未来业务合作的展望：2022年全球调查+Future+of+Business+Partnering：+Global+Survey+2022

FutureofBusiness

Partnering

GlobalSurvey2022

®

Insightsfromthe

FSNModernFinance

ForumonLinkedIn

©Copyright2022FSNPublishingLimited.Allrightsreserved

2

LetterfromtheLeaderoftheModernFinanceForum

DearColleague,

IamdelightedtobringyoutheresultsofFSN’s“FutureofBusinessPartnering”

survey2022.Theresearchfindsthatbusinesspartneringisintheascendancy,withmoreorganizationsinvestinginbusinesspartneringteams,whichinturnaremorecloselyconnectedtotheirinternalcustomersandbetterplacedtoinfluenceprocessinnovationandchange.

GarySimon

CEOFSN&LeaderoftheModernFinanceForumLinkedIn

Businesspartneringappearstohavecomeofage,growinginstatureandmaturity,witharound50%morebusinesspartnersclaimingtobea‘catalystforchange’thantherewerein2019.Yetdespitethesegreatstrides,thereareformidableobstaclesinthewayofbusinesspartnersseekingtohelptheirorganizationsscalenewheightsinbusinessperformancecompetitivenessandinnovation.Unfortunately,entrenchedtechnologyanddataconstraintsdominatethebusinesspartneringlandscape.

Thelargestproportionofbusinesspartners(incompaniesofallsizes)complain

thattheyaretechnologyconstrained,meaningtheydonothavethetech-savvy

resourcesandtoolsnecessarytoexploitdata,and65%findthemselveswithoutthesupportofreal-timedata.

Dataisthelifebloodofthebusinesspartneringrole.Withoutreal-timedata,

businesspartnersareeffectivelyshackledtothemonthlyreportingprocess.They

areunabletokeepupwithrapidmarketchanges,andlimitedtosharinginsightsatperiod-end,ratherthanregularlyduringthemonth.Only20%ofbusinesspartnersinthisyear’ssurveyclaimtohavemasteredtheirdata,whichisdownslightlyfrom3yearsago.

Asaresultoftheseconstraints,businesspartnersspendtoomuchtimeon

traditionalareasofworksuchasperformancereporting,financialstewardshipandbudgetreviews,andtoolittletimeonvalue-addedtasksaroundorganizational

change,strategydevelopmentandinnovation.Lessthan50%oftheentire

populationofsurveyrespondentsaresatisfiedthattheyspendtherightamountoftimeonthethingsthatpropeltheorganizationforward.

Fortunately,thesurveyshinesalightontheuniquebehaviorsof‘catalystsfor

change’tohelpguideustowardsmoreproductiveandfulfillingbusinesspartneringroles.Catalystsforchangeareatthepinnacleofbusinesspartneringcapability.

Theyaremorelikelytohavemasteredtheirdata,haveaccesstoreal-timedata

attheirfingertips,andbebetterpositionedtomeetmorefrequentlywiththeir

internalcustomers.Acrossallaspectsofaddingvalue,catalystsforchangearemoreenthusiasticandcanseemorewaystoaddvaluethanfinanceprofessionalswho

havefurthertogoontheirbusinesspartneringjourney.

Regards,

GarySimon

GarySimon

CEOFSN&LeaderoftheModernFinanceForum

3

TableofContents

ChapterOneExecutiveSummary

4

ChapterTwoBusinesspartnering-Agrowtharea

7

ChapterThreeDatahealth-Thekeytoaddingvalue

10

ChapterFourLackoftimeactsasabrakeonprogress

13

ChapterFiveOrganizationalsizesignificantlyinfluencesbusiness16

partnering

ChapterSixCharacteristicsofcatalystsforchange

19

Methodology

25

AboutWorkday

28

AboutFSN

29

01

4

ExecutiveSummary

5

ExecutiveSummary

Executivesummary

BusinessPartneringisdifficulttodefineandevenmoredifficulttoimplement

effectively.Atitsheart,itdescribesthecommercialrelationshipbetweenthe

financefunctionandotherinternaldepartmentsorfunctions.Butthenatureof

thisrelationshipvariessubstantiallydependingonthecorporation.Itcouldrefertostructuredcooperationbetweendesignatedemployeesineachdivision,oramoreinformalcollaborationamongstteamsfromdifferentpartsoftheorganization.Thecommonfactorinalltheseinteractionsisthemutuallybeneficialrelationshipthattranslatesintobetterstrategicoutcomesforthebusiness.

