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Decreased uncertainty, improved decisions
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We specialise in providing highly-analytical data-driven recommendations in the face of significant uncertainty.
We utilise advanced predictive analytics to build robust strategies and enable our clients to make calculated decisions.
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Thoughts
Global Advisors’ Thoughts: Getting the Balance Right
By Kate Barnes
I am a working mother, as are many of my friends and past colleagues. Naturally we often debate the challenges of getting the balance between work and family right.
Personal circumstances vary widely and have a big impact on the choices one has, but my solution has been to work on a part-time basis. I have been lucky enough to do so for the past seven years and to me it seems like an excellent compromise. Yet there are many times when it feels like balance is the last thing I am achieving – in fact, I have the distinct feeling that I am failing on every front – my kids, my husband, and my boss, colleagues or direct reports, all want more of me.
Perhaps the truth is that I want too much. I want to be stimulated, challenged and to feel like I am adding value in the work place, but I also want to see my children more than the average, full-time working mother.
Many working mothers have made decisions involving changes to their working day in order to manage the work-family balance better. Unfortunately, I have found that one of the biggest issues is that one cannot simply decide on an approach, agree it with your employer, and then settle into whatever routine that entails. You might agree an arrangement to work 5, or 6 or 7 hours a day, or 30 hours a week, or to arrive at work early and leave by 3 or 4pm. But in most jobs, you will have to consider the balance equation on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day. Is today the day I give more to work because there is a demanding deadline and everyone else is working late, or is it the day I give more to my child, because he is receiving an award at school or swimming in a gala?
And often the call has to be made taking into consideration not only what is happening today, but also looking at where the pendulum fell yesterday, or last week, or over the past couple of weeks.
As with any decision there are consequences, even if at first they are unforeseen. In the early stages of my career, I like many, was an idealistic youngster with dreams of holding a very senior, leadership position. I was ambitious, and some might say that I had much of what it takes to achieve my goal. Some years down the track I was being interviewed for a prospective job and the potential employer noted from my CV that the achievements in my career (or lack thereof) were not in line with my academic record, and he wondered why this was. I can’t remember what my response was, but I know I knew the answer. I even knew at exactly which point in my career the upward trajectory slowed. It was the day I was working at a large corporate, and I asked for flexitime. I negotiated that on two afternoons a week, I would be allowed to leave at 2pm and I would make up the time in the evening, after my young children were asleep.
Shortly thereafter, when a potential internal move to a new position was being discussed I was informed that I could not be considered for the role as I was “part-time”.
This was a wake-up call.
Read more at http://www.globaladvisors.biz/thoughts/20170719/getting-the-balance-right/
Strategy Tools
Strategy Tools: Repeatable Business Models in Times of Uncertainty
By Innocent Dutiro
Innocent is an associate partner at Global Advisors and based in Johannesburg, South Africa
Research (Allen and Zook) tells us that sustained profitable growth and the methods for capturing it are much less about the choice of hot market than about the how and why of strategy and the business model translating it into action. The ongoing Coronavirus crisis is likely to put these beliefs to severe test. It is likely that the survivors and winners that emerge on the other side of the crisis will be businesses that have pursued repeatable business models.
These businesses’ approach to strategy focus less on a rigid plan to pursue growth markets and more on developing a general direction built around deep and uniquely strong capabilities that constantly learn, continuously improve, test, and adjust in manageable increments to the changing market. Repeatable business models enable organizations to distinguish between transient crises and game-changing developments while enabling them to take action that ensures their sustained prosperity. All without compromising on the beliefs that underpin the culture of the organization.
This might sound counterintuitive; how does a repeatable business model help you deal with a “black swan” event such as the COVID-19 pandemic? To answer this question, it is important to understand the three principles that underpin repeatability.
