What We Set Out to Accomplish With Antigens

ANTIGENcy is about active and informed scenario planning –anecdotes and antidotes.

ANTIGENcy antigens are prescient scenarios with wings! They are forward-looking statements and what-if’s that organizations want to see and think about. They are stimulating organizations to think more broadly about things that can adversely affect their bottom lines.

Each scenario is a several page designed PDF that helps the subscriber understand the antigen and that antigen’s value to their organization. It is also an account of how other organizations have used the antigen and the results they found in narrative outcomes.

It looks a bit like the periodic table of elements in how it describes its purpose, value, relevance and potential to sniff out hidden liabilities and see themselves and their organizations in that antigen’s context. They have to embody the vision the antigen imparts.

Here’s an example:

ANTIGEN categories: CULTURE, LEADERSHIP

Subcategories: Career Path, Succession Planning, Employee Engagement

Antigen description: Your Organization is about to lose an important leader

Detail: Tom, a rapidly emerging manager understands your business, is going through an Executive MBA program at a top university and is, unbeknownst to you, entertaining offers from an industry rival.

He is on the fence and feels some allegiance to your company. However, he is not making as much money as he knows he can elsewhere and feels like he is not a part of as many decisions about his employer as he feels he can reliably contribute.

You have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars and immeasurable amounts of time into Tom, not to mention the knowledge he has built about your most guarded trade secrets—is about to fly out the door. Tom also has 16 people he has trained and who would follow him out the door regardless of any non-solicitation agreements they have signed.

Potential Loss to Your Organization:

• Your company’s time and financial investment in Tom.
• The cost of the hole Tom’s departure is about to create.
• The replacement costs of Tom’s potential followers.
• The morale of adjacent employees.
• The notion that the company isn’t good enough to keep top talent planted as a seed in all other employees’ minds.
• The potential gains Tom could have created for your company.
• The competitive advantage you just handed to an industry rival.

Action: ANTIGENcy runs the organization through the process:

1. ANTIGENcy does baseline research on the organization, helps to on-board the client using subscription model. Helps the client to see the process and their place in that process.
2. ANTIGENcy administers the Vulnerability Assessment Test (VAT.) Determines score. Reports score in a facilitated meeting. In this same meeting, ANTIGENcy counselors helps the organization see how the results translate into antigens.
3. ANTIGENcy helps with the planning for the “injecting” of the antigen(s). ANTIGENcy helps to demonstrate how is it going to unfold within the organization. ANTIGENcy helps with any necessary internal communications that needs to take place. Help with any mitigation and contingency planning.
4. ANTIGENcy facilitates the injection of the antigen into the organization.
5. Observe the outcome(s).
6. ANTIGENcy overseeing the building of the antibody(ies) to address the adverse outcomes. (IMPORTANT NOTE: ANTIGENcy directly addresses the issues of Career Pathing, Succession Planning and Employee Engagement.)
7. ANTIGENcy-facilitated meeting to present the antibody(ies) and help demonstrate how the process helps the organization deal with issues hidden behind corners/in the future. Ongoing/periodic assessment of the antibodies efficacy.
8. Continuous improvement cycles to keep the organization fit.

We are currently building up the antigen database and finalizing the assessment tests. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Steven Keith (919) 771-5219.