The need for key staff to have commercial skills is paramount, as the public sector is increasingly opened up as a commercial market, in which organisations compete against each other and the private sector for contracts. Generating additional income and being commercially aware is vital for this to be a success, and is what many public sector organisations are looking to do.
This programme will help you:
See commercial awareness as not just another skill-set, but as a different mind-set
Use a variety of tried-and-tested commercial, analytical decision-making techniques and tools
Define your commercial objectives
Develop a strategic focus
Start looking at service clients as market segments
Analyse, in a competitive context, your service offering
Plan a commercial strategy, prepare for its implementation and see it through to execution
1 What is commercial thinking?
Understand what it means to be a commercial thinker
Identifying commercial opportunities often involves not only a different skill set but also a different mindset; looking at the services that you provide
2 Defining strategic commercial objectives
Defining your key commercial objectives
Prioritising your strategic objectives
Two key strategic planning tools:Resource and Competency MatrixPESTLE
How to apply these tools to your particular situation
3 Developing a strategic focus
Decision-making on how to compete in the markets identified by your strategic objectives requires a strategic focus
Developing strategic focus
A tool for helping you to make those decisions: using the Ansoff Matrix
4 Defining customer targets
How to think more commercially by understanding who all your customers are and how they differ from each other
how to apply the principles to your areas to identify the type of customers you have and their key characteristics - Customer segmentation
Who are your customers? How do their needs vary? - Scenarios
5 The competitive market place
Understanding the competitive forces at play
Different types of competition
Analysing your competitive environment using Porter's 5 Forces model
6 Meeting stakeholder expectations
Two simple models to help you identify the key stakeholders who could influence your commercial environment
How to use your stakeholders to help you achieve your commercial objectives
7 Implementation - systems, structures and processes
Effective commercial activity involves working with others to implement ideas and strategies
What do you need to have in place before you implement your commercial strategy?
How to health-check your organisation prior to implementation using the McKinsey 7S framework
8 Implementation - people and culture
A good commercial strategy only works if the people involved buy in to the ideas and if the culture of the organisation is conducive to the effective implementation
How the latest thinking in behavioural economics can help you develop your culture and people to work commercially
9 Tools and checklists
Be more commercial within your sphere of influence using a commercial checklist to help you
Using the checklist as a benchmark against the most commercially aware organisations
Using the checklist as a health check - both corporately and individually
Delivered in Harpenden or UK Wide or OnlineHarpenden or UK WideorOnlineFlexible Dates
When managers have too many decisions to make, it can have a serious impact on the speed and efficiency of the organisation. When those decisions are commercial ones, the results can wreak havoc with the bottom line.
Often the problem arises when those below them or in operational areas of the organisation aren't equipped or allowed to make a decision for themselves. Issues get passed back up and that wastes time.
This programme provides a solution, giving your entire team the skills to:
And most importantly, they'll be able to do this in line with the broader aims and commercial objectives of the business.
By the end of the programme participants will be able to:
Fully appreciate the importance of effective decision-making in business
Use the five-step 'Stop, Think, Act!' decision-making process
Stop leaping to conclusions
Really understand the situations and decisions they are dealing with
Identify good options
Evaluate those options
Make decisions and then put them into action
Apply these tools and techniques to all their decisions in future
1 Understanding the business we work in
What are the critical factors in our business?
What is the SWOT analysis for our business?
2 Understanding what decision-making is
3 Background
Culture of 'having to be doing'
To change things we have to think about it!
We are paid to make decisions!
4 Recognise the opportunity to make a decision
5 The 'Stop, Think, Act!' technique
6 STOP!
Recognise the opportunity to make a decision
Don't leap to conclusions
Get ready to think
Initial questions:Is this my decision? (Do I have the authority?)Who is this going to affect? (Do they need to be included?)When do I need to make the decision? (What's the timeline?)
7 THINK!
The 3 Cs - making sure we understand the decisions we have to make
What is the context of this decision?What is the overall situation?Why is this decision important?What do we need to achieve?What will success look like?
Do I have clarity about the decision I need to make?Can I write it down?Can I express it clearly in two sentences?
What are the criteria?What are the critical commercial factors that we will use to select our options?What will we use to measure the business success?
8 ACT!
Identifying options
What data do I need to collect?Issues with today's overloadIdentifying what will help you
Select optionsHow many options?Must match your criteriaMust achieve success'Decision compass' exercise
Analyse optionsTabular methodRisk analysis (likelihood v effect)Head, heart and gut (is there any organisational history/bias that we are up against?)
Making your decision
Taking it to actionFirst actionsPlanning how to make it happen
Delivered in Harpenden or UK Wide or OnlineHarpenden or UK WideorOnlineFlexible Dates
This programme provides an intensive, two-day overview of the key elements of operations management, including an array of practical tips and tools to help managers be more proactive and effective in the operations management environment - whether that's in an industrial manufacturing context or in operational leadership in the service sectors.
At the end of the programme, participants will:
Understand the 6Cs approach to operations management
Be able to apply a range of practical tools and techniques to improve their personal effectiveness towards being a more effective operations manager
Be able to prepare an action plan for the critical first (or next) 100 days in their operational leadership role
1 Introduction
What is Operations Management and where does it fit in?
What makes a successful Operations Manager?
Introducing the 6Cs of Operations Management
2 Context
Link to business strategy
Making a year plan
Performance measurement
3 Controls
Governance
Reputational controls
Costs and budgets
Quality
Operational
4 Customers
Internal
External
Stakeholder management
5 Communication
Planning
Meetings
Reporting
Emails
Notices
Networking
Walking the talk
6 Care
People
Safety, Health, Environment & Security
Assets
7 Continuous improvement
Process
Product
Proactivity
Link to KPIs and Year Plan
8 Putting it all together
Action planning for the first (or next) 100 days
Conclusions
Delivered in Harpenden or UK Wide or OnlineHarpenden or UK WideorOnlineFlexible Dates
2 day Leadership workshop
* Pre workshop Leadership diagnostic analyses your current leadership behaviour and impact on business results
* Workshop format includes Diagnostic report debrief & planning for change, Leadership Style, Creating and communicating Vision, Goal setting and commitment to achievement, Coaching & Developing Staff, Performance Management, Rewards and Recognition, Teamwork and Motivation, via simulations, discussion and your current real-world issues.
*Leadership diagnostic re-measure after 6 months to quantify improvement, change etc.
Delivered In-Person in InternationallyInternationallyFlexible Dates