Case Study – Making abstract topics concrete

Below you will find an overview of a case where LeverSource was asked to bring the abstract topic of ‘leadership’ to life.

Situation

Taking an abstract concept like “leadership” and making it real to an audience of practicing CIO’s.

Complication

Diverse number of experts and a “mushy” topic

Approach

Interviewed 15 diverse CIOs representing in a cross section of the participants.  Framed the questions to surface actual changes they managed to accomplish under their leadership, things they increased/decreased or stabilized. The group surfaced 51 unique leadership accomplishments.  Using the LeverSource method each suggestion was analyzed against all other suggestions resulting in 2,550 comparisons. This analysis yielded the following insights:

1. 19 of the 51 suggested accomplishments were isolated in nature
2. 12  accomplishments were in fact outcomes that could not be directly influenced but provided high level goals for other CIO’s to strive for
3. 19 accomplishments were high leverage metrics that had multiplying effects reinforcing each other
4. 1 activity was a strategic enabler “Increasing Trust but Verify Behavior”

Leverage

Many of the broad leverage activities could be considered “keeping the lights on” which make sense given their importance if they were missing. The strategic limitation variable, “Trust but Verify” was pivotal to achieving the broad levers while enabling the higher level outcomes to happen. The ultimate outcome of a successful CIO from this sample of CIO’s ended up being “Board Membership”

Feedback

The audience stayed engaged with the panel discussion which revolved around the leverage map.  The vague topic of “Leadership” became palatable when its 51 dimensions were simultaneously explored and contrasted.