CodeBreakers^®

TARGETED WORKSHOPS

We have a number of ready-made interactive workshops that we can deliver on-site or on-line. We can also create custom tailored workshops for your specific needs.

We have experience with audiences from 5 to 160, in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa, with workshops delivered over the past 26 years.

While most of our work has been with commercial enterprises, we have created specific programs for MBA schools such as CEU, SEED Business School and Maastricht School of Management. We also worked with NGOs (CapPlus Exchange USA, Joint Vienna Institute, Sanabel) and inter-governmental agencies (IFC, EBRD).

Our working language is English but we can also accommodate mixed-use requests: English materials with Hungarian presentation.

Some of our recent workshops:

• The Science of Influencing - Uses of Cultural Coding
• Mastering Decision Making - With The First Behavioural Business Toolkit
• Using Physiological Coding for Business Impact
• The Use of Cognitive Biases - Behavioural Business Tools for Better Decisions
• The Business Fellowship - 5-part Webinar Series for Start Ups

To note, our ‘Full Engagement Model’ always includes an interactive ‘Knowledge Workshop’ as the first step, to set what we call the ‘knowledge base-line’.

PROPRIETARY TOOLS

We use a number of tools we developed or adapted to help you. These tools are yours to continue using after an engagement with us. This includes later updates to continuously improve their effectiveness as new research findings become available.

Our tools include:

1. Asymmetric Influencing Model™
2. Cognitive Template for Strategic Decision Making Optimization
3. Behavioural Type Enterprise Analysis™
4. Non-Traditional Segmentation Method

Asymmetric Influencing Model™

With our Asymmetric Influencing Model™ we identify the areas where you, or your competitors, may have an unseen advantage over the other. Our model is summarized in the following illustration.

Using this approach we can define the red “Impact Zone”, analyze its components and design the right steps to use it for maximum effectiveness. This analysis may also reveal hidden competitive advantages, either on our side or at the competition. In either case, managing the competitive landscape becomes easier and more efficient.

Cognitive Template for Strategic Decision Making Optimization

Our Cognitive Template for Strategic Decision Making Optimization uses a 40 step ‘yes/no’ analytical tool to pinpoint which of the 9 common traps influence strategic decision making at your company. It also defines the outline of an efficient decision making architecture that filters out their effects - by countering the 25 cognitive biases that make them up.

Our approach uses the method developed by Prof. Olivier Sibony (Oxford / HEC), leading cognitive business expert and colleague of Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. Research by McKinsey showed that having the right decision making architecture contributes the most (53%) to making successful business decisions. This is the advantage using our template will create for you.

Behavioural Type Enterprise Analysis™

The Behavioural Type Enterprise Analysis™ tool is our own development. Your company’s values reflect its behavioural approach, defining its guiding principles for dealing with key issues. There are 3 major behavioural types, matching the 3 individual coding levels that control our actions: physiological coding (for individual survival); emotional coding (for group survival) and environmental coding (for succeeding as a self aware being).

The Instinctive Organization is action oriented, winning focused - survival. Social Organizations are more responsible, harmony focused companies - group benefit. Rational Organizations methodically plan for the future and try to control their destiny - self aware fit. Each company’s core approach is determined by the extent to which these three value systems dominate its core approach. This, in turn, can reveal the right interaction model with stakeholders, partners, customers, employees.

Non-Traditional Segmentation Method

Our Non-Traditional Segmentation Approach builds on available research techniques and takes psychographic segmentation one step further. The aim is to understand how each segment’s emotional and cultural imprinting, coupled with the underlying physiological coding, determine its self image, desires and decision making process. The resulting ‘social archetype segment model’ tells us which groups of target people (selected through traditional segmentation research) are really susceptible to our messages and in which format.

FULL ENGAGEMENT MODEL

(Be prepared for a “longish” read - this is a rather detailed overview of our approach)

Background

We are businessmen. Our business is your success. Our aim is to improve your efficiencies by embedding an understanding, and use of, hidden behavioural drivers in your business.

Our approach is based on solid science. We are the first consultancy in Europe to employ all three coding techniques (physiological, psychological, cultural) that together create cognitive biases.

And science is only the foundation. Our practical application of it follows the “Understanding 🡪 Decisions 🡪 Actions 🡪 Results” process. For immediate, measurable added value.

That is also why we are the first consultancy to adapt the cognitive strategic decision making model of global expert Prof. Olivier Sibony, first revealed in his 2020 book “You are about to make a terrible mistake!”.

Our “Behavioural Business” methods build on your existing techniques. They do not replace them. Our proprietary “Asymmetric Influencing Model”, “Behavioural Type Enterprise Analysis”, “Non-Traditional Segmentation” or “Cognitive Template for Strategic Decision Optimization” will add to your existing toolkit. For improved competitive advantage.

