Welcome to the Q3 edition of the PNR Quarterly! Fall has settled in and in this edition we reflect on something we’ve been working on for a while.
When we launched our firm a few years ago, we believed that any strategy exercise cannot be static and needs to evolve over time. The existing strategic planning methodologies were, in our view, wholly lacking in this regard. We were one of the first consultancies to apply the principles of Agile to strategy, specifically strategic planning.
Agile finds its roots in software development but its core essence dates back to the sixties. John Boyd, a famous fighter pilot and brilliant military strategy came up the OODA loop. An OODA loop is the cycle observe–orient–decide–act.
- Observation: the collection of data by means of the senses
- Orientation: the analysis and synthesis of data to form one’s current perspective
- Decision: the determination of a course of action based on that current perspective
- Action: the physical playing-out of decision
An organization that can process this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an opponent, can thereby “get inside” the opponent’s decision cycle and gain the advantage. Beyond its military application, management consultants and executives have been applying the concept in business for a while.
The essential lesson of this decision and execution cycle is the importance of generating tempo (or velocity using Agile’s terms). Maintaining rapid decision and execution cycles and thus a rapid tempo requires that leaders and employees alike have an accurate image of the landscape and a shared vision of what needs to be done. With this common perspective, leaders are able to experience superior situational awareness and make more effective decisions.
We believe that the natural extension of these principles is something we call strategy in action. Generating velocity as mentioned above is the essential tenet for continued organizational success.
One of the key components of strategy in action is alignment. An employee’s potential to move the organization forward is influenced by the direction and the magnitude of their actions. Companies that align their direction to the magnitude of their actions grow 48% faster than their industry average and are twice as likely to report above average profits.
Team alignment is the glue that ensures that a rapid tempo can be generated and sustained. We’ll be expanding further on the topic of strategy in action over time and its practical applications.
Our brand promise is to help organizations move from point A to point B with certainty. With the concept of strategy in action, we believe that the notion of strategy is going to become much more concrete, measurable and predictable.
Along with it, we’ve updated the manifesto that represents the essence of our firm.
Not your typical strategy firm
In today’s landscape, current strategy paradigm will no longer get the job done. Our mission is to help companies take action move faster and adapt to their market by taking action. This means moving away from the belief that companies are defined by plans, not people.
That’s what sets us apart. We believe a business’s strategy is only as effective as it is actionable in the hands of its people. Our engagement model is collaborative.
PNR. Where the left brain meets the right people.
Fun stuff
Our most downloaded podcasts from the past quarter:
Leadership productivity with Marie-Pier St-Hilaire, CEO @ Edgenda
Marie-Pier is the CEO and principal shareholder at Edgenda Group. Marie-Pier St-Hilaire has always been passionate about initiating sweeping transformations. While enrolled in the MBA in information technology at Université Laval, she founded her company, which experienced remarkable organizational growth, i.e., from $0.2 million to $7.5 million in less than ten years. Now, under the umbrella brand Edgenda, the company and its AFI Expertise division employs more than 150 and is ranked among Quebec’s largest SMBs.
Martin is a pragmatic digital marketing executive and entrepreneur, with 20+ years of experience. He is known for transforming organization toward consumer centricity by leveraging data & digital capabilities. He is now acting as Vice-President of the Transformation Office and Strategic Innovation at COGECO Connexion one of the Largest Canadian Telecommunication organizations.
Originally from Montreal, where he attended McGill University, Mr. Duchesne spent six years working for Nurun before being recruited by Cossette in Quebec City, where he served as General Manager of the interactive division before being named Vice-President of the integrated agency in 2009. Since 2013, he has also held the position of Senior Vice-President of Cossette in Quebec, heading up national accounts such as General Motors, La Maison Simons, Office du tourisme de Québec, CAA-Québec and Gaz Métro.
We held our Q2 retreat at Sky Ventures. Karen seems to be enjoying flying
Amineh, Antoine and Karym before an important customer offsite
If you have any suggestions or comments, we would love to hear from you! insights@thepnr.com
Have a great Q4!
The PNR Team
Past editions
