http://www.the-foundation.com Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:50:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.the-foundation.com/management-today-the-how-to-issue-how-to-have-great-ideas-by-the-foundation/ http://www.the-foundation.com/management-today-the-how-to-issue-how-to-have-great-ideas-by-the-foundation/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:50:19 +0000 ahewison http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1683 We are very proud to have been asked by Management Today to contribute to their How To? Issue published this February, specifically on the subject of How to have good ideas.  You can read the interview with our Founding Partner …

]]> http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/features/1113158/great-ideas/]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/management-today-the-how-to-issue-how-to-have-great-ideas-by-the-foundation/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/what-it-means-to-be-a-connector-being-helpful-with-contacts-is-different-from-networking/ http://www.the-foundation.com/what-it-means-to-be-a-connector-being-helpful-with-contacts-is-different-from-networking/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:52:49 +0000 ahewison http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1678 http://virou.gr/wyIoFP]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/what-it-means-to-be-a-connector-being-helpful-with-contacts-is-different-from-networking/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/what-do-davos-mandela-john-lewis-and-the-foundation-have-in-common/ http://www.the-foundation.com/what-do-davos-mandela-john-lewis-and-the-foundation-have-in-common/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:28:54 +0000 ahewison http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1670 http://virou.gr/xykRgm…]]> http://virou.gr/xykRgm]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/what-do-davos-mandela-john-lewis-and-the-foundation-have-in-common/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/businesses-that-understand-that-the-new-bottom-line-is-social-will-thrive-says-new-report-commissioned-by-the-foundation/ http://www.the-foundation.com/businesses-that-understand-that-the-new-bottom-line-is-social-will-thrive-says-new-report-commissioned-by-the-foundation/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:46:16 +0000 ahewison http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1580 This Human Business – The new bottom line is social Written by Anthony Painter and commissioned in partnership with award winning communications agency Bondy Consulting…, This Human Business - the new bottom line is social  presents the case that]]> This Human Business – The new bottom line is social Written by Anthony Painter and commissioned in partnership with award winning communications agency Bondy Consulting, This Human Business - the new bottom line is social  presents the case that short term thinking focussed on money alone is counter-productive to growth.  This is the age of social networks and dialogue with consumers – a fact that all businesses should take on board. Organisations like Tesco that have failed to understand that humans are driven by more complex factors than price alone are more likely to suffer disproportionately in hard times. Only now following last week’s results is Tesco taking steps to change things.CEO Philip Clarke is planning a £400m investment to ‟reconnect” with British shoppers, providing a shopping experience that makes them feel warmer. “It is not just about giving the stores a lick of paint. We’re going to invest cash to put more people in the right stores, in the right area,” he has commented. The report highlights how some businesses have failed to fully understand what motivates people and so how to increase value for their customers and themselves. It was not just a financial system that crashed in 2008, it was a whole way of understanding human beings and, consequently, business that failed. People are not only rationally motivated, but also need meaning and purpose. For business it is important to tie the essentials, such as security and rationality, to empathy. Drawing on research from social, psychological, and biological worlds, the report asks tough questions about the way in which business creates sustainable value. It blends these insights with case studies from Amazon, Audi, The Royal Marines, Apple, W.L.Gore, Toyota, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Marks & Spencer, First Direct and others. This Human Business highlights the fact that businesses who didn’t built up a “social surplus” and hook people emotionally in the good times, may suffer disproportionally now that times are getting tougher. It argues that this whole new way of understanding business will change our economic landscape. Businesses that understand that the new bottom line is social will thrive; those that don’t could nose-dive. It is about workers, suppliers, customers, the wider community having a better balance of cost and benefit: it is the reality of the latest understanding of who we are and how we interact to create long term value. Charlie Dawson, founding Partner of The Foundation, said: “Our business is about helping firms to grow and innovate. We’ve increasingly found that the old tools – focused too narrowly on outputs rather than people – have left businesses pushing harder and getting diminishing returns. They can make the short term look healthy, for a while but eventually the edifice will come tumbling down. We wanted to look at business afresh and This Human Business is the result. We will be applying its lessons in our work, but what is most important is that people engage in the debate about the future of business – we want to provoke a lively and practical discussion about where business should be heading. Jessica Bondy, Chief Executive of Bondy Consulting, said: “These are tough business times but the questions are not just about the current economic situation. It’s deeper than that: all businesses need to understand how they are essentially social networks. “Marketers and brand builders can no longer control or broadcast messages. Technology and transparency have changed all that. Small human benefits are a form of marketing now and just as people were encouraged to continue to invest in advertising in previous downturns to ensure they can For more information, a press release or access to case studies please contact #thishumanbusiness @FoundationThink    ]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/businesses-that-understand-that-the-new-bottom-line-is-social-will-thrive-says-new-report-commissioned-by-the-foundation/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/corporate-social-responsibility-a-first-step-towards-replacing-capitalism-or-yet-more-hot-air/ http://www.the-foundation.com/corporate-social-responsibility-a-first-step-towards-replacing-capitalism-or-yet-more-hot-air/#comments Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:08:52 +0000 ltan http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1556

What’s most likely to be sustained by the companies that are leading in this area?