Theroleofbusinesspartneringisintheascendancy,drawingnewinterestfrom

companiesastheirfinancefunctionsevolvetothepointofstrategicinfluence.TheFutureofBusinessPartneringsurveyfoundthattwothirdsoforganizationsexpecttoinvestinbusinesspartneringbetweennowand2030,andtherehasbeena50%increaseinthenumberofcompaniesthatconsidertheirbusinesspartnerstobecatalystsforchange.

Andyet,amidstallthisgrowth,manycompaniesstillstruggletomeasurethe

successofbusinesspartners.Existingperformancemeasureslike360-degree

feedback,KPIsortraditionalprofitabilitymeasuresareusedasaproxytogauge

whetherbusinesspartneringiseffective.Butwithsomanyotherforcesactingonthesestandardmeasures,itisdifficulttodeterminecausalityandattributesuccess,orfailure,tobusinesspartneringspecifically.

Thedatafulcrum

Whilebusinesspartneringisbuiltonrelationships,ithingesontheinsightthat

financecanoffertothewiderorganization,whichinturnisderivedfromthefinancedatapool.Companiesthatdon’thaveahandleontheirdataorthetechnologyto

manageitwillhavelittletocontributeinabusinesspartneringrelationship.

Unfortunately,thesurveyhasfoundthattherehasbeennorealimprovementinhowdataandtechnologyaremanagedbybusinesspartnersoverthelastthreeyears.Afiftharestilldataoverloaded,withtoomanyconflictingdatasources

andpoordatagovernance,aquartercan’tgetholdofthedatatheyneed,andoverathirddon’thavethetechnologytoolsorresourcestoexploitthedatatheyhave.Only20%aredatamastersi.e.,havethetoolsandresourcestoprovideacompetitiveedgeandeffectiveinsight.

Itseemstheselimitationsarebeingrecognizedthough,withdataquality

improvements,newtechnologyandanalyticalskillsatthetopofinvestment

prioritiesforthenextdecade.Financeexecutivesrecognizethestrategicvalue

thatbusinesspartneringcanaddacrosstheorganization,butmasteringtimelyandaccuratedataispivotaltosuccess.

66%oforganizationsexpecttoinvestin

businesspartnering

betweennowand2030.

6

ExecutiveSummary

65%oforganizationsareunabletodevote

enoughtimetobusinesspartneringactivities.

Allinthetiming

Thedearthoftimelydataisonereasonsomeorganizationsfailtodevotesufficienttimetotheirbusinesspartneringrelationships.Toomanybusinesspartnersare

constrainedbythelimitationsofthereportingcycle.Whenreportsareonly

availableatmonth-end,businesspartnersareleftwithlittletoaddwhiletheywaitforthemonthtoclose.Theresearchshowedthatbusinesspartnerswhomeet

dailywiththeirinternalcustomersoratleastweeklyhaveamuchmoresubstantialeffectonthestrategicdirectionofthecompany,forexamplearemorelikelytobecatalystsforchange.

Evenasbusinesspartneringshiftsfromtraditionalfinancialstewardshiptomorestrategicsupport,companiesarestrugglingtobalanceresourcessothattheir

relationshipsareeffective.Halfspendtoolittletimeonbeingcatalystsofchange,andathirdspendtoomuchtimeonfinance’straditionalroleslikebudgeting,

forecastingandperformanceanalysis.

