Phil Preston

Organisational Success ArchitectPhil helps organisations tackle problems, create innovative solutions and improve strategic focus.

As a former investment manager who once oversaw more than $40 billion of global investments, Phil observed a dramatic change in the strategies of  leading businesses.

The old way of doing things ascribed little value to the intangible things in our organisations, such as people, relationships, intellectual property and capabilities. Today, we find that these assets dominate business valuations.

Click here to find out more about intangible assets and why they are so important.

Tapping into his expertiseIf you own, manage or work for an organisation that has specific challenges or any of these 10 common problems, then  Phil can help you in one or more ways, including:

  1. Uncovering hidden assets that you possess
  2. Identifying the key assets you will need in the future and how to develop them
  3. Ramping up your innovation performance; or
  4. Helping with projects and developing programs in certain areas, such as employee engagement, stakeholder management or strategy formation.

 
Phil is also a keynote speaker, facilitator and recognised industry commentator.

How best to make contactPhil works with a range of organisations – the best way to get in touch is to email or call. He is more than happy to discuss an issue or potential assignment on an obligation free basis.

Examples of his recent activities and work assignments include:

  • A stakeholder management project for a major bank
  • Providing input into a strategic initiative for an activist organisation
  • Running several workshops on intangible asset development
  • Advising on a major innovation initiative; and
  • Keynote speaking on business innovation
  • Organisational Success
  • Helping You
  • Touching Base

Is it smart to invest in soft skills?

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 07:09 Written by philpreston

It’s a grim picture out there in job world as the ANZ bank follows Westpac in announcing that it will shed 1,000 jobs by the end of the year – hardly surprising given the backdrop of global economic stress and a more cautionary approach to debt from business and households.

Should all organisations downsize themselves in sympathy? Is it wise to make investments in this environment? What is the smart thing to do?

Every business wants to increase its margins by growing revenue, cutting costs or reducing the cost of capital. This sounds like a stretch when the economy is crapping out. And we are awash with buzzwords like innovation and productivity that have all the reverence of a Holy Grail.

Read more ...

Why cluster development is good for business

Monday, 30 January 2012 09:40 Written by philpreston

If we look at the wine industry in Australia or the IT sector in Silicon Valley, California, we see how the development of clusters can improve the prospects of a region or industry, driving productivity, innovation and competitiveness.

What role do social factors play in this process?

Michael Porter has been advocating the power of clusters for many years[1]. Along with Mark Kramer, he has explored the social dimensions of cluster development.

Read more ...

Deconstructing Porter & Kramer (Part 2) – What the heck is value chain productivity?

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 10:25 Written by philpreston

Following on from last week’s article that looked at the first of Porter & Kramer’s three main activities for creating shared value – reconceiving products and markets – this week I look at their second one: Redefining productivity in the value chain.

First of all, this is a big topic! The value chain includes all of the value-add stages in the production of goods or services. Their thesis is that societal problems create costs in the value chain, and that reducing these costs can be a source of competitive advantage and financial value.

Therefore, we need to look at the way we source materials, purchase components, use energy, manage employees, distribute products and so on.

For example, Wal-Mart smartened up its use of packaging, which led to significant savings in landfill costs. It also re-routed its trucks and cut 100 million miles from delivery routes in 2009, saving US$200 million. In the process it has addressed societal problems – waste disposal and transport emissions – and created value in forming the solution.

Read more ...

Deconstructing Porter & Kramer’s key sources of competitive advantage – Part 1

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 07:37 Written by philpreston

In 2011, Michael Porter and Mark Kramer published a paper in the Harvard Business Review that spelt out the concept of creating shared value, adding a deeper social context to Porter’s extensive works on competitive strategy.

Whilst this concept has been getting more airtime lately, the words shared value run the risk of (incorrectly) being interpreted as a voluntary activity for business, rather than a staple ingredient for success. As I argued in my recent piece published by the Centre for Social Impact and Business Spectator, shared value is just another name for ‘good business’.

Porter and Kramer identify three main activities that are sources of competitive advantage – and in this and the following two weeks I plan to look at each one in turn.

The first one is re-conceiving products and markets.

Essentially, it is about creating new product or market opportunities by addressing society’s greatest needs. In the past, too many businesses have been content to try and create ‘demand’ for goods and services that they produce, rather than focus on the unmet needs of society, such as improved health and nutrition.

For example, Nestle, as a global commodity food player, has chosen improvements in nutrition, water and rural development as its main areas of strategic focus, and is one of a handful of leading companies that explicitly refer to shared value in their corporate mantra.

Read more ...

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ARE YOU IGNORING 80% OF YOUR ASSETS?

  • Can you name your 5 most important intangible assets?
  • How do they contribute to performance?
  • Which ones should you be focusing on?

 
This easy-to-read paper tells you more about the importance of intangible assets, why we need to manage them carefully and a process you can use to master them yourself.

Innovating in another dimension

Find out how companies get competitive advantage from community connections

Testimonials

“I was most impressed with the content of [Phil's] presentation. There were many ka-ching…ka-ching moments during his talk and I felt great resonance with what he was saying.”
Pennie Scott, Marketing Consultant, Australian National Institute for Public Policy

“Working with Phil helped us shift our perspective of who we are as an organisaton. Through his creative and practical approach we gained clarity in relation to the type of funding and future partners that would best fit not only our current projects but for our organisation as whole. The whole experience was effortless and enjoyable and we would welcome any opportunity to work with Phil in the future.”
Jenny Briscoe-Hough and Adrianne Talbot Thomson, Port Kembla Community Project Inc

“Thanks for running the session on [Maximising impact] – a particularly interesting subject for us in the not-for-profit sector. The discussion about measuring intangible assets I think was a key take out and your session has generated further conversations around this issue.”
Sarah Williams, World Vision Australia

“Phil is a highly skilled communicator, facilitator and MC. I can thoroughly recommend him for any role that involves public speaking, leadership, training and facilitation.”
Arthur Ollett, Area 42 Governor 2010/11, Toastmasters

“Thanks for running the session for us today – the discussion gave the various stakeholders in the room a broader perspective of the issues we face and how it impacts what our businesses are trying to do. The initial feedback was excellent and we will look to do a follow up session.”
Maria Milis, Grant Paver and Mark Goddard, Westpac

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