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The soft advantage

300g flour, 5 eggs, some salt, 1 tablespoon of oil, 2 onions, 500g Minced meat,
3 tablespoons of chopped parsley, broth.

Good food is a pleasure for everyone. When you think about a set meal all our mouths water immediately. Typically only the readers know, what Lucullian pleasures they have in mind at this moment. Certainly these are not the measured ingredients of the above receipt of swabian raviolis. However, in business managers seem to trust rather on numbers, data and facts than on their gut feeling. If something does not function despite a flood at data, it is due to bad data quality. If the soft advantages are not considered, this is an indicator for materialistic blinkers.

Scheuklappen

The meaning of a plan, the quality of a product, the evaluations of procedures always lie in the eye of the beholder. If the resolutions are based on apparently objective information, this is the first sign for a cognitive distortion – the illusion of the facts. This is the assumption that the world is, as one perceives it. It happens to those, who are not aware that contents do not have clarity and that eventually the receivers decide upon the content of the messages. Through timely formulations that are aligned to the audience and by considering the soft advantages, you can design publications clearer. The soft advantage evolves, if one uses the unavoidable ambiguities. Generally softness is in the west connected with weakness and missing resilience. But in other parts of the world exists the contrary understanding of how to use it for the own advantage. Well-known examples are the Asian martial arts, in which the strength and the momentum of the adversary are reinforced against him.

Let’s envision the characteristics of softness. As soon as something is only vaguely recognizable, especially decision makers are unsettled. They develop the feeling that they do not have enough facts. Yet the vagueness has the strength to release associations in the mind of the observer. The result is then the sum of all thoughts, which are becoming more complete than you ever could describe the situation. This makes it easier for people to commit themselves to ideas, by stretching or adapting them in their mind. Over time the opinions and attitudes about the conditions change through continuous learning. The results are formed that way by the involved ones and developed to a common optimum. It generates the relevant advantage ahead of the competitors. Since all stakeholders participate, they get the right mix and exploit the smartest leverage point. Eventually everybody will have the necessary transparency through a comprehensive overview.

The soft advantage is the ability to rearrange decisively everywhere, at any time, and in a structured way. This works through the fact that you do not set your ideas in stone. The flexibility of the employees to provide their contributions from different points of view makes the difference. For this purpose it only needs a productive procedure – COCOMA. This enables the decision makers to consistently COncretize and sufficiently COmmunicate the tasks as well as to MAster the realization. As long as the blinkers limit the look of the managers at the soft advantages, the activities run into danger to fail. Usually these responsible people blame the system and the employees, if they miss the target.

If you bow out of the pocket calculator mentality and give room to the employees, in order to organize them, you exploit the soft advantage. On the one hand there are never sufficient facts available for a risk-free planning. On the other hand nobody can predict reliably the future. Future has to be created – by engaged employees equipped with sufficient authority.

Bottom line: The soft advantage is the shift away from the idea that business is a machine with adjustable, perfectly linked and well oiled gear wheels. For this purpose the decision makers only have to allow themselves the application of the soft advantage. There required skills are available. As soon as thinking and deciding is done together in an active way, the routine and the change improve. The soft advantage builds upon the natural behavior and interaction of the business elements.

Where do I want to go?

The longer an enterprise exists, the more with difficult it is to maintain the enthusiasm. An impressive illustration of the direction and the goals produces the necessary energy to keep the momentum during the activity. This is valid for teams and particularly for each person – inclusive oneself. This direction can be more or less extensively prepared as a text, a metaphor or an image. Remember the following visions:

  • … before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth? (J.F. Kennedy)
  • … a computer in each household? (Bill Gates)
  • … ideas worth spreading? (Chris Anderson)

These future pictures from the past are already accomplished. In order to make this happen, it needs many people and much time. The direction becomes tangible by defining the strategy (where you want to go) and motivates the involved people to take part during a longer period.

Strategie03Miss

The following parts provide the comprehensive picture of the future.

  • Vision
    Through the easily conceivable picture of the desired future, the vision, the creativity of the involved people becomes stimulated and creates momentum that prevails for a long time. At best it affects, if it is described in a way, as if it already would be reality.
  • Mission
    The general assignment, the mission, includes the expectations of the decision makers. The mission produces a view of target states similar to the vision. Additionally, it contains the expectations of the leadership team with their assumptions and a consistent explanation, including what should be done, for whom, and what it makes special.
  • Influence factors
    The description of the influence factors (i.e. the critical success factors, the favored value discipline as well as the strengths, the weaknesses, opportunities and risks) shows the involved people the external framework that should be expected during the realization.
  • Strategic direction
    The generally targeted trends create focus for the people involved. It enables them to bring in their competencies. For example, the will to grow or shrink explains additionally, what is intended to be reached, see here.
  • Strategic goals
    The strategic goals are the framework for breaking down the aims. At the same time, it shows a compact overview of the intentions. Make sure that the highest level covers the entire topic.
  • Strategic core
    In the future the core competencies, the core processes and core deliverables become more and more important, since overarching cooperation’s take place more frequently in different constellations (e.g. across locations or enterprises). Clarify the substantial abilities for your deliverables. Limit yourself on those aspects that you actually need for your value creation. Last but not least it is important to assign the products and services that have to be produced to each unit or person.

Bottom line: In times, when everything is possible, it is important to determine your own future. The strategy, described as clear as possible, is the pre-requisite for the ever more frequent cooperation in various groupings. It ensures that all people pull the rope in one direction and at the same time that only a few friction losses arise from conflicts or misunderstandings.

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