SITUATIONS that mattered. Groups that needed to get them right.

A professional services company facing its first outsourcing decision used SchellingPoint's Alignment Cycle to surface hidden disagreements among executives about RPO scope. The anonymous virtual dialogue revealed 190+ opinions and 32 potential failure points, uncovering a fundamental split between leaders wanting deep vs. limited outsourcing. By reconciling these differences before signing, the CEO gained confidence his team truly understood what they were buying—leading to a successful 5-year contract that supported the firm's growth through acquisition.

When a public sector organization switched outsourcers for a 7-year contract, early warning signs of trouble emerged. SchellingPoint's alignment analytics revealed critical disconnects: the customer expected an effortless 'transfer' while the supplier knew both sides needed to mature their processes. Most significantly, one senior executive had an unstated priority—'If this one doesn't happen, the rest doesn't matter'—that was invisible to everyone else. Surfacing these hidden expectations allowed all parties to reset priorities and collaborate effectively.

In year 8 of a 10-year IT outsourcing contract, formal performance reports said everything was fine, but the client was quietly preparing to rebid. SchellingPoint's anonymous dialogue revealed the truth: some client staff believed KPIs had been falsified for years and had stopped trusting all subsequent reports. Others felt unable to admit their own problems, fearing the information would be weaponized in negotiations. By surfacing these relationship poisons that regular meetings never revealed, trust was rebuilt and a multi-year renewal was signed.

A Health Information Exchange faced grant funding termination with competing stakeholders unable to agree on a sustainability path. SchellingPoint's anonymous dialogue uncovered the hidden culprit: stakeholders were using the word 'payer' with completely different meanings—a common but invisible barrier in group discussions. Once this and other unstated assumptions were surfaced, the team developed a viable strategy within 10 weeks. The HIE is now among the few in the country with revenues exceeding operational costs.

A fast-growing services firm couldn't find time to refresh their go-to-market strategy amid 'all hands on deck' operations. Using SchellingPoint's Alignment Cycle, 42 staff participated in virtual dialogues after work hours. The analytics revealed surprising findings: while confidence in the business was high, hidden concerns about brand differentiation and decision-making policies were festering. Two 3-hour meetings resolved these issues, and the firm maintained its growth rate for three more years.

One year after a PE acquisition, a retailer's leadership team used SchellingPoint to set annual priorities. The visual alignment display prompted the COO to declare 'Houston, we have a problem here'—the team was aligned on tactical activities but fundamentally misaligned on strategy and operating model. Getting this disagreement 'out on the table in full view' enabled honest discussion, leading to revised priorities and three years of revenue and EBITDA growth.

A Fortune 50 company faced a massive ERP implementation affecting 10,000 users across 60 locations. SchellingPoint enabled 16 change leaders across the globe to build a comprehensive 100-day and 2-year change program through just six virtual meetings totaling 10 hours. The structured dialogue template ensured nothing was missed—from training approaches to handling scope changes—while reconciling policy differences like 'push vs. pull' information delivery. The result: a consistent global change strategy.

An automotive company's Omnichannel transformation seemed aligned at the top, but SchellingPoint revealed that C-level executives' goals were listed but not prioritized, and lacked tangible metrics. Extending the analysis to 60+ VPs uncovered even more misalignment on specific changes. Through facilitated sessions using the alignment analytics, executives reconciled their differences and communicated clear direction—creating a leadership team that drove transformation from shared goals and expectations.

A utility's first attempt at an ERP upgrade failed due to staff resistance. For the second attempt, they invited hundreds of personnel to share their concerns anonymously through SchellingPoint. The analytics identified that most acknowledged the need for change, but 50+ constraints were blocking progress—17 with broad concern. By addressing inaccurate misunderstandings and previously unknown issues, the utility successfully moved to the new platform.

