WESTPORT, Conn., Dec. 1, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the uncertain economy, one of the best ways a company can position itself for success is to conduct an "identity check up" -- i.e., ensure that key operations, such as sales, marketing, R&D and human resources are aligned with the company's identity, the unique traits that define how it creates value.
The recent "Identity Impact Survey" of 2,000 employees at companies ranging from $60 million in revenues to over $8 billion demonstrates quantitatively the connection between identity strength -- both organizational and individual -- and business results. In short, companies with high identity strength have more engaged workforces, perform better and create more value.
"The economic recovery could be faster if more organizations and leaders really understood their companies' identity -- how they create proprietary value -- and how to 'live it' throughout all operations. Our research shows that identity strength truly is the 'elephant in the room' when it comes to value creation," said Larry Ackerman, founder and president of The Identity Circle LLC, the research, education and consulting company that sponsored the survey. Based on the research, the firm has published the report, "The Identity Effect: Cracking the Code on Value Creation -- How Identity-Based Management Drives Employee Engagement and Business Performance" (http://www.theidentitycircle.com/library/type/identity_impact_survey/).
He added, "The conundrum is that organizational identity emerges as a major performance driver, but employees typically don't think that their organization actually has a strong identity. What this implies is a significant 'value gap' between how companies are currently performing and how they would perform, were they to close that gap by increasing their company's identity strength. The good news is that it's possible not only to measure identity strength -- but to take steps to improve it and use it as a lever for performance."
Mr. Ackerman is available to discuss the importance of an organizational "identity check up," how to do it and how to put the findings to work to realize predictable revenue increases and other economic benefits. For instance, he can discuss how some of the best-performing companies -- ones that have successfully adopted "identity-based management" are likely to...
* Integrate identity and business economics: Identity provides the human model of how companies work; economics provides the capital model. Blending these disciplines results in a more reliable framework for shaping strategy, managing operations and measuring results. * Lead through identity: Leaders can capitalize on the power of identity to marshal such components of success as value creation, authenticity, integrity and endurance. * Close the value gap: Most companies operate below their capacity to create value. * Let identity drive culture: Identity can be a natural "forcing function" for shaping a culture around the dynamics of value creation. * Make identity the cornerstone of employee engagement: High levels of employee engagement start with organizational identity strength, followed closely by individual identity strength. All the workplace practices managers use to spur engagement can't substitute for this reality.
Mr. Ackerman can also discuss some of the questions managers should ask themselves and their teams as they embark on an identity check up and begin to employ the lens of identity-based management. Among those questions...
* Do we truly understand how our company creates proprietary value -- do we know what our identity is? * How much more of an impact could we potentially have on customer success if we understood how we create proprietary value for them? * What hard-to-reach goals do we have today that might become more achievable were we to bring identity into our strategic management process? * Is our corporate brand authentic to who we are? Will it stand up to change, or is it fabricated and therefore vulnerable to erosion from inevitable shifts in the marketplace? * How might identity-based management practices help me increase my influence with employees? * What is my personal identity -- my unique, value-creating characteristics -- and how might I employ it to make me a better leader? * To what extent would bringing the "identity question" into our management conversations help our chances of success? * Who are the people I trust most, who would understand the principles of identity, and help me apply them to the benefit of the company? * How might identity help me bridge the often, trying gap between my work life and my family life?
To arrange a conversation with Larry Ackerman of The Identity Circle, please contact Itay Engelman at Sommerfield Communications, Inc. at 212-255-8386 or itay@sommerfield.com. For a free copy of "The Identity Effect" report, please contact Larry Ackerman directly at lackerman@theidentitycircle.com, or visit http://www.theidentitycircle.com/library/type/identity_impact_survey/.
About the Survey
The Identity Impact Survey is based on approximately 2,000 responses across five companies, lending statistical validity to the results in aggregate and for each company. Using advanced psychometric methods, the researchers assessed the quality of the survey and its predictive ability. The research results strongly support the effectiveness of this survey as a measure of intrinsic identity strength and its role in predicting business performance.
About The Identity Circle LLC
The Identity Circle (http://www.theidentitycircle.com/) is a research, consulting and education company, that helps organizations and individuals clarify and capitalize on their unique, value-creating capacities in ways that improve performance, impact and reputation. The company offers Identity Impact Surveys, specialized consulting programs for senior executives and their teams and Identity Mapping(R) courses for employees and individuals.
The Identity Circle LLC logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6774