The Pulse: Innovation, Impact & Insights - December 2024
Your monthly dose of digital and business innovation
Inside this edition, discover insights from The Change Society Summit 2024, where over 50 senior associates explored the future of transformation. Learn about our groundbreaking MissionHub.ai platform that's revolutionising how organisations build high-performing teams.
We're also celebrating milestones with our Access Sport partnership, marking their 20th anniversary. In the press, our experts share thoughts on everything from Jaguar's bold rebrand to the rise of 'wartime CEOs' and the wizardry of synthetic data. Plus, meet Maddy King, our new Community Engagement Executive bringing fresh energy to Team Orange.
Enjoy!
The Change Society Summit 2024: Transforming how we work together
Transformation insights: The Change Society Summit 2024 charts the future of work
Over 50 senior associates gathered to explore what drives sustainable transformation and high-performing teams. Here's what we learned:
🔶 The power of diverse communication: James Conlon revealed how DISC assessments show diverse teams initially take longer to align but ultimately outperform homogeneous groups. Trust and adaptive communication emerge as the foundation of excellence.
🔶 Real-world transformation: A leading travel organisation case study demonstrated the power of mission-based working. By bypassing boardroom theories for frontline insights, the team uncovered transformative opportunities that even surprised the CFO.
🔶 Portfolio careers reimagined: Sarah Flannigan and Carrie Knott joined a powerful panel with our founder Pat Lynes to explore his book 'The Disrupted Executive'. Their experiences showed how portfolio working enables senior leaders to maximise their impact while achieving better work-life integration.
🔶 Cross-pollination in action: The summit itself demonstrated the power of connection, with associates from different work streams sharing insights and inspiring new approaches to transformation.
Whether driving organisational change or reimagining career paths, success starts with adaptive communication and ground-truth insights. The Change Society Summit showed exactly how to make this happen.
Unlocking team potential with MissionHub.ai
How MissionHub.ai is revolutionising high-performance teams
Sullivan & Stanley's groundbreaking MissionHub.ai platform combines AI-powered insights with deep team dynamics expertise to transform how organisations build and nurture high-performing teams. Here's how we're reshaping team performance:
🔶 Smart team science: Our AI technology identifies three distinct team types—Consensus, Challenge and 'Goldilocks Zone' teams—enabling targeted coaching and support strategies.
🔶 Precision performance: Using predictive analytics and collective intelligence research, MissionHub.ai assembles optimal teams for strategic missions, eliminating guesswork in team formation.
🔶 Tailored team development: Each team type receives customised support—from 'What If' sessions for Consensus Teams to structured decision frameworks for Challenge Teams, ensuring every group reaches its full potential.
🔶 Psychological safety by design: Built-in team contracts and safety frameworks create environments where innovation thrives and every voice matters, regardless of team dynamics.
Whether you're aiming to boost team productivity or drive strategic transformation, MissionHub.ai combines human insight with AI precision to create super-productive, perfectly aligned teams that deliver exceptional results.
This fusion of technology and team science marks a new era in organisational performance, where data-driven insights meet human-centred team development to unlock unprecedented levels of collaboration and innovation.
Our Access Sport partnership: Making change happen
Making sport accessible to all—that's what drives our partnership with Access Sport. As a Business for Good, we've been working alongside them to create lasting change in community sports, and what a year it's been!
From our team lacing up their trainers for the Half Marathon fundraiser, to welcoming Olympic Champion Greg Searle MBE at our 'The Mission is Everything' event, we've seen the transformative power of sport in action.
December marked a special milestone—Access Sport's 20th Anniversary Gala dinner. Hosted by sporting legends Mark Foster and Kate Richardson-Walsh OBE, the evening brought together athletes, community clubs and partners all united by one goal: making sport accessible to everyone. The evening was a remarkable success, with £80,000 raised towards Access Sport's £100,000 target.
But this isn't just about writing cheques - it's about creating sustainable impact. As Access Sport's Julia Wright puts it, 'Together, we can make inclusion the norm in community sport.'
Want to learn more about Access Sport's work? Visit their website: accesssport.org.uk.
S&S in the Press: Expert Views 🔶
Our team has been sharing insights on the latest developments in technology and business transformation. Here's what we've been talking about in the press this month.
Executive view: Stellantis and the rise of 'Wartime CEOs': Adrian Stalham, our Chief Change Officer, explores why a new type of leadership is needed at Stellantis. With the automotive giant facing falling share prices and internal conflicts, Adrian argues that a 'wartime CEO'—someone who can make bold strategic calls while unifying fractured teams—might be just what's needed to navigate through these turbulent times.
Jaguar's radical rebrand—A bold step forward: Stuart Williamson, our Consulting Partner, offers a fresh perspective on Jaguar's controversial rebrand. While many critics have slated the new direction, Stuart draws an interesting parallel with Apple's transformative 'Think Different' campaign of the 1990s, suggesting we should hold judgment until we see the full master plan unfold. He argues that in a saturated automotive market, this bold approach might be exactly what's needed to drive change.
Synthetic data: The new wizard of business: Leila Callaghan, our Consulting Client Director, draws a creative parallel between The Wizard of Oz and the rise of synthetic data in business. Through this lens, she explores how this AI-powered tool can transform customer experience while maintaining privacy compliance. However, Leila emphasises that like the Wizard himself, synthetic data needs human insight behind the curtain to truly deliver magical results.
Employee-first approach drives S&S success: Our Head of Talent, Steve Neary, shares how putting our people first earned us silver at the UK Employee Experience Awards 2024. He discusses the innovative K2 Academy—our response to employee feedback that's transformed into a comprehensive development program. With 100% of employees recommending the program, it's become key to attracting top talent and fostering our collaborative culture, even in today's hybrid working world.
Tech Talk & Business Buzz: The Headlines ⚡️
In this section of The Pulse, we bring you some of the month's biggest headlines and must-read stories from the worlds of technology and business. This month, we're wrapping up the year with a festive focus on holiday spending, seasonal trends and Christmas insights.
Christmas dinner costs 2024: New data shows UK Christmas dinner price falls to £31.66 from last year's £32.18. While turkey and sprouts are cheaper, wet weather has driven potato prices up 26%. Aldi offers the cheapest festive shop at £24.30, with Tesco highest at £36.51.
UK Christmas spending 2024: New data shows festive spending to hit £22.7bn as average consumer spend rises to £433, up 5% from last year. With inflation down to 2.3%, consumers are prioritising premium food and drink, while 55% of gift shopping moves online. Black Friday tech sales show promise despite weather impacts.
German wellness Christmas 2024: Traditional Reformhaus stores adapt for holiday season, evolving their unique mix of organic food, natural remedies, and wellness gifts. While competing with online shopping and discounters, these historic shops still draw Christmas shoppers with their unmatched selection of teas and wellness products, expecting 1% growth to €736m this season.
Meet the newest member of Team Orange – Maddy King
Welcome to the team, Maddy! As our new Community Engagement Executive, Maddy brings valuable experience in talent identification from her background in gaming industry recruitment. Her enthusiasm for forward-thinking business practices and genuine commitment to our core value of "giving more than you receive" make her an excellent addition to S&S.
A history graduate with a passion for exploring different cultures, Maddy's adaptive mindset and dedication to continuous learning will enhance our community engagement initiatives. Her appreciation for our charitable partnerships and proactive approach to relationship-building align perfectly with our mission to shape the future of business whilst making a positive impact.
Thanks for reading. Until next time!
S&S 🍊