Ittakestimetodeveloptrustandinfluenceasabusinesspartner,andthesurveyshowsthatalmostallbusinesspartnersarestrugglingforaneffectivebalance(seefigure4).

Isbiggerbetter?

TheFutureofBusinessPartnering2022surveyedbusinessesofallsizesandfoundthatsizeaffectedthenatureoftheirpartnerships.Somecompanieswerejust

toosmalltoemploydedicatedbusinesspartners,insteadeveryoneinfinance

undertooktobuildrelationshipsacrossthebusiness.Asorganizationsgetbiggerthough,theseinformalrelationshipshavetobeformalized.

Largecompanieswithmorethan1,000employeeshavemoreestablishedbusinesspartneringpractices,withdedicatedteamsandemployeeswith‘businesspartner’intheirjobtitle.Thisformalizationmeanspartnersfromlargerorganizationsare

moreofteninvolvedinmakingcommercialandfinancialdecisionsandtheymeetmoreoftenthantheircounterpartsinsmallerbusinesses.

Thegoldstandard

Theobstaclestoeffectivebusinesspartneringhave,byandlarge,beenovercomebyorganizationswhosebusinesspartneringhasjourneyedtomaturityandbecomeacatalystforchange.Theymeetmorefrequently,managetheirdatabetterand

aredriventoaddvaluemoreeffectivelyacrossthemanyareasofthebusinessthatbenefitfromstrongfinancerelationships.

Thiscommitmenttobuilding,supportingandcementingrelationships,

underpinnedbystrongdataandinsight,isthereasonthatbusinesspartneringisgrowinginpopularity.Manyorganizationshavealongwaytogotoachievethislevelofeffectiveness,buttheycanmakeastartbyensuringtheirdataisaccurateandinsightful,andtheyspendtimeforgingtrustworthyrelationships.Thefinancefunctionhasmuchmoretoaddtothebusinessoutsideofitsstewardshipremit,andbusinesspartneringisakeystrategictoolinitsever-growingarsenal.

BUSINESS

PARTNERING-A

GROWTHAREA

7

02

8

Businesspartnering-Agrowtharea

Businesspartnering-Agrowtharea

Businesseshaveevolvedexponentiallyintheinterneteraamidanexplosionofnewdataandtechnology.

Thefinancefunctioninparticularhaschangedsubstantially,fromastaticcostcentertoarepositoryofvastinsight.Sharingthatinsight,encouragingbetterperformanceandbetter-informedcommercialdecisionsisattheheartofbusinesspartnering.

Initiallythough,financeneedstosurfacetheinsightshiddenwithinitsfinancialandoperationalsystems,

whichiswhyincreasingdatascienceheadcountisthetoppriorityforinvestmentinthefinancefunctionoverthenext8years.Butbusinesspartneringcomesaclosesecond,with62%ofsurveyrespondentsplanningtoincreaseinvestmentinthisareabetweennowand2030.

Thisemphaticinterestinbusinesspartneringreflectshowthepracticehasgainedpopularityasmorecompaniesrecognizeitsimportanceandintroducestructuresandprocessestoencouragebetter

relationshipsbetweenthefinancefunctionanditsinternalcustomers.

Inasignofincreasingmaturity,morebusinesspartnersareinvolvedininfluencingchangeandinnovation.In2019only19%oforganizationsconsideredtheirbusinesspartnerstobeacatalystforchange,butby2022thishadgrownby50%.Now,30%ofbusinesspartnersleverageinter-departmentalrelationshipstosuggestnewprocessesandareaswherethebusinesscanbenefitfrominnovation.Beingacatalystforchangeisthepinnacleofbusinesspartnering,andthissubstantialshifthascomefromorganizationsthathadpreviouslydeployedbusinesspartneringinamoretraditionalway,forexamplewerefocusedsolelyonfinancial

stewardshipandgovernance.

