Looking forwards: what’s next in Pecan Partnership’s future
Pecan Partnership has been celebrating over ten years of supporting clients to create cultures where people love to work, and customers love to do business. We’ve shared our founders’ reflections on the years so far in a recent blog, but what’s next for Pecan and the world of organisational culture?
We asked Andy, Ella and Penny to share their perspectives on the next phase for the company.
Firstly, what will be the key trends for organisational culture, in the next 5-10 years?
Ella: “I think there’s likely to be several trends that we’re already seeing through our work and will become even more important in the next few years. Firstly, I think we’re going to see an ever-growing focus on purpose and mission. More companies are going to see the inherent value of having a guiding ‘North Star’ for what they do and why, going above making a profit.
Secondly, I expect that organisations are going to understand how they can be much more than ‘just’ an employer. Work and workplaces can play an important role in providing their people with belonging, growth, community, and a source of fun and enjoyment. For organisations that get it right, this could be a real differentiator for talent attraction and retention. Linked to this, I think we’re going to see shifts that help workplaces become more attractive to all generations, bridging the ‘understanding gap’ between older and younger people. The final trend I’d mention would be about ever-increasing focus on creating cultures in which high-performance and good well-being are mutually reinforcing, rather than seeming to be at odds with each other.”
What organisations would Pecan love to work with, that we’re not already supporting?
Andy: “We love the variety and diversity of our client base. We work across a range of sectors, with global, big-name brands, as well as small and medium organisations that are much less well known. In terms of clients we’d like to work with in the future, I’d say our plans are to extend our experience and expertise, rather than moving into new sectors necessarily.
For example, we’re doing lots of work in the Legal and Higher Education sectors, and we’d love to extend that even further. Both sectors are under pressure to evolve, and so the opportunities for building great cultures are significant. We know the immense impact that a good workplace culture has on retention, engagement, performance and customer / student advocacy. And we’d love more organisations in these sectors to experience these benefits.”
What ambitious goal would you like Pecan to achieve next?
Ella: “That’s a tricky question. One possible answer might be around our intentions for growth, but the truth is we’re not aspiring to become a huge consulting practice with hundreds of clients at any one time. We’re hugely proud of punching above our weight and creating significant value with a relatively small, highly experienced team. So, I’d say our key goal is about further extending our reputation for our deep expertise in culture change, and the brilliant values we bring to our work.”
And finally, what are you most looking forward to, in terms of Pecan’s next few years?
The future looks bright! As Andy says: “One of the things I’m most excited about is how we’re planning to continue evolving our services as our clients’ challenges around culture, change and engagement shift. Nothing stays static for long in organisations, and culture is no exception – I love the challenge and opportunity of responding to, and often pre-empting, those changing requirements.”
Penny agrees: “I’m looking forward to having even more ‘wins’ with our clients as they experience the performance benefits of working on their culture. That’s always a very satisfying moment, because it shows the impact that our work is having – both in terms of hard financial outcomes like revenue and profit, as well as equally important outcomes such as people engagement and customer advocacy.”
What’s next for your organisation’s culture? We’d love to talk more, so get in touch to see how we might support your organisation to create a culture where people love to work, and where customers love to do business.