Game Dossier

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Synergistic Management Consultancy Inc. (SMC) is a privately-held organization based in a mid-Western city in North America. It was founded by three colleagues and friends who were downsized during the restructuring of a multinational software and services company. These three colleagues Patrick Ferguson, Nate Smith and Ted Neeson, grew the company out of Patrick Ferguson’s home office, using their extensive connections with mid-sized organizations to help create a business focused on helping businesses compete in an increasingly global marketplace and address the rapid pace of change. Founded 15 years ago, the company has grown steadily through organic sales growth and ongoing venture capital funding. The president and CEO Patrick Ferguson reports to a Board of Directors composed of representatives of interested venture capital firms and his former co-founders, Nate Smith and Ted Neeson. The organization’s revenues have grown to $78 million annually and it employs 295 people. It is broken into four divisions:

• Executive Leadership Training and Skills Development Division – 95 employees
• Organizational Development – 80 employees
• Market and Competitive Intelligence – 30 employees
• Software Solutions and Services Division – 45 employees
• Executive Leadership and Corporate Services – 45 employees

KEY CHARACTERS

Patrick Ferguson, Company President and CEO, Co-Founder

As one of the co-founders, Mr. Ferguson has been with SMC since its inception 15 years ago. He has a strong sales background with his early career spent at a  large multinational software and services organization as a regional sales person and in sales management. After being laid off from the multinational, his two co-founders Nate Smith and Ted Neeson founded Synergistic Management Consultancy. The goal at that time was to create a business that helped mid-sized and large-business train their leadership, organize their businesses and conduct market and competitive research to help them achieve business growth. Thanks to the founders’ extensive business contacts through their tenure at the multinational software and services organization, SMC has had steady growth and success over the years. Ferguson has been known to say, “your network and your personal brand aren’t just critical, they are the only things that matter.” He prides himself on being able to “sell anyone anything” and likes to understand everyone’s motivations. He has a friendly, approachable and self-effacing style. SMC is “his baby.”

Anan Asumadu, Vice-President, Software Solutions and Services Division

Ms. Asumadu has been with the organization for four years. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Electrical and Computer Engineering Program with a specialty in Computer and Decision Systems. Since Ms. Asumadu’s arrival at SMC, the Software Solutions and Services Division has grown at a rate of 20 percent year over year. This is attributable to her focused work on expanding the division’s business analytics and ‘big data’ consult services for the firm’s clients. She launched a recent program that provides full-service data analytic services to organizations looking to create competitive and market “dashboards” to help their leadership teams make better business decisions. She has helped the SMC management team create a similar “decision dashboard.” The result was a better understanding of the organization’s overall performance, and divisional growth and effectiveness. This dashboard led to the hire of Mr. Aguado and is being used by the management team to create the new strategic plan. Ms. Asumadu has recently asked for an increase to her division of 40 new data analysts and software developers with a focus on those with graduate degrees. Currently, she manages a lean team of 45 skilled developers and consultants. Ms. Asumadu values deep analysis supported by data. She values collaboration and manages consultatively within her team with no rigid hierarchies.

Frank Green, Vice-President, Leadership Training and Skills Development Division

Mr. Green has been with SMC for ten years. He manages a division of 95 individuals who range from corporate soft skills trainers to sales people. The group is rigidly structured with multiple directors and senior managers reporting up through a well-established hierarchy. Mr. Green has had a 40-year career in sales, starting his career after high school in a mid-western paper supplies company. He was hired by the founders because of his extensive connections within the small and mid-sized business community. He is a current member of the local Chamber of Commerce and active in the local community.  Mr. Green takes an old-style, traditional approach to management and business, preferring to manage by “gut” or instinct rather than with “lies, damn lies and statistics.”

Modules 1-3

Synergistic Employee Profiles:

Patrick Ferguson

Education

Sales and Marketing

Occupation

Company President and CEO; Co-Founder of Synergistic Management Consultancy (SMC)

Background

Patrick Ferguson started off as a sales manager in a multinational software and service company. After being laid off from the company, Patrick along with Nate Smith and Ted Neeson founded Synergistic Management Consultancy (SMC). The goal of the company was to help mid-sized and large businesses train their leadership, organize the business and conduct marketing and competitive research in order to achieve business growth.

Responsibilities

As a co-founder of Synergistic Management Consultancy (SMC), Patrick Ferguson makes sure his company has a steady growth and success over the years. He makes an effort to understand everyone’s motivations by being friendly, approachable, and insightful.

Rogelio Arguado

Education

Masters of Business Administration (MBA)

Occupation

Chief Operations Officer

Background

Rogelio Arguado attended the Columbia Business School where he earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Rogelio also has several years of corporate experience specifically corporate downsizing initiatives.

Responsibilities

Rogelio Arguado was hired to help at Synergistic Management Consultancy (SMC) in order to improve the company’s revenue and competitive positioning and has been with the company for 18 months. With his years of corporate experience he has a reputation of being the “corporate fixer”. When formulating business plans, Rogelio believes that understanding marketing analysis, revenue reports and business analytics are crucial.

Anan Asumadu

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) in Electrical and Computer Engineering Program

Occupation

Vice President, Software Solution and Services Division

Background

Anan Asumadu earned her Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a specialty in Computer and Decision System.

Responsibilities

Anan Asumadu has been with Synergistic Management Consultancy (SMC) in the Software Solutions and Services Division for 4 years. She has focused her work on expanding the division’s business analytics and “big data” consult services for the company’s clients.

Anan launched a program that provides a full service data analytic service that helps leadership teams make better business decisions and created a similar program for SMC.

Currently Anan managed a team of developers and consultants.

Frank Green

Education

N/A

Occupation

Vice President, Leadership Training and Skills Development Division

Background

Frank Green has had 40 years of experience in sales, starting his career straight out of high school with a mid-western paper supply company. He is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce as well as an active member in his community.

Responsibilities

Frank Green’s connections with small to mid-sized business got him hired with Synergistic Management Consultancy (SMC) and he has been with the company for 10 years.

He manages a division of individuals ranging from corporate soft skill trainers to sales people. The division is structured with multiple directors and senior managers who report to the higher ups.

Data Analytics at SMC

First, listen to a voice message from Anan.

Full text of recording

“If we keep moving in the direction we are going, we’ll be in the red in 18 months. That trend will be irreversible if we don’t take action to restructure the business. The profitability of the organization must be maintained for our future.

Unfortunately, the Leadership Skills group hasn’t evolved with the marketplace. They are still doing costly face-to-face training, traveling all around North America and around the world to deliver their training. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with good, old-fashioned face-to-face gatherings. But the Leadership group approaches training as a one-size fits all. They fly in a group, book pricy flights, hotels, have large daily per-diems for meals, and provide client gifts and entertainment no matter how small the contract. That’s resulted in that specific business group has a very low per-capita profitability. It isn’t that the team doesn’t have value or expertise, it is just the delivery mechanisms of their training are outdated. Employees in the Leadership Skills training group are generating less than $50,000 in revenue per employee per year. Some of them are great, great trainers with deep and extensive contacts.

Whereas, Software Solutions and Services Division, has an average of $300,000 in revenue per employee in that division.  This team uses some of the latest technologies to work with our global and North American clients to gather requirements and deliver customized solutions, wherever and whenever our clients need. It is a lean, data-driven operation and the way the world is going. We can’t rely on 20th century solutions to 21st century problems.”