Figure1:Businesspartneringismaturing

9

Businesspartnering-Agrowtharea

Anewera

Thematurityofbusinesspartneringisevidentinhowwell-establishedthepracticehasbecomeinmany

organizations.Thesurveyfoundthatalmosthalf(46%)ofbusinesseshadanestablishedbusinesspartneringteamand40%saidtheyhavefinancepeoplewiththetitle“BusinessPartner”.Thismeansprocessesare

beingformalized,andtherearedesignatedpeopletoensurecontinuityandfollowthrough.

For42%ofcompanies,everyoneinthefinancefunctionisconsideredabusinesspartner,whilearoundathirdofbusinessessaidtheyaretoosmalltohavededicatedbusinesspartners,and30%don’thaveateamnow,butplanoneinthenextthreeyears.

Strugglingtomeasuresuccess

Despitetheincreaseinbusinesspartnering,manybusinessesstruggletoformallymeasurethesuccessofthepractice,oftenresortingtoexistingperformancemeasuresthatmaynotbeentirelysuitedtothenuancesofbusinesspartnering.Onlyonequarterofbusinesseshaveaformalprocessformeasuring

businesspartneringsuccesswhileathirdsaythattheyonlyattempttoquantifytheirsuccessoutcomes.

Therearethreemaintechniquesusedtomeasuretheperformanceofbusinesspartneringarrangements,namely–360-degreefeedback,specificKPIsandtraditionalprofitabilitymeasures.Allareusedinroughlyequalmeasure.42%use360-degreefeedbackfromtheirinternalcustomerstorecordhowwellthey

aredoing.45%agreetoasetofspecificKPIsatthebeginningoftheyearandholdbusinesspartners

accountabletothem.Meanwhile46%measurebusinesspartneringsuccessusingtraditionalprofitabilitymeasures.However,despitetheseefforts,itisdifficulttodissecthowmuchimprovementisattributabletobusinesspartnersandhowmuchtotheirinternalcustomers.

Figure2:BusinesspartneringteamshaveBecomemorecommonplace

03

DATAHEALTH-THEKEY

TOADDINGVALUE

10

11

Datahealth-Thekeytoaddingvalue

Datahealth-Thekeytoaddingvalue

Businesspartneringisonlyeffectiveifthefinancefunctionhasinsightsofvaluetoofferandsharewiththewiderbusiness.Theseinsightscomefromtherich

poolsofdatawithinthefinancefunction,butharnessingthatdataisnotalwaysstraightforwardandfinanceprofessionalsfacemanydataconstraints.Thesurveyfoundthat37%ofbusinesspartnersaretechnologyconstrained,meaningtheydonothavethetechsavvytoolsandresourcestofullyexploitthedatatheyhave.Worryingly,thishasincreasedfrom34%in2019.

Meanwhile24%aredataconstrained,whichindicatesthattheycannotgetholdofthedatatheyneedtodriveinsightsanddecision-making.Afurther

19%aredataoverloaded,withtoomanyconflictingdatasourcesandpoordatagovernance.

Only20%ofbusinesspartnerstodayclaimtobedatamasters,activelymanagingtheirdataasacorporateasset,andthisnumberhasslippedslightlyfrom22%

in2019.Thesepartnersmayhavethetoolsandresourcesneededtoprovideinsightsandacompetitiveedge,buttheyareintheminority.

Thefuturesuccessofbusinesspartneringisdependentondatamastery

andanalysis.Withoutittherewillbenothingonwhichtobuildsuccessful

relationships.Financeprofessionalsrecognizethisnecessityand,inthissurvey,puttheimprovementofdataqualityasthetopinvestmentpriorityby2030.

Investinginnewtechnologyandacquiringdeeperanalyticalandstatistical

skillsrunaclosesecondandthirdontheprioritylist.Theclearfocusondata,technologyandanalyticalskillsisatthecoreofeffectivebusinesspartnering.

Technologyconstraints

areagrowingissue.

