Case Studies
The case studies listed on this page do not represent the totality of projects developed by the syncplexity team. The list represents those cases that have contributed most significantly to the development of the model.
The names of the companies have been omitted for confidentiality reasons.
| #12 Company Reference | |
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| Madrid, Spain, 2016-2018 Law firm; banking & finance division 4 Team members | |
| Abstract | |
| Starting Point The bank has the power in the banking law business, specializing in financing. It is the one who presents to the final client (the debtor) a list of possible law firms to hire. Finally, it is the recipient of the financing who chooses the law firm that will handle the operation. Although price is a determining factor in the client's decision, it is also true that trust is critical. This confidence is perceived in two specific aspects. First, the price offered is not subject to subsequent modifications. Secondly, the service provided by the firm has a robust quality and efficiency, not conditioned by the amount of remuneration. The conclusions that can be reached, after careful reflection, are as follows:
First Phase—Foundations The implementation of the Listen to Sell program in the firm’s banking division has to start with the expectations of its director, Abraham Nájera, which at the end of February 2016 are:
From these initial expectations of Mr. Nájera, it is necessary to involve the rest of his work group members, starting by presenting the project to them and listening to them to know their expectations. On April 8th, on the occasion of presenting the project to the Nájera's team, their expectations are known, ranging from "success" to "tranquility, as a basis for being at ease in all areas," to "stability as a basis for good development." The team members conclude that developing prestige will help them to meet their expectations. This conclusion ended on May 20th when the team decided they no longer wished to participate in the program. That is a challenging moment for Abraham, who wants the best possible development for them, but it further strengthens his conviction in the process. The work schedule is the next element to be considered for program development, starting with a four-hour per session structure. When a sufficient level of executability has been reached, as well as the availability of products with high added value, it will allow the work carried out to be materialized in tangible business results: progressive increase of the offer-acceptance ratio (oar). The work schedule foreseen to initiate the development of the program will be modified and adapted to the dynamics of each moment in order to guarantee that the expected results are obtained. The consistent development of the elements of the Listening to Sell program should progressively lead to a twofold result: Fulfillment of the team’s expectations, and and increase in the offer-acceptance ratio. The starting point of this indicator is to be established for the banking law business on the basis of the following parameters:
Coherence is a fundamental element of a prestige model; to avoid its devastating antonym (incoherence), the decision-making process must be present throughout the development of the program. That aspect is especially true for the design of the strategy to be followed in order to achieve the expected results. Independently of this, the rest of the elements that integrate the program (productive balance, structure of collaborators, and flow of activities) must be reviewed and adapted to the specific circumstances of each moment. In that sense:
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Executiveness—The development of the Executiveness Comprehensive Profile (ECP) is the central element of the program, as it is the one that will allow us to reach and progressively develop the influencing capacity needed to deploy the model of sustainable competitiveness based on prestige. The essence of the element with which we will develop the capacity to influence—emotional energy—, must be present throughout the program, starting with a precise location of emotions within the global environment of affective phenomena. The first block of this element will be aimed at understanding and adopting the fundamental behaviors of the ECP, which correspond to the individual level of executiveness. It is important to remember that the main characteristics of the learning curve for each new behavior are:
Once these process elements have been reviewed, the facilitators and Abraham's team reflect on the true human potential and the role of the leader-teacher in its development. The Enrique V case study is the tool used to carry out this dynamic. The central element of the integral executive profile is life purpose. It is, therefore, unquestionable that this is the place to start.
