It's Not always culture.
It's what lies beneath
The focus of Traverse Bay Strategy Group is on reputation-driven ORganizationS.
organizations that win preference and selection based on Reputation.
RDOs are different - For RDOs (e.g. financial institutions, engineering and construction firms, professional service firms, large medical centers, colleges and universities, etc), products and/or services aren’t easily compared or evaluated against competitive offerings, and responding to unique, distinctive, or complex client situations can make it difficult to guarantee standardized, off-the-shelf, deliverables for any given proposal.
Businesses that win preference based on reputation are not able to promise a benefit...
a hospital or surgeon cannot promise to heal you;
In these businesses, preference, selection, and continuous growth is based on a set of beliefs...
Ask him why he believes Cleveland Clinic to be the best, and he'll likely provide a litany of evidence….
Businesses that win preference based on reputation are not able to promise a benefit...
a hospital or surgeon cannot promise to heal you;
- an attorney cannot promise to win exoneration;
- an engineering firm can’t promise a new power plant will operate with assured safety;
- a university can't promise that you/your child will gain leading knowledge or expertise on a subject, nor promise that they will enjoy their college experience, nor that they will get the job they hope for.
In these businesses, preference, selection, and continuous growth is based on a set of beliefs...
- Beliefs that this hospital / surgeon can heal me;
- Beliefs that this attorney is best able to win my case;
- Beliefs that this engineering firm is best able to assure safety in the new plant; and,
- Beliefs that this university is where my child will be best able to win leading knowledge, recognized expertise, love her college years, and win the job she hopes for.
Ask him why he believes Cleveland Clinic to be the best, and he'll likely provide a litany of evidence….
- that Cleveland Clinic has been rated by US News as the top heart center in the United States for 22 consecutive years;
- that Cleveland Clinic is recognized as the leader for treatment of Congestive Heart Failure;
- that Cleveland Clinic is the leading director / participant in clinical trials for new treatments; and,
- that Cleveland Cleveland is considered the best in heart transplant and artificial heart/devices ... which is something that a heart failure patient may have to consider one day.
This system of beliefs is referred to in Psychology as Belief Structure. In complex and high risk selection decisions, Belief Structure is most instructively understood as comprised of two distinct types of beliefs…
1) Beliefs In Competence
beliefs that the organization has the training, resources, experience, and processes to assure they CAN do as they promise;
2) Beliefs In Character
beliefs that the organization has the professional and moral strength, the individual and collective motivation, and the personal fidelity and devotion required to assure they WILL do as they promise.
Combined, this structure of beliefs drives trust... because, when I believe you CAN do as you promise, AND I believe you WILL do as you promise... then, I TRUST YOU to do as you promise. (Short-falls in either belief in competence, or belief in commitment, can severely diminish the ultimate level of trust felt for the organization.)
In place, Belief Structure fuels and guides reputation… as well as the functions most critical to effective operation of a reputation-driven business: your brand, your growth strategy, your culture and the ability to attract and retain the very best people, your approach to innovation and adoption / implementation of new technologies, and your customer/user experience program.
beliefs that the organization has the training, resources, experience, and processes to assure they CAN do as they promise;
2) Beliefs In Character
beliefs that the organization has the professional and moral strength, the individual and collective motivation, and the personal fidelity and devotion required to assure they WILL do as they promise.
Combined, this structure of beliefs drives trust... because, when I believe you CAN do as you promise, AND I believe you WILL do as you promise... then, I TRUST YOU to do as you promise. (Short-falls in either belief in competence, or belief in commitment, can severely diminish the ultimate level of trust felt for the organization.)
In place, Belief Structure fuels and guides reputation… as well as the functions most critical to effective operation of a reputation-driven business: your brand, your growth strategy, your culture and the ability to attract and retain the very best people, your approach to innovation and adoption / implementation of new technologies, and your customer/user experience program.