Our typical engagement process would use the following steps:

1. Knowledge Workshop - to set a ‘knowledge base-line’
2. Challenge Definition - identify high impact/importance areas
3. Resolution Program - define success and deliver it with our support
4. Sustainability Advisory - ensure practices are embedded

STEP 1 - Knowledge Workshop

During a one-day workshop we bring your key people up to date on the range of behavioural and coding tools available - and show them their business potential through practical examples.

STEP 2 - Challenge Definition

If you have an already identified business issue with which you need help, this is where we review it. We can also give you our own assessment of hidden upside potential in your business, based on our own assessment and applying our own knowledge base. Our experience shows most companies have significant upside potential in one or more of the following areas:

• Deleting harmful biases from strategic decisions - 9 key decision making traps, driven by 25 cognitive biases, interfere with your decisions, without your knowledge. Identifying and systematically eliminating those harmful biases results in stronger, sounder strategic decisions
• Price positioning and value communication - setting the right price is usually done very carefully. But embedding it the right way in the minds of the target customers also has significant upside potential
• Target segment fine tuning - target segments are normally identified via traditional segmentation methods. Adding self image, biases, behavioural drivers creates stronger focus and better targeting
• Moving from correlation to causation analysis - today’s sophisticated techniques (AI, Big Data) use correlation algorithms, relying on historical data. In a fast changing world this fast becomes obsolete. Predicting results based on the thinking process coded into your target audience is more lasting
• Eliminating needs projection - with an incomplete understanding of Buyer needs, businesses tend to project their own thinking onto buyers to “fill the gaps”. Using instead buyers’ own behavioural analysis is more appropriate

STEP 3 - Resolution Program

We agree on the program to achieve your desired results and outline the process, tools used and time needed to deliver them. Based on the specific challenges, our custom tailored programs may look different - even for the same organization. The following are two examples of methodologies used in different situations.

EXAMPLE ‘A’ - IMPROVE STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING: Strengthen the Process of Strategic Decision Making by Systematically Eliminating Unnoticed Cognitive Biases from the Process

N.B. In this case we would use global behavioural business expert Prof. Olivier Sibony's methodology to improve your strategic decision making process.

1. Review the existing decision making process by analyzing actual, recent “decision flows”
2. Define the presence, or absence, of 9 key decision making traps in your organization and how they may have interfered with the flows analyzed. (These “traps” have been shown to influence most seniour executives in most companies.)
3. Quantify the impact of the “traps” in terms of time, quality, resources
4. Use a 40-step template to identify how to systematically minimize or eliminate the 25 cognitive biases which result in the 9 common traps
5. Customize and operationalize the above templated process for easy implementation and long-lasting use
6. Embed use of the new approach by using it with you for at least 3 actual decision flows. Quantify impact of improvements

EXAMPLE ‘B’ - TARGET SEGMENT FINE TUNING: Redefining High-Value Prospects for Higher Response Rates, Based on Internal Drivers (Cultural, Psychological, Physiological Codes and Cognitive Biases)

1. Add to existing quantitative research the qualitative understanding of HOW people define their preferences for themselves, how they think about them (not just how much they prefer them)
2. Use the above to design a Non-Traditional Segmentation Research, allowing clustering based on self image, hidden decision drivers, biases, ‘personal coding’
3. Overlay traditional and Non-Traditional segmentation to identify those most likely to respond to your offer, based on their hidden decision drivers
4. Apply our proprietary ‘Asymmetric Decision Making Model’ to create the right influencing framework for your communication strategy
5. Use the standard 4-point ‘Communication Strategy Brief’ model and the P&G ‘6-step Model of Impactful Communication’ to define the most powerful communication strategy for the segment identified in #3 above - within the influencing framework from #4
6. With our deep understanding of your most valuable segment, conduct a ‘Segment Audit’ to identify additional needs which we can profitably address within this newly defined target

STEP 4 - Sustainability Advisory

• We agree a schedule and format for periodic reconnect. This will ensure your learnings do not “fade out” of the organization but remain embedded, used and built upon.
• We will also keep advising you on emerging relevant new techniques. This helps you to not only sustain, but increase your newly built competitive advantage over time.

KEYNOTE SPEECHES

On-site and on-line conference appearances by Sandy Vaci (in English) or Frigyes Endersz (in Hungarian) can be requested. Our conference experience includes both international and Hungarian appearances at over 50 venues.

Past examples include:

• International Finance Corporation - Berlin
• International Institute for Research - Amsterdam
• European Financial Management Association - Paris, Barcelona
• Marcus Evans - Montreux, Algarve
• Lafferty Conferences - London
• Media Hungary
• Internet Hungary
• HRFest 2020
• 28. MLBKT Kongresszus
• HVG 2017 - A meggyozes forradalma

For more details, please contact us