Principle 1: A strong, well-differentiated core
Differentiation drives competitive advantage and relative profitability among businesses. The basis for differentiation must deliver enhanced profitability by either delivering superior service to your core customers or offering cost economics that help you to out-invest your competitors. The unique assets, deep competencies and capabilities that make this differentiation possible and that are translated into behaviours and product features, define the “core of the core” of the business.
Principle 2: Clear non-negotiables
Non-negotiables are the company’s core values and key criteria used to make trade-offs in decision making. These improve the focus and simplicity of strategy by translating it into practical behavioural rules and prohibitions. This reduces the distance from management to the frontline (and back). Employee loyalty and commitment is driven primarily by a strong belief in the values of the management team and the organisation’s strategy. A clearly understood strategy is evidenced through:
- Widespread understanding of the strategy at all levels within the organization.
- Seeing the world the same way throughout the organization.
- A shared vocabulary and priorities.
Principle 3: Systems for closed-loop learning
Self-conscious methods to perceive and adapt to change alongside well-developed systems to learn and drive continuous improvement are hallmarks of successful repeatable business models.
A second form of closed-loop learning is more relevant to a crisis such as the coronavirus as it relates to those less frequent situations when fundamental change in the marketplace (like technology, competition, customer need and behaviour) threatens a key element of the repeatable business model itself. A company’s ability to adapt or have a sufficient sense of urgency in response to a potentially mortal threat is key to survival and continued prosperity.
The various steps that governments are taking to contain and eradicate the virus have the potential of building habits that consumers might choose to adopt on a more permanent basis even after the pandemic. These include working from home, remote meetings, reduced commuting, greater use of online services and more cashless transactions. Businesses thus need to be prepared to adjust and adapt their strategies and business models to meet the demand created by the new behaviours. Firms with a clearly defined set of non-negotiables will find it easier to mobilize their employees towards the necessary change.
While business is currently focused on taking measures to safeguard their staff, serve their customers and preserve cash to ensure liquidity during the period of low demand and/or production, attention should also be turning to steps necessary to adapt strategies to enable competitiveness in the new normal after the pandemic.
Fast Facts
White meat consumption has grown with increases in per capita income and growth of the middle class
- South Africa has experienced rapid growth of middle-to-upper-class citizens fuelled by the parallel increase in disposable income of this socio-economic group
- The GDP per capita of South Africa has grown by 54% in real terms from R45 580 in 1981 to R70 184 in 2013
- As the poor emerge from poverty and the emerging middle class consumers are able to afford more protein in their diets, chicken, being the most affordable and versatile, has emerged as the meat of choice for this burgeoning population group
- The result has been growth in white meat per capita consumption ahead of red meat coupled with added benefits of being easy to produce and with less cultural constraints than pork
- White meat consumption per capita has grown by 223% from 11,93 kg/capita in 1981 to 38,5 kg/capita in 2014
- Consumption of white meat has also been fuelled by the growth of QSRs like KFC and to an extent, people trading down for a cheaper source of protein
- Red meat, being more expensive, is growing at a slower pace
- Pork and sheep meat i.e. Lamb (the most expensive of all red meat) and mutton consumption have remained fairly flat while beef consumption has grown since 2001
Selected News
Quote: Clayton Christensen
“Culture is a way of working together toward common goals that have been followed so frequently and so successfully that people don’t even think about trying to do things another way. If a culture has formed, people will autonomously do what they need to do to be successful.” – Clayton Christensen – Author
Clayton M. Christensen, the renowned Harvard Business School professor and author, offers a piercing definition of culture that underscores its invisible yet commanding influence on human behaviour. Drawn from his seminal 2010 book How Will You Measure Your Life?, this observation emerges from Christensen’s broader exploration of how personal and professional success hinges on aligning daily actions with enduring principles.1,2 The book, blending business acumen with life lessons, distils decades of research into practical wisdom for leaders, managers, and individuals navigating career and family demands.1,3
Christensen’s Life and Intellectual Journey
Born in 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Christensen rose from humble roots to become one of the most influential thinkers in business strategy. A devout Mormon, he integrated faith with rigorous analysis, viewing truth in science and religion as harmonious.2,4 Educated at Brigham Young University, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and Harvard Business School, he joined Harvard’s faculty in 1989. His breakthrough came with The Innovator’s Dilemma (1997), introducing disruptive innovation – the theory explaining how market-leading firms falter by ignoring low-end or new-market disruptions.5 This framework, applied across industries from steel to smartphones, earned him global acclaim and advisory roles with Intel, Kodak, and others.
