strategicmodels

December , 1999Strategic Modeling™ Examples

strategic modelsExamples and Stories ofStrategic Modeling™ Projects

Sente Corporation Development Team

Bryan Coffman Jay SmethurstMichael Kaufmanwww.senteco.com

Contents:World Class Learning Community Model 2World Class Learning Community Story 3The Work of the Enterprise Model 4The Work of the Enterprise Story 5Corporate University Process Model 6Corporate University Process Story 7Stages of the Entrepreneur Model 8Stages of the Entrepreneur Story 9Innovation Portfolio Model 10


Model of a World Class Learning Community

The Learner

The Immediate Learning Environment

The Expanded Learning Environment

Family

Peers

Business

Arts

Educators

Deeper Look atCommunityRelationships

Skills

Exploration

Purpose

NewExploration

NewPurpose

NewSkills

ExpandedLearning Path(New Methods)

Finance,Facilities,Infrastructure

Self-DirectedLearningPath

Organizational Learning

Feedback (Assessment & Evaluation)

Partnerships in the Community

Delivering a Partnership: Professional Development


World Class Learning Community Story

This model of a learning community was developedfrom a six-hour community visioning session withover 100 parents, teachers, students, administrators,artists and business leaders from Laguna Beach,CA. This learner-centric model combines therequired structure of the learning community (theblue components on the left) with the process oflearning and exploration (the orange componentson the right). The story of this model is that withthe proper support and engagement of the variousmembers of the community, the Learner (defined asany member of the community) should be able tocontinually expand his or her sense of purpose, skillset, and range of exploration. A foundation offinance, facilities and infrastructure should supportthis approach to learning. Future decisions aboutthe direction of the community, then, should begrounded in this vision of a learning community.


The Work of the Enterprise Model

Mission& Vision

Products,Services,Programs

Key ProjectsDashboards,

MeasurementsSimulators

CoreProcesses

InternalStructure

ExternalStructure& Network

Scenarios

ScenarioBuilding

InternalInformation

Gathering

Strategizing

ProjectPlanning

Manufacturing

Executing Work

Hiring

Marketing,Selling andDistributing

Negotiating

Receiving

External EnvironmentScan

External IntelligenceGathering

InternalInformation

Gathering

Training

The Work of the Enterprise Model copyright © 1999, Sente Corporation


Work of the Enterprise Story

The core process work of the enterprise flows from bottom totop in yellow. The scanning work of the enterprise circumscribesthe system in blue. The cybernetics and course correction of theenterprise, including programmed and non-programmedimprovement and innovation flows from left to right. Here’show it works:

Enterprise External ScanningOur enterprises constantly scan what goes on in the environmentaround them. Some of them do a better job than others.Enterprises are more or less aware of environments(demographic, political, regulatory, etc.) and marketplaces fortheir products and services. They are also aware of competitorsand collaborators (suppliers and strategic partners). Theysynthesize this awareness into scenarios, or stories--memories ofthe future--in which they illustrate events that could happen andwhat their likely responses would be. They then set about toconfigure themselves to prepare to launch such a response.

It’s not a question of whether we build scenarios--we all do it.Rather it’s a question of whether the scenarios we build arebased upon information and a process that allows them to createvalue for the enterprise, or whether they’re built primarily onmemories of the past and a gut sense of how the world works.

Enterprise ProcessesExternal structures and networks (human or automated), fromsuppliers and vendors to strategic alliance partners and evencompetitors provide information, materials and energy to aninternal structure that in turn applies these to core processeswhich are used to create or manufacture the products andservices that are marketed and sold to customers. Sometimes theinternal structure may be nearly non-existent, other times it mayhandle most of what an outsourced external network could do.

This path illustrates most of the daily work of the enterprise, andmost of what we spend our time on when we work for anorganization.

Enterprise Cybernetics and PlanningInformation about the quality of the products, the efficiency ofthe processes, the skill and abilities of the internal structure, andthe performance of the external structure is gathered by aninformation management system and then translated intodashboards--the cybernetic equivalent of feedback. Dashboardsshow past history and relative fidelity to expected behavior ofthe system. Information from scenarios represents “futurehistory.” Scenarios are combined with dashboards intosimulations which can indicate options for future behavior.These simulations may employ powerful software or they maysimply be stories that we tell ourselves about what may happendown the road.

