Options Portfolio

Options Portfolio

What is an options portfolio? A good way to think of an options portfolio is as an investment in future business flexibility. Some examples of those options may be valued on the organisation’s balance sheet. For example, sizeable unrestricted reserves (that can be invested to earn income until needed). Many examples of those options aren’tContinue Reading Options Portfolio

Business Resilience and Black Swans

Business Resilience and Black Swans

Since the future is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA), as is the arrival of assorted black swan events, smart organisations build business resilience in the meantime. Building a significant level of financial reserves increases your ability to buy time or play for time, accelerate innovations or isolate threats. Automating key processes and investing inContinue Reading Business Resilience and Black Swans

Risk Attributes

Risk Attributes

Risk velocity (like risk mitigation) seems to be too much of a poor relation compared to risk probability and risk magnitude. Risk breadth is another aspect. For a given threat, if there is uncertainty on velocity, then having some broad mitigations like buying time and playing for time is helpful. Stepping out of the lineContinue Reading Risk Attributes

Investment Gains from Leveraging Business Flexibility

Investment Gains from Leveraging Business Flexibility

In a constantly evolving world, arguably the only kind of tradition that matters is the tradition of flexibility. Monopolies, specialist expertise and economies of scale aside, sources of net value may be fleeting. But flexibility is there for the long haul. So why not make your business strategy and entity goals about not just buildingContinue Reading Investment Gains from Leveraging Business Flexibility

Scenario Planning, BCP, Risk Registers and Real Options Portfolios

Scenario Planning, BCP, Risk Registers and Real Options Portfolios

‘What if’, scenario planning can foster useful discussion on the kind of future can you expect.  Such planning helps a organisation decide whether it should take actions now, in anticipation of various potential futures. Those actions might involve considering; innovation, efficiency and resource focus for greater impact. Unfortunately, in the not for profit sector, manyContinue Reading Scenario Planning, BCP, Risk Registers and Real Options Portfolios

Business Flexibility, Resilience and Extreme Weather Threats

Business Flexibility, Resilience and Extreme Weather Threats

The media frequently report on extreme weather events battering coastlines and causing flooding, whether storms in the UK, hurricanes in the Caribbean, typhoons in South East Asia or cyclones in the South Pacific.   Such events cause huge problems for emergency services teams, insurance companies, government environmental agencies, tourism operators, utility companies, boat-run businesses andContinue Reading Business Flexibility, Resilience and Extreme Weather Threats

Workplace Resiliency – Durability

Workplace Resiliency – Durability

Workforce resilience arguably includes three aspects; protection, durability and healing. This article examines the middle one, durability (wear and tear) in more detail.  Emergency services teams and the military are great HR examples of team resiliency under a range of unexpected, or unplanned operating conditions. The team is tested, sometimes to breaking point. They relyContinue Reading Workplace Resiliency – Durability