Distinctive Approach
Our work builds on the advances of modern management and strategic planning pioneered by Marvin Bower at McKinsey & Company, enhanced by Michael Porter’s codification of industrial organization and Five Forces model of Competitive dynamics, and Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Bower’s process model of the firm. Techniques from financial and business economics also provide invaluable insight to evaluate business decisions, and to help frame those decisions for leaders.
True North uses the proprietary open systems frameworks of Charles Krone for multidimensional thinking and analysis. These frameworks increase the collective intelligence, motivation and will of the organization. Though these proprietary management methodologies have been used for decades by some of Americas leading corporations including Proctor & Gamble and DuPont, they are not found in the management literature. Art Kleiner, the editor of Booze Allen’s journal Strategy + Business and the author of several books on learning organizations has written about Charles Krone’s leading edge work.
We engage clients in a “developmental process” to enhance learning, collaboration, decision making, and execution. Our work builds upon the principles of the Harvard Negotiation Project. We help clients develop the core capabilities, mental models and core values to improve strategic, organizational and operational performance. We are proponents of corporate sustainability managing for both short term profits and sustainable competitive advantage. We help clients improve strategies, structures, systems, and processes to build corporate power and vitality.
We have the expertise and experience to forge successful alliances and joint ventures. We help our clients expand their span of management and influence beyond the boundaries of the corporation. We design principles and governance for effective collaboration. We help clients manage an open business system which connects corporations with customers, suppliers, alliance partners, regulators, law makers, and research institutes.
True North unique methodology integrates proven methodologies and breakthrough techniques to provide a comprehensive framework for analysis, reflection, evaluation, decision-making, capability building and implementation. Our systemic approach provides a rich environment to bring together knowledge, wisdom and expertise from across the organization to jointly shape its destiny.
We assemble small teams of senior advisers to work with your management team to achieve extraordinary performance. We eschew the more-traditional heavily leveraged consulting model. Instead we work with management teams to build their skills, capabilities, and commitment through engagement in the consulting process. While this requires more commitment from our clients, it invariably leads to more successful results.