A Fortune 50 CEO needed his leadership team aligned on their 5-year vision before a nine-figure ERP implementation—but couldn't wait 3-6 months for a traditional consulting project. SchellingPoint delivered results in weeks. The analytics surprised a team that had worked together for 10+ years: they held fundamentally different beliefs about operational excellence vs. customer intimacy vs. product innovation. Reconciling these assumed-but-wrong agreements enabled 11 consecutive growth quarters despite market challenges.

A cosmetics company debated growth strategies with little resolution—new pricing vs. solution selling, share-of-wallet vs. new markets. SchellingPoint's alignment analytics instantly revealed the hidden cause: half the executives believed they sold 'commodity cosmetics' while the other half saw 'value-added facial solutions.' This unstated assumption explained why growth suggestions were fundamentally incompatible. Once the team agreed on their true market position, they selected the appropriate strategy and achieved continued revenue growth.

Nine months after reorganizing five business units into one shared services function, performance lagged and cost savings were zero. SchellingPoint revealed startling misalignment: 14 of 15 leaders believed their R&D success rate was 'upper quartile,' while one had a three-month-old report showing they were 'not half as good as benchmark peers.' The group also lacked any shared objectives requiring cooperation. Accepting reality enabled them to build a revised, interdependent scorecard with committed actions.

A regional healthcare system needed to enhance performance through culture change. Using SchellingPoint's Culture Engine™, they developed a customized leadership competency model. The methodology allowed early identification of barriers and unintended consequences that 'would have taken months to figure out.' Three years later, system-wide thinking replaced localized behavior, job rotations became the norm, and the first-ever succession planning process emerged—all from a common definition of leadership.

A new CEO sought to reinvigorate a European brand through culture change. SchellingPoint's virtual dialogue with 1,300 personnel across Europe revealed a paradox: silos were seen as both an impediment to collaboration AND a source of community and pride. This nuanced understanding enabled an innovative approach that removed silos' negative effects while preserving their benefits. Within three months of implementing the 67-action roadmap, positive results were reported by staff and leadership.

The FDA's focus on 'culture of quality' challenged pharmaceutical companies to define and measure it. Using SchellingPoint, 80+ quality leaders identified 28 behavioral drivers of quality through virtual dialogues and systems dynamics mapping. Pilot data revealed that quality leadership generally believed a quality culture existed while production operators were 'ambivalent at best.' The Quality Culture Improvement Program now enables companies to measure leading indicators and roadmap targeted improvements—one recent project engaged 1,600 personnel generating 5,000+ data points.

A Fortune 250 R&D team grappled with 'customer-centric'—who exactly is the customer when different organizations specify, buy, and use your product? SchellingPoint identified 16 dimensions of customer-centricity and 14 underlying assumptions requiring verification. Through global micro-conversations of 5-10 minutes each, the team developed 11 objectives and behaviors defining customer-centricity across the entire lifecycle from ideation to improvement.

After a PE acquisition, an IT services firm lost their 'seat at the table' with a major client. With the new CIO declining to collaborate, 16 team members used SchellingPoint to develop a 'shadow strategy'—staying close to the account through unpredictable changes. When they were initially replaced by a cheaper competitor, they deployed this strategy while transitioning services. Within a year, the disappointed client re-engaged them for another five years.

Traditional B2B relationship measures like satisfaction surveys can't measure alignment. SchellingPoint enabled a manufacturer to surface hidden challenges in their semi-annual review with a growing customer. One statement led to a conversation the account manager 'would have never imagined being able to have,' and another adjusted a sourcing manager's understanding of success criteria. The result: increased share-of-wallet, with similar processes at other relationships uncovering $500,000 savings opportunities.

A global manufacturer needed to refresh its 3-year procurement strategy across 95 category managers on five continents—without travel. SchellingPoint's virtual dialogue revealed two strategic decisions hiding beneath apparent alignment: unresolved concerns about whether recent technology changes were stable enough for new initiatives, and a split between transactional excellence vs. strategic value-add services. Nine regional leaders resolved these through six virtual sessions, creating a plan that balanced foundation-building with innovation.