37%oforganizations

nowfindthemselves

technologyconstrained.

Figure3:organiZationsstruggletomaKetimeFortransFormation

12

Datahealth-Thekeytoaddingvalue

88%of

organizationsbelieve

thekeytounlocking

thefuturepotentialofbusinesspartneringliesinenhancinganalytics.

Fromintenttoaction

Dataisvitalfortransformingintentintoactionandunlockingthefuturepotentialofbusinesspartnering.88%ofsurveyrespondentsseevalueinenhancing

analyticstoprovidefreshinsights.Asimilarnumberarefocusedonimprovingthetrustworthinessandtransparencyofdataandbelieveacceleratingreportingto

enablebetterresponsivenesswillhelpinthelongterm.Armedwiththerightinsight,softskillstrainingcanalsoenhancethelevelofinfluenceandengagementthat

stakeholdershavewiththeirbusinesspartners.

Theseactionsthatunlockthefuturepotentialofbusinesspartneringarethebuildingblocksofsuccessfulexecution,anddataweavesitswaythroughallofthem.Itis

thekeytoaddingvalueoverthelongterm.87%offinanceexecutivessurveyedsaidthataccessingaccurateinformationquicklywillhelpinformcommercialdecisions.

Thereareothervaluedriverswithinthebusinesspartneringrelationshipthatcan

andwillgrowinimportanceoverthenextseveralyears.Financecaninformstrategydevelopmentandexecution;relationshipscanbecomemoreproductivewhenthereisinvestmentinbusinesspartnering;andfinancebusinesspartnerscanbeasoundingboardfortheCEOandtheBoard.Inaddition,businesspartnerscanaddvalueby

activelyfindingsynergiesacrosstheorganizationanddevelopingandagreeingonrobustvaluecreationplanswithstakeholders.

Thesearesubstantialbenefitsforanycompanyandgiveacompetitiveadvantage

whenusedeffectively.Butfirst,financeprofessionalsneedtolearntoprofessionalizethemanagementoftheirdataandtechnology,becausebeingdataconstrainedor

dataoverloadedwilldilutethevalueofanybusinesspartnership.

04

LACKOFTIMEACTSAS

ABRAKEONPROGRESS

13

14

Lackoftimeactsasabrakeonprogress

Lackoftimeactsasabrakeonprogress

Businesspartneringispredicatedonbuildingstrongrelationshipswithinternalcustomers,butthesurveyshowedthatthedevelopmentofbusinesspartneringisbeinghamperedbytheamountoftimespent

onmeetingandworkingtogether.Onlyhalfofbusinesspartnersmeetatleastweeklywiththeirinternalcustomerstoensuretheymakeanimpactonoperations,splitbetween16%whomeetdailyand33%whomeetatleastweekly.Theremaindereithermeetmonthly(28%),quarterly(7%)orasneeded(15%),whichtheresearchshowsisultimatelynotoftenenoughtoinfluencechange.Businesspartnersthatmeetmorefrequentlyaremorelikelytobesuccessfulcatalystsforchange.

Ifbusinesspartnersmeetonlymonthlythen,bythetimetheyhaveagreedactionpointsarisingfromareviewofthemonth’sresults,itleavesverylittletimetoinfluencetheoutcomeforthequarter.

Itispossiblethatbusinesspartnerswhoonlymeetmonthlyorquarterlyareconstrainedbythelimitationsofthereportingcycle.Iftheyareshackledtomonthlyreportingthenthereisverylittlethatcanbedoneintheweeksleadinguptothemonth-end.Thesebusinesspartnersarebeholdentotheregularreportingcycleevenastheirmoreagilecompetitorshavemovedtodynamicrealtimereporting.

