What makes us tick

Challenging Assumptions

Nothing stands still. History shows us that step-change is usually achieved only when prevailing assumptions are challenged, sometimes with difficult consequences. We try constantly to challenge assumptions in the search for sustainable performance improvement. These can be in the business environment in which we operate; how we organise ourselves to meet the needs of our people and our clients; or in challenging 'prevailing wisdom'. For example:

• are enterprise data warehouses and sophisticated analytics really the best way to provide operational management information, or have organisations simply become immune to the extravagant claims of software vendors and some IT specialists, despite the widely reported problems with, for example, CRM and ERP?
• do we need our people to travel to a single location every day to work, or can we take advantage of the latest communication and collaboration tools and enable people to work in much more flexible ways?
• do the answers to today's complex business challenges need to be equally complex, or have organisations been seduced by the idea that if something sounds complex and laden with jargon, it must be more worthwhile than something that 'calls a spade a spade'?

Sustainability

Organisation after organisation has launched performance improvement programmes with flag-waving and fanfares. Nine times out of ten they turn out to be a disappointment and, like the lastest fad-diet, fail to deliver sustainable improvement. In our client engagements, we go out of our way to establish the foundation for sustainable improvements, and believe this is more valuable in the long run than delivering a 'one-hit wonder'.

Sustainability also informs how we approach our own organisation. For example: how and where we work; how we reward and motivate our people; how we assess the impact of our operational model on the environment; and how we contribute to the wider community are all influenced by our commitment to sustainability.

The majority of our people can elect to be home-based. In many cases this not only has lifestyle benefits, but also eliminates unnecessary travel to and from a central location. Improvements in online collaboration tools and VoIP mean we can be fully 'connected' without being in the same physical location.

In another example, some of our people work as volunteer school mentors, working with students in Years 10 and 11 as they approach their GCSEs. What these young people achieve in the next two years will have a material impact on the sustainability of the UK's performance well into the 21st Century and we believe we should support them.

Valuing diversity

Diversity amongst our people is not simply a matter of age, gender, beliefs and sexual orientation, although all of these are important. We believe that the best solutions are achieved for our clients when we are able to bring a wide range of perspectives to bear on the particular challenge. This means we do not have an arbitrary 'graduates-only' employment policy, nor do we attempt to recruit from a narrow professional background. This does not mean we have low standards - far from it - but we believe excellence comes in many flavours. Diversity also helps us challenge assumptions, as we engage with alternative ways of approaching our clients' needs. Valuing diversity places demands on each of us to listen carefully and respect alternative ways of approaching a common problem.

Delivering excellence

The determination to deliver for our clients and for each other is the glue that binds us together, regardless of our professional and personal backgrounds. For our clients, we strive to deliver the best solution to meet their needs. This means the most appropriate solution, given the context in which they are operating.

Being enthusiastic

The OED describes this as "passionate eagerness in any pursuit". We look for people who love what they do, as well as being exceptionally good at it. It's about wanting to help our clients achieve sustained performance improvement. It's about repaying the confidence our clients have in us by delivering our services with passion and good humour. It goes way beyond 'having fun', and helps us focus on getting the most out of everything we do both collectively and individually.

In some organisations, performance targets do little more than enable people to get better and better at doing the wrong things. A Teasel White Paper explains why.

Click here to read the latest Teasel Opinion

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