content engagement.

•W fﬁc v w & w l l qu y & qu l y h p3m u ments

Three top goals for B2B content marketing

The top three goals are –as mentioned in the trends- lead generation, thought leadership &
market education and brand awareness. Through brand awareness by educating the market
and thought leadership, as a brand you Give First. You connect the dots, you create clarity
amongst the many developments. You develop Trust and become a reliable source.

Future

Over 84 percent of marketers are increasing content production over the next 12 months, over
30 percent of them significantly so. 14 percent of marketers expect volume to stay flat. In

contrast, last year, over 71 percent of respondents saw an increase in content production —
looks like the pace of content production is picking up steam.

What about you? Are you picking up on B2B content marketing? If so, what is your top goal?

Thanks for the hat tip Greg!

Categories:
Intangible Capital
Tags:
content marketing

Shared Thoughts From the #HBRchat On Big Data


Today I joined the #HBRchat facilitated by @HBRExchange. Today's
topic was big data. Lots of people shared their thoughts on the topic. Have a look below for a
compilation of great thoughts shared by attendees of the chat. Enjoy.

[View the story "Thoughts from the #HBRchat on #bigdata" on Storify]

Thoughts from the #HBRchat on #bigdata
Today the #HBRchat by @HBRExchange was about
bigdata. Have a look below for some great thoughts shared
by attendees of the chat.
Storified by Damarque · Thu, Oct 04 2012 11:52:34

"The first question a data-driven organization asks itself is not 'What do we think?' but 'What
do we know?'" http://bit.ly/SxMBrC #hbrchatHBR Exchange
Great point. RT @leadfearlessly: Intuition guides what to ask, data makes course corrections.
#HBRChatSusanne Goldstein
RT @HBR xch : "B ’ p w h f v hum h ."
http://flpbd.it/QyJqs #hbrchatPallav Sinha
@HBRexchange The discussion at #hbrchat was immense but you were rather ungenerous
with the RTs today. Many valuable insights were ignored. (Ritu)
I fully support emphasis on proper methodology. RT @diwasamadge: ...pitfall of the mass
data grab #HBRchatLisa03755
@Lisa03755 @erichargraves It's not always about FASTER, it's about SMARTER -
sometimes takes more time upfront. #hbrchatTranscend Coaching

Data is a tool for execution. It doesn't execute, but rather leads our assumption about the
future. Better data, Better assumptions #HBRchatEric Hargraves
@mikepweiss Data, if not named & shared correctly can get "too inside baseball". Action
from actionable data #HBRChatSusanne Goldstein
@leadfearlessly Prototype and simulate it. Then, implement it on small scale and identify the
strengths and weakness. Leverage it. #HBRChatVidhya
@HBRexchange. Data comes fm data modeling wch should be outputted by conceptualizing
a fact-proof reality, thus buiding it fm facts #hbrchatMichel. M
transparency improves decision making. Multiple teams may benefit from the same data
through differing perspectives. #HBRchatEric Hargraves
@vasundhar Yes, right measure gives the right ingredient to concentrate upon to improve
efficiency and to cut costs. #HBRChatVidhya
MT @FollowSusanne: A3: Right data for right people. Data dissemination should be part of
companys information sharing strategy. #hbrchatHBR Exchange
If broad, need great reporting tools to drill into specific questions. #hbrchatTranscend
Coaching
Bravo! RT @leadfearlessly: Data drives better decisions only when we stop looking ONLY
for the data that supports our opinion... #hbrchatLisa03755
@phixod @AchimMuellers Proper methodology, analysis, and interpretation become
increasingly valuable due to data noise. #HBRchatDaniel Iwasa-Madge
@Lisa03755 @hbrexchange This is where increased level of skill is needed for big data. Next
big challenge is hiring the skills set #hbrchatLinda O'Neill
Data validates Intution. Intution in a way is outcome of experience, which is data that can't be
transfered. #HBRChatvasundhar
Strategy is always an intuitive leap. Data helps measure whether or not it works.
#hbrchatTranscend Coaching
Visualization of #bigdata correlation and causation can often sway where words cannot.
#hbrchatStephen Bates
If it is only Data, then the chimp promoting his product on #HBRChat search can make a
decision as well ! Intuition from experience shd aidSid Mishra
Concur!! RT @Lisa03755: @hbrexchange A2: Intuition AND data – They complement each
other. I always want supporting data. #hbrchatStephen Bates
Smart leaders calibrate their positions & decisions with new input. #intelligence
#hbrchatJustin Mass
Data is a tool. Intuition is a feeling. Talking to customers/users/implementers -- priceless
#HBRChatSusanne Goldstein
RT @ValaAfshar: RT @ValaAfshar: Good management is based on data, experience,
judgment and influence. #HBRchatRich Casselberry
Fostering a culture of evidence-based decision making is critical. Reject the anecdote.
@HBRexchange #HBRchatDaniel Iwasa-Madge
@jmass In masses of data, it's difficult to determine what info is unusable in the given context
and to pinpoint the relevant data.#HBRchatVidhya
The difficulty is not creating charts and dashboard, it's creating the ones that deliver
actionable insights - dataviz is much more #hbrchatEric Kim
+1 RT @jmass: Data not big if action not acute. #hbrchatW3 Consulting
Training is key to ask creative questions, interpret & communicate action-oriented results for
#bigdata value #hbrchatMarie Taillard
Vital components 2 data analysis: #accuracy in reporting, selection of appropriate tests,
ensuring generalizability of #results. #HBRchatEvelyn Eury

Having data could be mistaken for having knowledge. Just having the data is not enough it
has to be managed to leverage it.#hbrchatAvason Consulting
Categories:
Big Data
Tags:
harvard business review
twitter

Three Social Media Opportunities in Supply Chain
Strategies


SCM W l ’ u l Ch f Supply Ch Off c Report, a global study of
almost 1,400 executives co-led by highly respected supply chain academic Dr Hau Lee, found
that social media i pl y l l l y’ upply ch ( 7% “ ff c ”
today). Read further what the three opportunities are and other key findings of the survey.

In the future many see three opportunities:

 Get customer feedback (56%),
 Inform product innovation (46%) or
 Warn of supply disruptions (41%).

What do you think of these three opportunities as spotted by the respondents?

Other key findings are:

Digital and eCommerce. The steady growth of online shopping is increasing supply chain
complexity at many levels and forcing those closest to the consumer to adapt.

 Three-quarters of respondents expect changes to their manufacturing strategies and
distribution networks, while 56% expect brands to increase their direct-to-customer
fulfilment channels.
 By a ratio of 4:1 respondents expect consumers to be increasingly receptive to offers
trading price, convenience and selection against each other rather than merely seeking
the lowest possible price.
 Most supply chain profession l hy w y f m h fm v u l ’p v
web data (Facebook pages, Google searches, etc). But other sources of customer
insight are seen as fair game.

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