Overview
Develops and maintains a broad-based network of consultants and brokers services to businesses.

Opportunity / Threat
After eight years in business, management was considering the possibility of expanding into another geographic area. Company leaders knew the decision critical, and had established a task force of key employees to evaluate the pros and cons. Task force members knew expansion would present inherent risks; they also had some questions about how to proceed if the company decided to move forward.

Action / Result
Fifteen key people, half of whom had been on the task force, participated in a Strategic Risk Analysis. The session prompted internal dialogue and raised several substantive issues that had not been considered before.
Company management shared the outcome with board members, who then offered suggestions on key issues. The management team also revised the marketing plan to incorporate the points uncovered in the Risk Analysis.

Client Comments
"It's a unique approach. Though we thought we had covered all the issues, we had been doing virtual planning instead of actual planning. Strategic Risk Analysis inserted a level of discipline, and offered a qualitative process, rather than depending on just who does the best job of convincing others within the group."
"It was a great way to get everybody on the same page. Some people in the session hate to go to meetings and I actually got e-mails saying, 'that was so interesting.' So there was a psychic value for participants to be included."
"It's definitely not an ego-builder to confront why things might fail; it's got to be a safe atmosphere. People must feel they can challenge the conventional wisdom or it wouldn't work."
"Who knows what would have happened if we had proceeded with our previous plans?"REVIE - moved end paragraph tag

-- Marion McGovern, President