A professional services firm was intrigued by digitalization but faced unclear practical implications and key personnel resistance. SchellingPoint's virtual dialogue captured 115 opinions in two hours, revealing both drivers (brand impact, reduced menial tasks) and concerns (consultants learning new technology, less client interaction). With no pre-ordained outcome, the leadership objectively assessed digitalization's viability and chose to pilot one offering. Within a year, they sold four projects and built a strong pipeline—finding that reduced client time actually improved meeting quality.

As a food company refreshed its 5-year strategy, IT needed to realign. SchellingPoint engaged 50+ IT leaders plus the CEO and all CxOs in virtual dialogue covering everything from IT's value proposition to offshore outsourcing. The analytics showed business leaders wanted practical, timely innovation grounded in transaction system excellence. Two workshops produced an action roadmap spanning skills inventories to global desktop strategy—enabling IT to support the company's sustained growth.

Nine months into a supply chain merger, little progress had been made. Conventional root cause analysis failed. SchellingPoint's anonymous dialogue surprised leadership: resistance wasn't fear of change—operational leaders simply didn't believe the consultants' underlying data. Additionally, unresolved differences in outsourcing approaches, quality standards, and process improvement methods were silently blocking implementation. Six one-hour virtual meetings clarified definitions and validated business cases, enabling a reduced but achievable plan.

Seventeen financial services CEOs committed to co-developing a digital platform, but one year in, milestones were missed and frustration grew. SchellingPoint revealed more had been accomplished than realized—shared knowledge, vendor selections, prototypes—but the core constraint was unprecedented: getting staff from 12+ firms with different cultures, decision-making styles, and work habits to collaborate effectively. Three workshops addressed 23 uncertainties, 28 goals, 15 barriers, and 76 actions, producing a funded two-year roadmap.

A services organization's digital strategy showed 'immaterial progress' one year into execution. SchellingPoint's analytics across 40 participants and 188 opinions pinpointed the problems: digitalization remained too vague for most personnel, objectives lacked measures and targets, and 'low-hanging fruit' opportunities were still unharvested. The global team defined eight categories of actions spanning incentives, communications, digital skills hiring, data strategies, and marketing changes to get the strategy on track.

A CEO wanted to create a diversity strategy but needed his leadership team to share genuine opinions safely. SchellingPoint enabled all nine executives to express 160+ opinions anonymously on sensitive topics—from whether diversity was optional or mandatory to whether changes should be implemented quietly or overtly. The team found strong alignment on cultural competency needs but weak alignment on approach: should they set defined goals or let outcomes emerge through small actions? They converged on a strategy starting with cascading education.

A Fortune 50's Black Executive Leaders group wanted to formally strategize their role. SchellingPoint's anonymous dialogue prevented participants from learning who agreed or disagreed with opinions—essential for authentic expression. The 50+ VP-level members showed unusually strong alignment, with misalignment focused on key areas: some saw their employer as superficially committed to diversity while others experienced genuine authenticity. Reconciling these interpretations set the foundation for approaching the organization. The company has since been recognized nationally for diversity leadership.

Thirty-six global specialists across seven countries had individually researched an infectious disease affecting children for years, publishing papers without reducing patient counts. SchellingPoint enabled them to discover their like-mindedness around needed actions for the first time. Working virtually with one hybrid meeting, they converged on a two-step strategy. The result: severe case counts fell from 187 to 2 in the first test district, and the initiative is now scaling up.

A 150-year-old irrigation system serving a major city was approaching catastrophic failure, but 1869 charter documents hadn't anticipated modern ownership rights, regulatory compliance, and liability concerns—making all parties reluctant to lead the conversation. SchellingPoint convened 16 executives from government, citizen organizations, and maintenance firms. Their anonymous dialogue revealed surprising like-mindedness on urgency and engineering approaches, enabling them to determine funding sources and responsibilities. Relief is palpable as repair work proceeds.

