Tag Archives: human behaviour

Trust Your Gut

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We are change and strategy practitioners. We have the privilege of working in many corporate settings and on a wide range of projects. Over time, when you do what we do, patterns start to emerge.

In previous articles we have written about the psychology of program management and the role of optimism and human biases in project failures and delays. We have also explored why strategic plans fail and suggest a number of remedies.

One of the reasons that strategic plans and associated projects stall is a failure to follow thru, a failure to take account of varied, and sometimes diametrically opposed, inputs and pick a way forward. Sometimes this is a change management issue, a failure to inspire and galvanise a team with an achievable plan designed to overcome human and technical hurdles. But surprisingly often, it just comes down to an unwillingness to make a “big bet”. Continue reading →

The Thrill of the Chase

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A well-considered large pursuit capture strategy should initially be drafted years in advance of a formal release of the Request for Proposals (RFP).

This may seem like motherhood, but we rarely see well developed, long term, mature capture strategies, even in corporations with sophisticated bid and capture processes. More often we see some combination of last minute decisions, very poor competitive intel, simplistic pricing, late teaming, unnecessary additional program costs, and risk.

Why?  Most likely because humans generally hold off, fear mistakes, want more certainty, like to deal in “the now” and underestimate their competition. Our articles on human biases here and here explore this issue. Continue reading →

Why we buy brands

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Cust Value PyramidCustomers buy from you for a large number of reasons and the psychology of purchase decisions is very complex.  At a very basic level, however, you can allocate most customers into one of four value bins.

We have expressed this as a pyramid (consultants love geometric shapes for some reason), reflecting the diminishing number of customers at each level.

Your job is to move customers up the value pyramid.

Continue reading →

Psychological Sleight of Hand – Part 2

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In Part 1, “It’s All Your Fault”, we briefly explored current thinking on human biases and the role of optimism in human evolution. We declared that common biases, including our inherent optimism, are key contributors to our persistent inability to complete programs on time and within budget.

In this article, we identify some key actions that you can take to acknowledge, temper and compensate for common problematic human behaviours.

This is a long and detailed article – it is not a simple problem. If the contents ring true, we can help you self-assess and identify those strategies that best fit your reality.

Why should you get outside help? Because, apart from the fact that your circumstances are unique, as we noted in Part 1 you and your team carry a suitcase full of biases that impede your ability to act objectively.

Please read Part 1 before you proceed. Continue reading →

Psychological Sleight of Hand – Part 1, The Optimistic Ape

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Anthropologists estimate that four or five million years ago, an ape moved down from the trees and looked out of the forest across the tall swaying grasses of the Savannah.  Likely driven by local climate changes and a need for food, he rose on two legs to see over the long grass. Grass that hid dangers, predators and unknowns. Others had tried to cross, with mixed and often tragic results. But he knew that he was bigger, stronger and more sure footed. And he knew that he would persevere where others had failed.

He was an optimistic ape.

Thus began a spiral of human evolution that led to better diets, higher birth rates, bigger brains and tools. His optimistic outlook, so fundamental to successful evolution, persists in us today. It is central to our ability to function, plan, conceive of new opportunities, to seize the day and make progress.

Perversely it also sets us up for persistent project overruns and schedule slippage. Continue reading →