Whetherbusinesspartnersmeetoftenorinfrequently,theincreasingambitionfortheroleofbusiness

partneringisnotmatchedbythetimeavailable–sofarnobodyseemstobegettingitright.Almosthalfofbusinessexecutivesdon’tspendenoughtimeontheactivitiesthatwillmakethebiggestdifferencetothebusiness,includingbeingasoundingboardformanagement,helpingtoinfluencecommercialdecisionsandbeingacatalystfororganizationalchangeorinnovationinbusinessmodels.

Figure4:organiZationscontinuetospendtoomuchtimeon'traditionaltasKs'

15

Lackoftimeactsasabrakeonprogress

Beingacatalystforinnovationinbusinessmodelsgetstheleastamountof

attention,with12%spendingnotimeatall,and50%spendingtoolittletimeinthis

area.

Conversely,morethan30%offinanceexecutivesinbusinesspartnershipsspend

“toomuch”,or“fartoomuch”,timeontraditionalaccountingroles.Despite

businesspartneringmaturingandexpandingitsremitacrossagreaternumberof

businessfunctions,manyremainstubbornlytiedtoandfocusedonperformance

analysis,financialstewardshipandbudgetchallenges,leavinglittletimetofocuson

beingacatalystofchange.

Unfortunately,lackoftimeandtimelyinformationthreatenstoderailbusiness

partnering.For65%offinanceexecutives,notbeingabletodevoteenough

timetobusinesspartneringactivitieswillbethebiggestchallengeoverthenext

decade.64%arealsoconcernedaboutthelackofreal-timebusinessinformation,and63%worrytheycan’tanswerperformancequeriesquicklyfromavailable

information.Unlessthereisanuptickintimespentdevelopingrelationshipsandanimprovementindatamanagementandaccesstoinsight,manyofthebenefitsofbusinesspartneringwillbelost.

65%of

organizationsare

unabletodevote

enoughtimeto

businesspartneringactivities.

05

ORGANIZATIONAL

SIZESIGNIFICANTLY

INFLUENCESBUSINESS

PARTNERING

16

17

Organizationalsizesignificantlyinfluencesbusinesspartnering

Organizationalsizesignificantlyinfluencesbusinesspartnering

Asanorganizationgrows,relationshipsevolveorganicallyascorporatefunctions

expandalongwithheadcount.Insmallcompanies,whereexecutivesfulfillmany

differentroles,interactionstendtobemorefrequent,informalandcollaborative

ofnecessity.Asrolesexpandanddiverge,thepossibilityofaddingstrategicvalue

throughbusinesspartnershipscanwaneiftheserelationshipsarenotactively

managed.Meanwhile,largerenterprisesareincreasinglylikelytobringmore

structureandformalitytothewaythatbusinesspartneringisdeployed.

Thesurveyreflectsthisdynamic,withbusinesspartneringmuchmoreestablished

inlargerorganizations.63%ofcompanieswithmorethan1000employeeshavean63%ofcompanies

establishedbusinesspartneringteam,and54%havefinancepeoplewith“businesswithmorethan1000

partner”intheirtitle.Bycontrast,70%ofsmallorganizationscitetheirsizeastheemployeeshavean

reasontheydon’thavededicatedbusinesspartners,andfor52%ofthem‘everyoneestablishedbusiness

inthefinancefunctionisabusinesspartner’.Thisreflectsthemoreintimatepartneringteam.

relationshipsinasmallerorganizationwhichallowforfrequentcollaborationand

informationsharing.

Whileinformalrelationshipsaremostcommoninsmallcompanies,thestructureof

businesspartnershipsinlargecompaniesincreasesthescopeoftheirinvolvement.

46%oflargeorganizationssaythatoperationalbusinessteamsregularlyseek

finance’sopinionbeforemakingbigcommercialorfinancialdecisions,compared

withjust25%ofsmallerfirmsand39%ofmedium-sizedones.

Figure5:largerorganiZationsmoreliKelytohaveanestaBlishedBusinesspartneringteam

18

Organizationalsizesignificantlyinfluencesbusinesspartnering

Meanwhilefor20%ofsmallorganizations,theroleofbusinesspartneringislargelylimitedtofinancial

stewardshipandperformance,whereasthisisthecaseinonly11%oflargecompanieswithmorethat

1,000employees.Asbusinessesscaleup,theyalsomoveupthebusinesspartneringmaturityladder,fromtraditionalfinancialsupporttostrategiccooperationandinnovation.

Businesspartnersinlargerorganizationsalsomeetmoreoften,with22%meetingwitheachbusinessunitdaily,comparedwith15%forsmallcompaniesandjust6%inmedium-sizedbusinesses.Attheotherendofthescale,moresmallbusinessesmeetjustquarterlyor“asneeded”thantheirlargercompetitors.Thismayindicatethattheyremaintiedtoquarterlyreportingschedules,meetingonlywhenthey(infrequently)havesomethingnoteworthytoshare.

Measuringsuccessdifficultinallsizesoforganization

Despitethemoreformalizedbusinesspartneringprocessinlargerorganizations,theyfareonlyslightly

betterwhenitcomestomeasuringthesuccessofbusinesspartnering.Only29%oflargecompanieshaveaformalmethodofmeasuringbusinesspartneringsuccess,comparedwith22%formediumandsmall

businesses.

Neitherdoesalargerheadcountgiveasignificantadvantageintermsofhowwelldatasupportstheroleofbusinesspartnering.Allsizesoforganizationfindthemselvessimilarlytechnologyconstrained,whilelargerorganizationsaremorelikelytobedataoverloaded.

Largerorganizationsthatneedtoworkhardertoensurethefinancefunctioncollaboratesandstrategicallysupportstherestofthebusiness,putmoretimeandstructuredresourcesintobusinesspartnering.Buttheyremainconstrainedbythelackofaccessibledatatheyneedtoprovideinsights,eitherbecausethereistoomuchdataoradearthoftech-savvyresourcesandtoolstofullyexploitthedatatheyhave.Andtheabilitytoaccuratelyandspecificallymeasurethesuccessofbusinesspartnershipsisauniversalproblem.

06

CHARACTERISTICSOF

CATALYSTSFORCHANGE

19

20

Characteristicsofcatalystsforchange

Characteristicsofcatalystsforchange

Asbusinesspartnersmakethejourneyfromtraditionalfinancialstewardshipand

Catalystsforchangearemorecommittedandmoreinvolvedinallaspectsofbusinesspartnering.

performancemonitoringtocatalystsforchange,thereisaclearpatternofbenefitsandbehaviorsthatemerge.Thoseatthematureendofthescalegetitright,masteringtheirdata,spendingenoughtimewiththeirinternalcustomers,andshowingacommitmenttobuildingstrongrelationshipsthatmakearealdifferencetoinsightandstrategy.Sowhatshouldorganizationsbeaspiringto?

Thosebusinesspartnersclassifiedascatalystsforchangemeetmoreoftenthan

companieswithlesswell-establishedbusinesspartnerships.Substantiallymoreofthemmeetdailyandweekly,indicatingthattheyoftenhaveinsightsathandtoshare.

Bycontrast,companieswhoseroleislimitedtofinancialstewardship,orwhoonly

occasionallyareinvitedtocontributetocommercialdecisions,arefarmorelikelyto

meetmonthlyorasneeded.Thisisprobablyasaresultofbeingconstrainedbythe

limitationsofthemonthlyreportingcycle.Unfortunately,organizationswithoutreal-timeinformationcanquicklybeovertakenbyagilestart-upsanddisruptorswhoalwayshavefinancialinsightattheirfingertips.

Catalystsforchangerecognizethecriticalnecessityforaccurateandtimelyinformation.Theyarefarmorelikelytohavemasteredtheirdata,activelymanagingitasacorporateasset,withthetoolsandresourcesneededforacompetitiveedge.That’snottosaythatsomecatalystsforchangedon’tstrugglewithdataoverloadortechnologyconstraints,butbusinesspartner