Based on this summary reflection on the purpose of life, Abraham Nájera's "journey" is prepared so that he can identify it. On July 1st, the first approach to Abraham's purpose in life is established, which is “fascinating sublimation.” From this point on, the identity that channels the object of influence begins to develop. From identifying the project leader's purpose (fascinating sublimation), the development of the Identity Matrix begins. Customer Expectations—In the first week of July, with the adoption of the first behaviors of the integral executive profile, the Perception Map begins to be deployed. To this end, a round of contacts with already known clients is initiated so that we can start to learn about their needs-expectations. Second Phase—Robust Contracts The analysis of the legal sector in Spain during the First Phase of this program allows us to identify several trends. The first is that two opposing forces are fighting for space: the desire for high-service remuneration versus a more significant number of increasingly qualified lawyers. The second reality is that clients expect increasingly integrated services that facilitate their business processes to the greatest extent possible. There is a growing trend towards "integrated multidisciplinary processes." The third is that globalization also affects the business model of the legal profession. Better, more efficient, and simplified services are becoming more common in the offer to clients, which is not limited to the scope of national borders. The synthesis of these three realities of today's legal market leads to the conclusion that it is necessary to:
Both conclusions imply that less time should be spent on repetitive work. After a thorough reflection of the above realities and conclusions, it was decided to focus this second scenario on the "development of a computer system (application) that allows elaborating the different types of contracts in the Banking and Finance area in an automated and error-free way." Of course, an essential part of the agenda will also be devoted to listening to customers in order to get to know their expectations. |
The term executiveness is understood in the context of the competitiveness program as “the ability to assume the responsibilities inherent to the behaviors to be adopted in order to obtain specific results." Executiveness analysis— As a starting point for developing the team's ability to influence, an analysis of the team's ability to influence is carried out before the deployment of the integral executive profile begins. In this initial phase, the assessment focuses only on level 1 (Individual) of the profile. By the end of October, the four essential criteria of the matrix are defined. From this point on, Abraham's team begins to develop the process of integrating each of the essential criteria into their business description.  Table 1: Najera's Identity Matrix |
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Software Application—The preparation of contracts in the Banking and Finance area has different characteristics, depending on the management type (refinancing, real estate financing, etc.). Therefore, developing a software application that allows automated editing of the different types of contracts should be the final result. The start has to be the design of a specific application for each type of contract. Keeping in mind the final objective of developing a global editor, the analysis made for each type of contract must contemplate the integration of all those similar procedures, regardless of the type of contract being worked on. The second aspect to consider is that it is a law firm. Therefore, the development of its added value has to be focused on the application's functionalities rather than the IT aspects. To this end, a strong alliance with recognized IT experts must be established from the outset. This alliance must guarantee at least two elements. The first is the use of state-of-the-art technology. It is more than likely that customers will end up interacting with the application in some of its practical functions. Working with technologies that are not the most advanced would damage the effort to acquire progressive prestige in the market, given the perceptual enhancement effect of the comparison with "the best." In other words, if the customer is using applications for his daily work that are well designed and efficient, as well as comfortable and pleasant, the fact that our application does not have these same attributes would generate a perception contrary to the process of prestige. The second element that must guarantee the alliance with computer experts is the quality of the work. An application that is not fully functional and robust, devoid of operating errors, should be discarded for the reasons given above. Mapping Expectations—Even though increasing productivity is the central focus of the scenario, listening to customers to determine their expectations is an essential and cross-cutting element of the entire project. To this end, the project team decided to establish a round of individualized meetings with one or two clients/prescribers per week until the end of the year so that the firm’s Perception Map can begin to be drawn up. By the end of December, a first view of the Perception Map is already available, allowing some preliminary conclusions to be drawn. The first expectations is “empathic diligence,” which means the ability to efficiently manage the process - services are provided with precision, according to their nature (e.g., accounting must always balance) - without losing focus on the purpose of the process and knowing/meeting the real needs of the service recipient or their specific circumstances. The second expectation is “recognized specialization.” The third one is “solve risks.” The conclusion reached by the team is that the top three priorities for the client-prescribers, as a whole, are:
Results—At the end of 2018, the income grew a 10% compared to the average of the previous eight years and 5 times in 2017. Besides the financial result, Mr. Nájera was congratulated by the firm's ownership for the management of his team. In 2019 he was invited to become a partner in the firm. |
The development of an efficient software application must respect a series of steps guaranteeing its functionality and robustness. The first of these steps is the differentiation between the analysis and design/development phases (alpha and beta) and end users' use. The second aspect is the sequence of these phases:
 Figure 1: Chart of expectations analyzed. |
| #14 Company Reference | |
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| Benicarlo & La Rapita, Spain, 2017-2020 Retail and tourism-related businesses, marketplace 37 Establishments | |
| Abstract | |
| Situation Until 2016, the syncplexity methodology (Expansive Emotional Influence) had been used in corporates and SMEs in different countries and business sectors but never in retail. The return of Josep Alzamora (creator of the methodology) to Spain at the end of 2012 made it possible to raise awareness of the methodology’s potential in environments severely hit by the 2008 financial crisis (see case study #13). In a context of deep economic depression for the retail trade, several local institutions decided to apply the model proposed by syncplexity. First, it was the city council of Benicarló (Mr. Alzamora's place of residence), followed by the Estacio Nautica Rapita (Rapita Marine Station, dedicated to promoting the tourism of La Rapita city). Thus, 2017 saw the start of the first syncplexity project dedicated to improving the competitiveness of the retail trade in the city of Benicarló. First step: Understanding the actors Although the Expansive Emotional Influence (EEI) methodology has been extensively and intensively tested, retail has specific idiosyncrasies and dynamics that need to be understood in order to guarantee the results expected from the model. Among all peculiarities, we may highlight the following: The above list must go on and on. However, something profoundly impacts many retail businesses in a way that is not perceived as severe, especially when it comes to family-owned businesses; we refer to family-work conciliation. It is quite common to find businesses that struggle to attend to their day-to-day business and family duties. Apart from a direct consequence, such as emotional exhaustion, the lack of time to develop tasks with a more strategic profile (such as advanced training courses) jeopardizes their ability to compete in the medium to long term. In the particular case of tourism, one more circumstance can be highlighted. That is the effect caused by the " yearly waves of abundance." Every year, during the tourist season, waves of customers arrive in regions with a special geographic attraction, bringing prosperity to local businesses, even though they make little effort to improve the service they provide to visitors eager for relaxation and fun. One of the direct consequences of this phenomenon is the difficulty in making the owners of these businesses see that, to transform them in the direction in which society is evolving, they must make an effort to change. Suddenly, an unforeseen crisis erupts, and they realize they have neglected to take care of potential customers locally and in the surrounding regions. Second step: Adapting the implementation protocols Insider knowledge of retail dynamics leads to the conclusion that the implementation of the EEI methodology has to be adapted in several aspects, such as: Simplicity—Broaden and elevate the business’ owners vision requires a profound revision of the Prestige Behavioral Matrix (PBM.) The personal change necessary for both the broad listening process and the influencing capacity that the model requires must be simplified in its content and deployment so that it is understandable to a wide range of sensibilities. Besides the revision of the PBM, it is necessary to simplify the implementation process. Specific tools—Most, if not all, SMEs have ERP systems that allow them to handle the necessary information management in a more or less solvent way. However, retail stores have POS (Point of Sale) systems that do little more than provide the obligatory sales receipt. Consequently, managing information that is critical to the viability of the business becomes a priority. In this process of adaptation to the new systems, we start from the premise that it is necessary to take advantage of the data sources already installed -where possible-so that the management of further information does not involve unbearable efforts. Third step: Facing the critical issue Once the protocols and tools needed to implement the Expansive Emotional Influence (EEI) methodology in retail have been adapted, it is time to address the most critical issue, such as the lack of substantiveness. In most cases, a store buys a product, stores and displays it, and sells it to customers. The problem is that customers' perception of the added value of this dynamic is inversely proportional to the development of online commerce (e-commerce.) Therefore, generating greater competitiveness in businesses is based on knowing the expectations of customers (not only their needs) and transforming them into highly appreciated services. The question is, can retail do that? How? Positivity, the great barrier Assuming that the difference between needs and expectations is understood, the next step is to enter the domain of proper emotional management since this is where customer expectations reside. In that sense, the first step is generating positive thinking and action, which is the commencement of building customer confidence. Beyond that point, expectations are at reach. The problem is that, although our rational thinking leads us to believe that we are positive people, the truth is that our habitual behavior as individuals is mainly negative. We envy, covet, hate, get angry for anything, and so forth; an endless etcetera of constant, daily attitudes, all of them of negative emotional polarity. However, this aspect of positive polarity is decisive since all the emotional qualities we need (e.g., trust, creativity) are of positive emotional sign. However, besides being essential, it is very difficult to achieve, since it implies changing most of individual habits. In any case, this has been the most decisive change for all the stores and small businesses that have adopted the approach proposed by syncplexity. Underperformed listening Once the need to consistently generate positive thoughts and habits has been understood, we can move on to the next stage: listening. People have a potent mechanism that allows them to know other person's expectations: the ability to listen. The problem is that most people do not know the whole process of listening and, moreover, cannot use it well even if they know it. But, although we try to look at this situation from a generous and constructive point of view, assuming that individuals can make an effort to understand and