What are the most useful lessons for companies that haven’t been as bold yet?

And what’s actually going to make the most useful difference to

…]]>

What’s most likely to be sustained by the companies that are leading in this area?

What are the most useful lessons for companies that haven’t been as bold yet?

And what’s actually going to make the most useful difference to society from all of this?

These were the questions being debated at our lively CSR forum last year. The three speakers helping us explore this topic included someone who was at the heart of New Labour now balancing politics in the Lords with business in the Boardroom, the leader of M&S’s Plan A, a ‘do good’ initiative that’s returned a £70m profit on the £200m initially invested, and a manager leading a young venture innovatively providing mobile phone benefits to subscribers in rural communities across Africa and South Asia. We saw three main points arise out of the discussions. The first is that changing our approach to business, society and the environment is non-negotiable. The increasing pressure on resources and the planet requires us to not only look at how business impacts the environment but also to change the nature of business from the inside out. This may feel like an uphill struggle, but the second point we heard, loudly and clearly, is that the pressure to change is an opportunity, and this opportunity dwarfs the threat of doing nothing. We shouldn’t think that being a good corporate citizen means compromising the bottom line. As M&S has shown, CSR can be about value creation not corporate philanthropy. Applying sustainable principles can not only improve relationships with customers, stakeholders and suppliers but as Movirtu shows it can create new markets and uncover new ways of doing things. Thirdly, each of our speakers showed how big goals can be achieved through small steps and that taking responsibility for the ways in which a company impacts on society needn’t require a major organisational change. A shift in social conscience can have a positive impact on the daily activities of employees and customers – in the words of another famous retailer, every little helps. A summary of the discussion was also written up by former Observer Management writer, Simon Caulkin and can be found by clicking on the link below. We hope you enjoy reading it.  The Life and Death of Corporate Social Responsibility  ]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/corporate-social-responsibility-a-first-step-towards-replacing-capitalism-or-yet-more-hot-air/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/new-year-new-team-member-and-13-things-you-didn%e2%80%99t-know-about-the-foundation/ http://www.the-foundation.com/new-year-new-team-member-and-13-things-you-didn%e2%80%99t-know-about-the-foundation/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:02:40 +0000 ltan http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1550 Happy new year all! We’ve had a great start to 2012 with a new Senior Consultant, Natasja, joining the team last week. Please take a look at her of her full bio here and have a read of her fun …]]> Happy new year all! We’ve had a great start to 2012 with a new Senior Consultant, Natasja, joining the team last week. Please take a look at her of her full bio here and have a read of her fun take on her first week at The Foundation office…     Starting at a new organisation you can often see things differently until everything then becomes your ‘normal’ too. Harnessing this window of clarity, I bring to you 13 things you didn’t know about The Foundation.   1. We have breakfast together every Monday morning, making us fighting fit for the week. 2. We have a list of ‘secret’ best places to eat, drink and sleep in and around our office in SOHO. 3. 70% of our consultants went to Oxford or Cambridge. 4. One of us has a secret, deep passion for bird watching, otherwise known as being a ‘twitterer’. 5. We share new business, strategy and geeky tid-bits with unabashed geeky glee. This week, a fine article comparing strategic thinkers with cave men. 6. One of us used to open Michael Howard’s mail as a job and also knows Burberry’s hot new male model. 7. Between the consulting team (and not counting Charlie D’s black book) we have 4045 direct contacts on Linkedin between 13 people. 8. We have a fish bowl of items representing a story we’re proud of that each of the new joiners brings in for show and tell on their first day. 9. We have five core values which we try and apply to everything we do: they are to be ambitious, challenging, positive, together, and to do this all with integrity.  10. To join The Foundation, you must go through an average of five interviews, including on-the-spot-case studies, ‘casual chats’ and need  the approval of 6+ members of the team. 11. One of the team genuinely enjoys eye tests, even the bit where they blow air into your eye. Even we think that’s a bit strange. 12. Our current collective favourite food is sushi (beside the perennial chocolate). 13. Most commonly used words – model, noddy, interesting (combine at will). Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this brief glimpse into the everyday world of The Foundation. Let us know if you would like a copy of the ‘secret’ list of places to go in SOHO!]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/new-year-new-team-member-and-13-things-you-didn%e2%80%99t-know-about-the-foundation/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/innovation-in-big-companies-is-it-a-waste-of-time/ http://www.the-foundation.com/innovation-in-big-companies-is-it-a-waste-of-time/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:02:38 +0000 ahewison http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1526