Christensen’s later works, including How Will You Measure Your Life?, shift from corporate strategy to personal integrity. Co-authored with Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen, it warns against marginal compromises – ‘just this once’ temptations – that erode character over time.3 He argued management is ‘the most noble of professions’ when it fosters growth, motivation, and ethical behaviour.2,3 Stricken with leukemia in 2017 and passing in 2020, Christensen left a legacy of over 150,000 citations and millions of books sold, emphasising that true metrics of life lie in helping others become better people.2,4
The Context of the Quote in Christensen’s Philosophy
In How Will You Measure Your Life?, the quote illuminates how organisations – and lives – succeed through ingrained habits. Christensen posits that culture forms when proven paths to common goals become automatic, enabling autonomous action without constant oversight.1 This ties to his ‘resources, processes, priorities’ (RPP) framework: resources fuel action, processes habitualise it, and priorities direct it.2,4 A strong culture aligns these, creating ‘seamless webs of deserved trust’ that propel success, echoing his warnings against short-termism where leaders chase loud demands over lasting value.3
He contrasts virtuous cultures fostering positive-sum interactions and lucky breaks with toxic ones breeding zero-sum games and isolation.3 For leaders, cultivating culture means framing work to motivators – purpose, progress, relationships – so employees end days fulfilled, much like Christensen’s own ‘good day’ model.2
Leading Theorists on Organisational Culture
Christensen’s views build on foundational theorists who dissected culture’s role in management and leadership.
- Edgar Schein (1935-2023): In Organizational Culture and Leadership (1985), Schein defined culture as ‘a pattern of shared basic assumptions’ learned through success, mirroring Christensen’s ‘frequently and successfully followed’ paths. Schein’s levels – artefacts, espoused values, basic assumptions – explain why entrenched cultures resist change, much like Christensen’s processes becoming ‘crushing liabilities’.5
- Charles Handy (1932-2024): The Irish management guru’s Understanding Organizations (1976) classified cultures (power, role, task, person), influencing Christensen’s emphasis on autonomous success. Handy’s gods of management archetype underscores culture’s ritualistic hold.
- Stephen Covey (1932-2012): In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989), Covey urged ‘keeping the main thing the main thing’ via principle-centred leadership, aligning with Christensen’s priorities and family-career balance.3
- Peter Drucker (1909-2005): The ‘father of modern management’ declared ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’, a maxim Christensen echoed by prioritising cultural processes over mere resources.5
- Charles Munger (1924-2023): Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman complemented Christensen, praising ‘the right culture’ as a ‘seamless web of deserved trust’ enabling weak ties and serendipity.3
These thinkers collectively affirm culture as the bedrock of sustained performance, where unconscious alignment trumps enforced compliance. Christensen’s insight, rooted in their legacy, equips leaders to build environments where success feels inevitable.
References
1. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7256080-culture-is-a-way-of-working-together-toward-common-goals
2. https://www.toolshero.com/toolsheroes/clayton-christensen/
3. https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2020/02/16/clayton-christensen-on-how-will-you-measure-your-life/
4. https://quotefancy.com/clayton-m-christensen-quotes/page/2
5. https://www.azquotes.com/author/2851-Clayton_Christensen
6. https://memories.lifeweb360.com/clayton-christensen/a0d52888-de6d-4246-bce9-26d9aaee0aac
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