apply the whole process of listening, they will have a series of barriers that will prevent them from reaching the process’s full potential—understanding other’s expectations—. #1 Barrier—The first barrier to fully performing the listening process is to understand that it is precisely that, a process. As such, every step must be carried out properly so the process may deliver the outcome it is intended for. #2 Barrier—In its broadest sense, the listening process can facilitate the knowledge of a person’s expectations. However, such a high result requires equivalent effort. The first of these efforts consists of becoming aware that we are in an emotional environment since both the outcome (expectations) and the different steps of the process are emotional in nature. Accordingly, it will be necessary for the person who is managing the process to know and respect the principles of emotional management. One of the fundamentals of emotional management is that it is based on perceptual dynamics, not rational ones. Consequently, the person we interact with will respond to what they perceive and not what they hear; in other words, they will react to what we are but not to what we say. In this sense, the first thing the interlocutor from whom we want to know their expectations (customer) must perceive is trust. Therefore, the first behaviors to be adopted by the person who wishes to know the expectations of another are those that generate this perception of trust. From here on, assuming that we know what these trust-building behaviors are and that we are willing to adopt them, each step of the process will have specific requirements but also of an emotional nature. They will also imply a need to modify, to change, our behaviors. Lack of creativity In a society where everything related to the emotional area is massively explained and put into practice from a rational perspective, it requires an extraordinary effort to understand that we can no longer continue saying "trust me" but must generate a perception of trust. Having overcome this phase, which requires practically two years of hard work, the businesses participating in the competitiveness program face another difficulty: the lack of creativity, which is essential to convert the expectations gathered into substantiveness (appreciated features able to satisfy expectations.) The work of converting customer expectations into features deeply appreciated by them will require, similar to the listening process, qualities that will only be possible through specific personal habits, such as developing the capacity for abstraction. Beyond the skills related to the conversion of expectations into substantive benefits for customers, others are also fundamental, such as the ones required to give the offer of each business a unique character. Consumers are immersed in a sea of "commercialism," but this is not what they want. None of their expectations (or meta-expectations) have anything to do with a commercial attitude, which they find most of the time. Meeting expectations requires businesses run with the passion that serves to develop vocations. Otherwise, it is impossible to generate the perception of happiness and affective attraction they desire. Again, specific attitudes and behaviors are required. Results The results achieved by the businesses participating in the respective competitiveness programs can be summarized as follows: |
 Figure 1: Prestige Behavioral Matrix.  Table 1: Set of tools for retail business.  Figure 2: Emotional Perception Scale  Figure 3: The broad listening process.  Table 2: Summary of meta-expectations per age range. |
| #15 Company Reference | |
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| Alcoi, Spain, 2018-2020 Food market 12 Management board 30 Establishments & 59 People involved. | |
| Abstract | |
| Situation The situation of Mercat Sant Roc (MSR; Alcoy, Alicante) at the beginning of 2018, in terms of competitiveness, can be summarized in the following points:
First Phase 2018-2019 Initial efforts focused on:
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Due to a general lack of statistical work, MSR brand acceptance among 35-47-year-old consumers had to be deduced by perception at the beginning. |
By the end of 2019, it was achieved:
Second Phase 2020 MSR's efforts to structure and develop the Cistella product and business lines are cut short by the nationwide lockdown resulting from the COVID pandemic. This containment, which begins in mid-March 2020 and runs through the end of May, immediately affects the MSR of collapsing home delivery service during the first week of containment. Delivery volumes 3 to 4 times higher than usual become unmanageable due to the lack of an adequate IT structure, material resources, and clearly defined processes. The first decision in this situation is not to close the service and devote all energies and resources to develop, in the shortest possible time, a team and a process capable of supporting the volume of home deliveries to be handled. With the implementation of the new home delivery process - known as tuduc - it became evident from the number of calls from dissatisfied customers that the level of delivery failures was totally unacceptable. An average of 35% of failures in the last weeks of April and the first weeks of May generated an excessive level of dissatisfaction among customers using the service. Once an operational team and process were structured, the next step was to work on the consistent reduction of failures. At the end of November, the result was a halving of failures (18%). |  Table 1: Initial tuduc failure simple. |
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By the end of 2020, it was achieved:
 [1] The data presented correspond to those establishments that have made a specific effort to ensure the quality of the data managed. It is necessary to maintain a constant focus on the reduction-elimination of failures in the home delivery service. Until an average of 5% (which would continue to be high) is achieved, this task must be prioritized in work schedules. In this regard, it is critical to ensure that attention is being paid to detecting and recording all failures that occur. |
The main difficulty in reducing failures lies in need to unify the different stalls' work dynamics in the market, whose particular habits are deeply rooted. Generating a group vision is the key to the process. Table 2: Tuduc failures by the end of November 2020. |
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