Understand what innovation means for your organisation – Successful innovation is most usefully defined as having an idea to do something better and putting it into action

Be clear about your mission – Innovation needs to support at a clear strategic purpose – the reason why the organisation exists beyond making money

Create leaders – To be successful innovation needs strong and clear leadership

Think both big and small – Innovation can help with the small and dull, it is not necessarily always about giant leaps forward

Focus on what customers value – Understanding what they really need and want is at the heart of successful new ideas

Customer insight isn’t enough – It is the combination of customer insight and knowledge of how to do things differently which generates successful innovations

Consider collaboration – Strong innovation often means collaboration with partners who may also be competitors

Dare to fail – Encourage a culture where failing and learning from failure is a crucial way of making progress

Innovate from the outside in – Be open to inspiration from sources outside the organisation, but balanced with an understanding of the inside

Invest in the innovations of others – big companies are often better at scaling up ideas than at having them in the first place, so they can create more value by finding small proven innovations and concentrating on making them bigger

A summary of the discussion was also written up by former Observer Management writer, Simon Caulkin and can be found by clicking on the link below. We hope you enjoy reading it. Demystifying Innovation]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/innovation-in-big-companies-is-it-a-waste-of-time/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/what-do-you-call-13-people-in-2-boats/ http://www.the-foundation.com/what-do-you-call-13-people-in-2-boats/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:08:46 +0000 ltan http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1514 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndYYAAJJhDI (we promise we’re better at consulting than we are at rowing!)  ]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/what-do-you-call-13-people-in-2-boats/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/our-top-10-tips-for-social-innovation/ http://www.the-foundation.com/our-top-10-tips-for-social-innovation/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:57:02 +0000 ltan http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1500 UnLtd…, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, Alison Hutchinson, Chief Executive of the electronic]]> UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, Alison Hutchinson, Chief Executive of the electronic charity box, Pennies and Jamie Cowen, Non-Exec Director of Your Square Mile) shared some fascinating and helpful insights. We’ve picked out our top 10 tips – and the full write up from Simon Caulkin is now available to download Let’s do something nice – Simon Caulkin & The Foundation

1. Make ‘getting involved’ compelling  –  Human behaviour breaks down into two things: things you want to do vs. things you have to do
2. Make it easy – most people already want to help society. Social innovation should focus on creating easy opportunities for people to help, rather than telling them to do so
3. Define and focus attention towards a meaningful vision – The desire to ‘make a difference’ motivates people to help, so be clear about the direct impact their actions will have
4. Be transparent – Clear communications build trust and understanding
5. Build camaraderie – Creating a community around a shared set of values helps drive change
6. Embrace the barriers  – Barriers that are just high enough to jump over are an opportunity to improve performance and achieve greater social outcomes
7. Allow  the ‘giver’ to be in control – Feeling in control and actively involved will mean people are more likely to keep giving
8. Inspire leadership at all levels – Leadership (not necessarily at the top) is at the heart of creating social change
9. The talent for social innovation exists already – You don’t need to teach a man to fish – look for the fishermen in the community; talent exists in every community, social innovation needs to unleash it
10. Prioritize passion over business priorities – people and companies are often most successful when they pursue their passions first; this often leads to business success as well

     ]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/our-top-10-tips-for-social-innovation/feed/ 0 http://www.the-foundation.com/is-your-marketing-resonating-with-customers/ http://www.the-foundation.com/is-your-marketing-resonating-with-customers/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:38:50 +0000 Lisa http://www.the-foundation.com/?p=1469 ‘Meaningful Brand Index’…]]> ‘Meaningful Brand Index’ are Ikea, Nestle, Danone and Google. On the other end of the spectrum, most people wouldn’t care if 70% of the brands they interact with ceased to exist. So in our current time of low consumer confidence and cost-cutting, whether your brand is in the top 30%, is yet another thing for marketeers to worry about. Have a look at the story in FT here. ]]> http://www.the-foundation.com/is-your-marketing-resonating-with-customers/feed/ 0