Twenty-five scientists, researchers, and policymakers from competing pharmaceutical companies and universities were invited to create a coordinated pre-competitive research strategy. SchellingPoint's virtual dialogue revealed 79 proposed actions with only mild alignment—but identified those supporting shared objectives. The group resolved operational issues including lack of common standards, inadequate inter-disciplinary communication, and IP ownership. Five years later, participants credit the event with setting the research agenda for their field.

The European Commission needed a 10-year roadmap for in-silico clinical trials—computer-based simulation replacing human trials. SchellingPoint engaged 540+ global experts through virtual dialogues over 18 months, covering everything from data modeling to patient privacy to new business collaboration models. The Avicenna project's recommendations led to a 57-3 vote in Brussels accepting 'alternative data' in product approvals, and a public/private partnership alliance was formed to implement the roadmap.

A CPG company's growing innovation pipeline with a primary partner was straining communication and decision-making across 50 people. SchellingPoint enabled the entire group—executives to technicians across US and Canada—to participate in anonymous dialogue. The consultant ran the project 100% virtually, conducting six meetings to resolve issues from project chartering to IP policies to reward systems. The result: 37 actions across nine workstreams to optimize the innovation collaboration.

Marketing estimated 200% sales growth potential for a market-leading product by removing adoption barriers and reducing churn. SchellingPoint assembled cross-functional personnel and external experts from each supply chain point to collaborate remotely across US and Europe. The group generated 99 distinct ideas covering 20 aspects of the customer journey, reduced to 20 proposed changes—7 to increase initial use, 13 to reduce churn. The proposals are now in prototyping and market research.

Seven city CIOs wanted to collaborate with a software vendor on a client-server to cloud transition—the first-ever collaborative IT procurement among cities. SchellingPoint engaged 35 participants who expressed 193 opinions across integration strategies, customization, and implementation planning. Two fundamental issues around customization scope and funding were resolved through working groups. The conventional two-year procurement cycle was completed in three months, with one city amicably departing and six successfully partnering.

Three months into a new CRM project, a corporate strategy executive's early concerns had materialized. SchellingPoint revealed surprisingly low alignment for an early-stage project: departments didn't agree with the business case's customer adoption projections, executive sponsors had different opinions about CRM's strategic role (unknown to each other), and there was no decision-making protocol—forcing IT to make business decisions for which they were then criticized. Two 2-hour calls reconciled the sponsors' differences and reset direction.

Six months into an IT transformation, a new CIO's strategy had stalled. SchellingPoint revealed critically low alignment among 12 IT leaders—on a strategy they had all helped develop. The analytics identified a 'perfect storm': 20% business growth demanding IT support, simultaneous re-platforming from legacy to packaged applications, and staff learning Agile/SOA architecture—all interdependent and causing 'root cause vs. symptom' disputes. The sequenced agenda from the analytics enabled leaders to reconcile disagreements and design their path out of the storm.

Industry consolidation raised 'merger of equals' as a strategic option, but boards and CEOs asked: 'How do we have that conversation authentically, dealing with the emotions involved?' SchellingPoint captured insights from experienced executives and industry experts, creating 87 test statements across 16 decision aspects. Leadership teams of 6-22 now use this template to safely explore questions from 'Do we have equals out there?' to 'Would a merger leave me feeling I have failed?' The results guide Evaluate/Reject decisions within one hour.

Before closing the largest acquisition in company history—a distressed brand requiring significant investment—the management consultant recommended SchellingPoint to ensure genuine commitment. Fourteen executives and due diligence team members anonymously shared their views. The analytics confirmed overall support but revealed strong misalignment around three business plan assumptions: retained staff needs, investment timing, and supply chain consolidation. These were reconciled before signing. Four years later, the brand is thriving with no first-year surprises or course corrections.

Statistics show most mergers fail, yet acquirers regularly declare success by checking off integration tasks. Three months into a technology merger, 152 personnel participated in SchellingPoint's dialogue. Most plans were validated, but four hidden problems emerged—two blamed on the acquired company were actually due diligence errors, and two were misunderstandings of the CEO's town hall comments. Alignment was measured four more times over 18 months. Four years later, the program manager called SchellingPoint 'the smallest line item in merger costs but the most impactful on success.'

After two years of quarterly meetings, 50 stakeholders from government, industry, academia, and NGOs remained deadlocked on federal sustainable packaging policy. SchellingPoint's anonymous dialogue revealed six previously unrecognized points of complete agreement—and disproved the assumed cause of deadlock. Everyone thought disagreements were between demographic groups (companies vs. NGOs), but alignment was actually weaker within each group than across them. This insight reshaped conversations, and the most contentious issues were resolved in four hours. The result: a 501(c)(3), successful fundraising, and attention from 1,000+ organizations in 45+ countries.

A financial services leader in automation wanted to refresh customer service policies while meeting regulatory constraints. SchellingPoint engaged the board, leadership, and management in dialogue across 19 dimensions, surfacing 154 opinions. The challenge: taking an organization built on efficient, one-size-fits-all operational excellence to providing personalization within regulatory boundaries. How do you implement 'friendly' when you can't fully satisfy a request? Using Collaborative Design techniques, they crafted a three-prong policy change endorsed by the board for their two-year business plan.

After six months, a seven-person team developing partnering strategy was stuck. SchellingPoint immediately revealed two completely misaligned core assumptions that had never been explicitly stated—implicit beliefs driving their visible disagreements. One was resolved by the team themselves; the other required a leadership policy decision. Within one week, blockages were removed and the partnering strategy was completed.

Six business units needed to standardize their product development lifecycle—but concerns about creativity, generalist vs. specialist roles, and local optimization blocked progress. SchellingPoint's virtual dialogue on Day 1 of a London workshop surfaced that 'standardize' meant different things to different leaders. Seeing that common core processes could still allow creativity within a manageable framework resolved the concern. Two weeks later, the 47-activity roadmap received $110M funding. Three-year standardization goals were met by end of Year 1.

Six months after transitioning to ITIL, deep dissatisfaction persisted despite leadership and process changes. SchellingPoint's dialogue with 80+ global IT personnel revealed the original design was appropriate but implementation tactics were incomplete: common tensions weren't anticipated, decision-making policies were unstated, roles were unclear, and many leaders hadn't bought into the original Case for Action. Within two weeks, issues were validated and mitigating solutions implemented to achieve required performance.

A global Operations Center of Excellence needed to assess first-year results across 30+ plants worldwide. SchellingPoint engaged 112 plant leaders in anonymous dialogue, generating 138 opinions across 12 aspects of the program. While overall support was strong, the analytics pinpointed 37 specific issues—misunderstandings about mandatory vs. optional training, inaccurate expectations about CoE roles, and preferences for different support models. Four 2-hour sessions produced the Year 2 plan.

Before presenting their next-generation software business case, product management needed market validation—and an answer to 'What don't we know that we don't know?' SchellingPoint engaged 330 participants (customers, competitors' customers, non-users, influencers, partners) without revealing the new product. Most assumptions were validated, but two significant ones required business case adjustments. The dialogue also identified adoption barriers and concerns. Cluster analysis created sales qualification checklists and sector-customized presentations. The product has been successful for three years.

Nineteen non-competing tech CEOs formed a think tank but found their meetings unsatisfying after a year. SchellingPoint's virtual dialogue took under two hours; a 30-minute analytics review identified 26 issues, 11 critical to preventing departures. In a 4-hour facilitated meeting, the CEOs resolved key issues—primarily around facilitation and interaction approaches at their events. The adjustments were implemented immediately, and the think tank continues with full participation.

