In a recent interview with Consultancy.co.uk, Strategia Worldwide Co-Founders Richard Shirreff and Iain Pickard and Associate Director Pascal Hogenboom explain the benefits of adopting a military methodology for managing risk.
“Many firms we work with admit that their focus is literally just on current risks, while the really smart ones look ahead a year and try and guess what risks might emerge in an uncertain future. The military mind works the other way though; it looks at the desired end state, and plans back from there. If you look at having to go to another country with a military force for example, you start looking at what is the desired end state here. So in however long, we want to leave a stable military presence, and have a stable economic and political environment which can prosper. Then from the start you know you will need these other stakeholders to deliver that. You plan first, with these stakeholders, and it’s then leadership through influence, not command.” Pascal Hogenboom
Indeed, it is this methodology that is one of Strategia’s major strengths, applying the rigour of military strategic design to managing risk is at the core of the Strategia’s offering.
“It’s not so much the plan that matters, the planning process of assessing, understanding and reassessing is what counts. If you develop that intellectual muscle memory from that process, you can better respond to issues.” Richard Shirreff
Strategia Worldwide has a global network of over 80 partners and associates with unparalleled experience and expertise across sectors, industries and disciplines. Strategia deploys teams targeted to each client’s needs, drawn from this global network and combines their expertise with a military methodology, adapted for commercial application.
“We’ve adapted what the military calls a campaign plan, but it’s been adapted in-house for a commercial application. Very often, what brings a company down is a combination of multiple issues; social, political, financial, cyber risks all at once. We offer a comprehensive approach, and without that you can’t manage these risks effectively.” Iain Pickard
