unstuck: an introduction to ribbonfarm consulting

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UNSTUCK! Introducing the ribbonfarm approach to consulting

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Post on 31-Aug-2014

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An introduction to the approach and philosophy of Ribbonfarm Consulting, a boutique firm based in Seattle.

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  • UNSTUCK!Introducing the ribbonfarmapproach to consulting
  • We offer exactly the same servicesother boutique consulting firms do
  • Counsel on strategy Marketing and innovation support 1:1 coaching for executives Organizational development Briefings on business/technology trends Independent research services
  • we even use the same tools
  • Discovery of raw input Surveys and interviews Excel-fu and beyond for data crunching Participant observation Mathematical modeling and simulation Scenario planning Thoughtful visualizations Customized conceptual constructs Long-form narrative synthesis Slide decks that jolt people awake
  • and our experience is not inparticularly esoteric industries...
  • Web and mobile Enterprise software Electronics hardware Aerospace and military IT Services
  • but we still deliver different results...results that get you unstuck...from business-as-usual despair.
  • How?
  • The fox knows many things, thehedgehog knows one big thing.-- Archilocus10
  • Consultants can get youunstuck in two ways
  • Attribution:Hedgehog: Lars KarlssonSome help you find the right answers12(we do that some of the time)
  • Attributions:Fox: Rob Leeand some help you find the right questions.13(thats us most of the time)
  • We learn from stories old and new
  • Clausewitz and Sun TzuAl Ries PositioningPorters five forcesCarlotta Perezs theoriesDrucker and PetersScrum and agileBlitzkrieg, Boyd and OODAEli Goldratts The GoalLean startupsTalebs AntifragilityChesbroughs Open InnovationChristensens Disruption modelsYes, even villain du jour Frederick Taylor!and use many models, old and new
  • but were not attached to any of them
  • (not even our own)TEMPO is one of the most insightful and originalbooks on decision-making Ive ever read Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell is HumanAn uncannily accurate analysis of our choice-makingbehaviors David Allen, author of GETTING THINGS DONETempo is a highly original and engaging bookIn aworld where timing is increasingly central tosuccessan essential readfor everyone. John Hagel, co-author of THE POWER OF PULL
  • And we can operate with just ONE principalVenkatesh Rao PhD, Aerospace Engineering (Systems and Control), U. Michigan, 2003 Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Xerox Innovation Group, 2006-2010 AFOSR postdoc research at Cornell, 2004-2006 First employee at Sulekha.com, 1999-2000
  • because we can call on a brain trust of unusualpeople thats been growing since 2007
  • to go beyond our own thinkingTheGervaisPrincipleThe MiloCriterionThe GollumEffectThe LocustEconomyA Brief Historyof theCorporation:1600-2100Entrepreneursare the NewLabor
  • and draw on the most creativecontemporary social and business thinking
  • (that you wont find in HBR)
  • to get you unstuck.
  • And though we do fail on occasion
  • and though some clients do decide ourapproach isnt for themClient Name WithheldI have enough mixedfeelings about it that anyendorsement couldnt bea whole-hearted one
  • when we do succeed, our clientssay things like
  • Venkat was able to apply some of his uniqueanalysis frameworks to our specific opportunitiesand present some deep and thoughtful strategies forus to consider as our market grows and matures.We had Venkat present these results widely withinour sales and leadership team which has beenvaluable in helping us frame our coming year.-- Scott Regan, Apigee.
  • [Venkat] has a fantastic ability to create dialogue inareas that are complicated but in need of discussionand is painfully honest - a much needed and veryrefreshing attribute.His work/time ratio is nothing short ofphenomenal, creating in -depth results in a matterof hours.-- Mat Jackson, Live-Mapp.
  • So if you or your organizationneed to get unstuck
  • Give Venkat a call