A CEO association wanted to perfect their conferences but faced conflicting opinions from two board members that others disputed. SchellingPoint's dialogue with 1,400 member CEOs tested the suggestions hidden among 143 opinions. The data didn't support the board members' views—their concerns came from a small, unrepresentative sample. They acknowledged this when presented with evidence. However, the dialogue revealed unexpected negative attitudes toward certain events. Changes were implemented, and within two months when marketing the next conference, the project paid for itself.

Three healthcare system leaders proposed state-wide collaboration among hospitals, physicians, and insurers—unprecedented in their state. SchellingPoint engaged 32 C-level executives from 18 organizations, revealing 16 shared objectives but also 29 concerns about why the alliance would fail (different metric algorithms, potential competitive misuse of data). Eight virtual sessions resolved all 29 constraints. The alliance formed with all 18 founding parties, met Year 1 objectives, and grew to 210+ member hospitals within four years, achieving measurable patient care improvements.

Three years into a 10-year R&D co-development contract, both parties had mixed emotions. SchellingPoint's dialogue with 48 personnel revealed two deep problems: negative beliefs about each other's capabilities (from staff not involved in creating the relationship) were limiting information sharing, and different interpretations of 'innovation' were causing stage-gate tension. A one-day workshop produced revised roles, RACI structures, and six levels of innovation definitions to smooth project flow.

A strategic alliance was generating significant revenue for both partners, but one partner's acquisition introduced competition in other parts of their businesses—some leaders wanted to end the alliance. SchellingPoint's dialogue with 37 executives showed success had masked spoken and unspoken concerns. A two-day offsite highlighted strong alignment on market opportunity and combined solutions—some insights prompted 'We didn't realize you felt that way too' reactions. More importantly, negative rumors and inaccurate inferences about the acquisition were identified and resolved, releasing growing tension. The partnership continues its growth.

A 12-organization sustainability coalition needed a strategic plan before hiring an executive director and launching fundraising. Board members invested 90 minutes in virtual dialogue before a 4-hour retreat. After acknowledging alignment, they focused on resolving key misalignments core to strategy. The result: a 3-year roadmap with 38 activities assigned to specific board members. After two years, 34 of 38 projects were accomplished. They used the same process for their next two-year plan, creating 23 new projects now underway.

A CPG company's sustainability efforts had developed independently within functions. SchellingPoint engaged 31 enterprise leaders plus four external CSR experts. The analytics surprised them—visually seeing collective opinions revealed 'silo' thinking with low overall alignment. Each function was content locally but not coordinated enterprise-wide. This realization led to several 'right for the long term, but costly in the short term' decisions, including third-party certification, new supply chain engagement at initial material sources, and revised consumer advocacy engagement.

A 38-person coalition of ultra-high net worth philanthropists, business leaders, academics, and innovators had spent 18 months making limited progress on climate investments. SchellingPoint revealed strong alignment on mission and goals but two unknown misalignments: philosophical approach (planned actions vs. emergent steps) and fundamental beliefs about Earth's trajectory. Half believed climate change is natural but exasperated by humans; the other half believed Earth is in irreversible decline. Unable to reconcile these incompatible worldviews with available data, the coalition split into two groups—each now operating effectively with aligned investment strategies.

An industry think tank proposed Mass Back Office Collaboration as the only remaining path to significant cost reductions. SchellingPoint engaged 367 of 700 invited CEOs in virtual dialogue, surfacing 110 factors across 14 themes. The roadmap blueprint is now a primary industry reference. An assessment tool measures each organization's 'interest and ability' to collaborate, and SchellingPoint's matchmaking analytics anonymously connect like-minded organizations. Groups of 4, 7, 32, and 66 companies have formed; one cluster of 13 organizations collaborated on regulatory compliance workflows, finding three innovations to reduce costs while increasing compliance quality.