When the results of the simulation are compared with mission(who we are) and vision (what we want to be), a strategy can beformulated. Either the vision is brought into line with thesimulation (in the case of a target of opportunity or fundamentalshift in the business environment) or changes in the current workof the enterprise need to be made. In either case, once thestrategies are determined, they are translated into key projects(new product lines, process improvement, innovation, training,negotiating with new suppliers, etc.). These key projects mustthen be managed.

Our time and our organizations must be configured to supporteach of these three types of work. We must spend time andresources on executing processes, scanning the environment, andplanning. The manner in which we do this is influenced by thevalues, skills and style of culture that we practice.


Corporate University Process Model

1Manage

Long TermRelationships

1Manage

Long TermRelationships 2

LeverageKnowledge

2Leverage

Knowledge

3Conceptualize

3Conceptualize

4Customize

4Customize

5Deliver andContinue

Relationship

5Deliver andContinue

Relationship

“learning all the time”

Discoverthe

ChallengeDesign

theIntervention

EventConduct

theWalk-thru

Facilitateand

Navigate CreateProducts

and Projects

SupportProject

Management

CollaborationCore Process

design event

facilitateevent

generateproduct

implementsolution

CorporateUniversityCoreProcessBackbone

Feedback/Measurement

SpecificRequest

Proactiveand Real

Time Internaland External

Research

Assessment/Benchmark

ConceptualizeThe

Approach

In-HouseOff The Shelf

CustomDesigned

3rd PartyPrograms/

Capabilities

Develop/Build

Product/Service Deliver

FacilitateTrain

EducatePublish

Store In-house

Programs

ResultsMgmt

AdministrationInvoicingFacilitiesLogistics

Scheduling

Log 3rdParty

Results

Prospectingand Sales

AllianceBuilding

Marketing

EducationProgramDevelopmentCoreProcess


Corporate University Process Story

This process model of a new corporate universitysynthesizes several different process models thatmembers of the design team had developed. Thismodel maps the process for group collaborationalongside the process for developing moretraditional educational programs. The central“backbone” process provides a framework in whichboth collaboration and traditional education can beseen as one service offering.

The insight generated by this model was that all ofthe university’s work should be subjected to adesign process to customize services to the needs ofdifferent internal customers. The lower half of themodel explains step by step how customization canoccur. (Note: the text has been reduced toillegibility for reasons of confidentiality.)


Stages of the Entrepreneur Model

copyright © 1999, Sente Corporation

Leader

Technician / Worker

Creator Manager

Create the Opportunity

Questions & Assessment

Shedding & Delegating

Learn to Trust

Acknowledge Strengths & Weaknesses

DevelopSystems

Let Go Mentor Back

UnconsciousIncompetenceUnconscious

IncompetenceConscious



CompetenceConscious

CompetenceUnconsciousCompetenceUnconsciousCompetence

Creation of New RoleLearn / Build

“Stop working at your company and start working on your company”

Transformation of Entrepreneur’s Role


Stages of the Entrepreneur Story

This model makes the invisible visible by codifying theexperience of a large group of entrepreneurs. Bymapping the different roles that entrepreneurs playedthrough the growth of their companies, the model helpsnew entrepreneurs understand what lies ahead -including moments of personal transformation, and keydecision points. An entrepreneur plays four basic rolesin the company: creator, leader, technician andmanager. The creator and leader roles start thecompany, but the role of the technician quicklybecomes dominant - in a small company, frequently theentrepreneur herself in the primary deliverer of theproduct or service. With some success, however, theentrepreneur must shift to the role of manager,delegating authority and instituting systems to allow theorganization to run smoothly. At this point, theentrepreneur must shift vantage point, from working forthe company to working on the company. Finally, theentrepreneur must define a new role for herself, andshould mentor other aspiring entrepreneurs. Thisprocess is also embodied in a four-stage transition in thevery nature of the work experience: from theUnconscious Incompetent, to the ConsciousIncompetent, to the Conscious Competent, to finally theUnconscious Competent.


Innovation Portfolio Model

EntrepreneurialManagement

Large ScaleManagement

Number ofProjects

Degree ofInvestmentDegree of

Controls

Risk Curve

Portfolio of Ideas

Portfolio of ExperimentsPortfolio of Ventures

Portfolio of Businesses

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