Category Archives: Market Research

While we’re all being as prudent as we can in our private lives (wearing masks, queuing responsibly, avoiding groups) many of us are also learning that we can take more risks in business. I don’t mean indulging silly enthusiasms or … Continue reading →

Someone recently amused me with a story about a new CEO  taking post. She began with a short handover meeting with her predecessor. Short because all her predecessor did was to give her three sealed envelopes. “Take these” he said, … Continue reading →

Last Friday I celebrated with the first Graduating Class of the  Amalgam Leadership Programme www.amalgamleadership.com. Throughout their year, this class has pursued four learning themes – leadership, finance, marketing and technological transformation. And the most common theme that has emerged … Continue reading →

Modern African company boards include staff retention on their dashboards. Diligent company directors look for underlying trends and often read high employee turnover as a red flag – a sign that not all is well inside the business. But what … Continue reading →

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is important in business. Whether it’s in the ability of a Brand Manager to shape an emotionally relevant promise for an audience. In the skill of a Financial Manager in developing coaching relationships with colleagues. Or in … Continue reading →

I wonder if you can guess the most common complaint I receive from CEO’s about the attitude of their staff? ‘Why can’t my employees act like owners?’ This  ranks top over many other popular choices, which include ‘Why am I … Continue reading →

According to Robert E. Quinn and Kim S. Cameron at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, there are four types of organisational culture: Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy. Last week we looked at the prevalence of Market and Hierarchy … Continue reading →

Last week I  listened to a very seasoned regional business leader as he spoke to our CEO programme www.amalgamleadership.com He came to talk to us about governance. Very soon that led to a discussion about organisational culture. About how a … Continue reading →

It’s October, which means budget time. This is the month where we combine the last drive to deliver the the current year target with the drafting of strategies for the coming year. Most established businesses have their templates and formats. … Continue reading →

In the so-called developed world there’s a lot of antipathy towards Uber. Much of it seems to be from people who have turf to protect (London’s Black Cab community), or drivers (in India) who were dissatisfied with the initial commercial … Continue reading →