SUCCESS STORY

SVA's Business Transformation Expertise Benefits WRA

"When you get that combination of expertise, desire and a real hunger to learn the business before they start to tell you what the solutions are, I think is one of the greatest assets in this process for me."

Mike Theo

President & CEO (Retired)

Client:: Wisconsin REALTORS Association
Industry:: Nonprofit & Associations
Business need:: Strategy for Future Technology Investments
Topic:: Strategic Management Consulting
Services:: Stakeholder Alignment Cycle, Alignment Optimization Technology (AOT) Platform, Strategic Technology Alignment Review (STAR), IT Strategy, Executive Advising

Supporting One of Wisconsin’s Largest Trade Associations

The Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA) is one of the largest trade associations in the state of Wisconsin, representing and providing services for over 15,000 members statewide. The WRA is made up of practicing real estate sales agents, brokers, appraisers, inspectors, bankers and other professionals who touch real estate.

The WRA's goal is to help realtors enjoy successful careers and stay competitive in their local markets by offering hundreds of products and services, including access to a legal staff, pre-license and continuing education, publications, group benefits, home sales reports and statistical information, public policy representation and more.

THE CHALLENGE

Aligning Diverse Stakeholders Around Future Technology Investments

The WRA worked with SVA Consulting to strategize on future technology investments and implementation methods that would produce value for stakeholders. SVA Consulting knew this topic required input from more than just the management team to ensure success and minimize internal resistance to change.

Using traditional consulting meetings and workshops was not practical nor would it elicit true opinions from the group of people critical to success.

THE SOLUTION

Using Alignment Cycles to Drive Honest Input and Consensus

Instead of traditional meetings, SVA Consulting used an innovative method called an Alignment Cycle* powered by cutting-edge research and technology.

Alignment Cycles allow large and smaller groups of stakeholders to confidentially share a full range of opinions on a topic using patented Alignment Optimization software. Through a scientific process, these opinions are turned into data points raising insight into the most critical conversations that need to take place. The entire process takes less than 2 hours of a participant’s time.

The deliverables for the Alignment Cycle included documents outlining agreed-to assumptions, a case for action, aligned goals with supporting objectives, and a roadmap of agreed-upon actions time-phased into workstreams.

*Powered by SchellingPoint

THE RESULTS

Clear Direction, Reduced Risk, and Accelerated Action

Within a relatively short period of time, SVA and the WRA were able to resolve misalignment around assumptions and goals for the technology plan while mitigating perceived constraints.

At the end of the Stakeholder Alignment process, WRA prepared its entire leadership team to move in the same direction with roles clearly defined, data points needed, risks mitigated, new practical management processes in place and a set of plans to execute.

Key outcomes included:

Linked business and IT priorities
Prepared the business for market threats
Reduced IT risk
Obtained critical input from over 20 stakeholders with less than 2 hours of investment each to shape the plan
Endorsed a valuable and viable plan of action in ¼ of the time needed for conventional methods
Increased employee engagement with minimal meeting time
Alignment around opinions that drive people’s actions and inaction: