Shhh… the Values Economy is here We are living in extraordinary times – volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous. The pace of change will never be this slow again. In the service sector, many traditional approaches are no longer relevant and there is a new business agenda emerging. The landscape of Brand Identity, Employee Engagement and Customer Experience is changing . . . all at the same time, all of the time. People used to make decisions on a narrower rational basis focused on the value of a product or service, whereas now, these decisions are being made at a deeper emotional level; there is increasing awareness of and interest in wider issues and a higher sense of purpose. Finally, because there has been a general shift from a product based economy to an experience based economy, people’s perception of an organisation is increasingly based on their personal experience with the people representing the organisation.

These factors are all leading to a shift in balance from traditional singular ownership and push marketing to co ownership and pull marketing. The successful organisations of tomorrow will establish a sense of shared values with all stakeholders. We refer to this new paradigm as The Values Economy. There are three strategic imperatives for an organisation to thrive and prosper in this new paradigm:

1. Crystal clarity about the organisations brand identity (personality and character including purpose and values)
2. A focus on improving employee engagement through effective employee engagement solutions to convert employees into brand ambassadors for their organisation.
3. Delivery of a consistent customer experience, irrespective of time, geography or channel.

The challenge is that these areas of brand and identity, employee engagement and customer experience all need to be progressed at the same time, aligned at a strategic level and with co-ordinated execution.