As organizations look at ensuring that they sustain high performance and remain ‘future-ready’, attention on the evolution of new business practices will gather significant momentum.

Analytics

Our research suggests that managers make 40 percent of major decisions based on their “gut,” or experience alone. Sometimes intuitive and experience-based decisions work, but often they go astray - from the sub-prime mortgage meltdown to the near collapse of the auto industry. The new reality demands decisions based on rational, clear-headed analysis of dependable data. Increasingly businesses are turning to analytics to gain a competitive edge, which puts a premium on talent that uses rigorous quantitative, or qualitative analysis and information modeling techniques to shape and make business outcomes.

Global Operating Models

Organizations are aiming to establish a point-of-view, assets and methodology that will help them design operating models that capitalize on global scale while remaining responsive locally. It is critical to draw together cross-industry insights, analyze the proven benefits and trade-offs of different operating model choices and apply a body of knowledge and tools that evolve global operating models.

Talent and Leadership

A deep understanding of how a performance-oriented culture is established and nurtured through talent management and leadership accelerates the journey to high performance through Talent Management and leadership. Continued attention to this work is fundamental to thinking that will enhance innovative approaches, assets and ideas that underpin differentiated business strategies.

Engagement and Retention

Executives know that the ability to create and sustain an engaged workforce is critical to high performance. Studies continue to confirm that engaged workforces produce higher productivity, improved customer satisfaction and increased shareholder value. Engaged workforces also enable the change management initiatives that are often at the top of the C-suite agenda. Organizations need a differentiating point of view to that demonstrates that culture, engagement and performance have causal relationships with each other.

Social Networking

The use of social networks will stimulate and enhance innovation, creativity, collaboration, knowledge management and is the single biggest value yet to be realized in today’s business environment.

Sustainability

Integrating sustainability into operating models, business strategies and critical processes, needs a holistic approach, which encompasses strategy development, program design and execution, and long-term sustainability management to enable organizations to grow revenue, reduce costs, manage risks and enhance their brand and reputation.