INFORMATION
Taking your business to the battlefield
The management of uncertainty in business and the need to improve foresight is a significant challenge for today’s strategists and one which, in spite of our best efforts, continues to cause frustration, delays and wasted resources. Considering this need, along with the fact that 60-
70% of change initiatives fail, it is clear that having a strategy development process that reduces uncertainty while simultaneously improving the chances of successful implementation is vital. One simple, yet highly effective tool to redress this
is Stress Testing or Wargaming. It is a concept which has long been used by the military to test and evaluate ideas before committing resources into action. Its use in the commercial sector, though still not well understood, is increasingly being sought- after by a wide range of organisations. Business Wargaming simulates how conditions will
develop over time as well as assessing stakeholder reaction to your moves. It looks at stakeholder interdependencies and predicts likely outcomes. In doing so it stretches plans and strategies to identify
‘Wargaming is really a form of accelerated learning and we have already successfully applied this new service with several of our clients’
where risks lie, where contingency plans need to be developed and where new opportunities may exist. Originating in the USA in 2001, it was
introduced into the Midlands by Chamber member Interconsult, an international management consultancy originating in Germany with branches in the USA, UK and Asia. Interconsult has recently been granted registered Trade Mark status for the Business Wargaming service in the UK. Interconsult Managing Director Mike
Gulliford said: “Wargaming is really a form of accelerated learning and we have already successfully applied this new service with several of our clients with significant positive results. It is a pragmatic, engaging and really effective tool in managing uncertainty and improving foresight. It can improve strategies from a technical as well as human performance perspective.” Business Wargaming can be used in a wide
variety of business challenges. Typical examples include: strategy testing and option analysis; as a change management tool; product launches; start-ups; merger and acquisition analysis; investment decisions; due diligence and team building exercises.
Job opportunities onboard with HS2
Chesterfield is a place to do business. That was the message at the town’s first ever Investment Summit, which saw more than 200 delegates from throughout the East Midlands and Yorkshire learn about the investment potential of the area. Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of
Chesterfield Borough Council, revealed that 475 new start-up businesses were set up in 2016, an increase of more than 70% compared to business start-ups in 2012. This, he said, had actively contributed to a 28% increase in the town’s productivity in five years, outperforming South Yorkshire, East Midlands and England. The increase in start-ups now
brings the number of businesses operating in Chesterfield to over 3,000, with more set to come on board as plans for the town’s HS2 stop get underway. Keynote speaker Richard Brown
CBE, HS2 Board Member and a non-executive member of the Department for Transport Board, urged the conference not to believe reports that HS2 would not happen. “HS2 is happening. Work has already started on Phase 1,” he said.
Richard Brown speaking at the summit
‘HS2 will make the range of job opportunities to people living in Chesterfield wider and likewise for employers’
However, he urged the room to “keep up the pressure for HS2” as funding for Phase 2B, which incorporates Chesterfield, has not yet been secured.
Mr Brown said there was the opportunity for HS2 to transform Chesterfield’s fortunes in the same way Eurostar had done for Lille in France. The city, in the north of
France, was known for its industrial background and underwent difficult years prior to having a Eurostar station. Now Lille is known for its handsome city centre and its active cultural life and is ranked as one of the major metropolitan areas of Europe. He added: “HS2 will make the
range of job opportunities to people living in Chesterfield wider and likewise for employers. Planning ahead is critical to realise the benefits. Seize the opportunity and use it as a lever to transform the area economically and socially.” The first HS2 train will arrive in
Chesterfield in 2033. Ahead of this, Chesterfield Borough Council has outlined plans to improve the approach to the railway station and better connect it to the town centre, creating easy access to shopping, bars and restaurants, as well as improving public transport links. The development would link to the Chesterfield Waterside development and build on the momentum of that project. Huw Bowen added: “Chesterfield’s
green lungs have overtaken the town’s mining heritage which is making it an attractive 21st Century investment prospect to investors.”
business network February 2018 59
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