Presenter Biographies and Presentation Abstract

New England KM Cluster

Together, Jeffrey Shuman and Jan Twombly lead The Rhythm of Business, Inc., a Boston-based international consultancy in the emerging discipline of relationship business. The firm helps companies develop and embed a relationship competency within their culture and management systems in order to create the value needed to drive financial outcomes. Shuman is also professor of management and director of the entrepreneurial studies program at Bentley College, Waltham, MA. Shuman and Twombly write and speak extensively on the convergence of three major trends:

v The increasing importance of entrepreneurial thinking and intelligence in organizations of all sizes

v The transformation of hierarchies and supply chains into dynamic collaborative communities

v The shift in sources of value creation from tangible sources to relationship-based, non-monetary sources

They are the authors of Relationship Business: In Pursuit of Value (EVOKnowledge, 2003), Everyone Is A Customer: A Proven Method for Measuring the Value of Every Relationship in the Era of Collaborative Business (Dearborn Trade, 2002), and Collaborative Communities: Partnering for Profit in the Networked Economy (Dearborn Trade, 2001). Shuman is also the author the landmark business book, The Rhythm of Business (1998).

Description of Session: Using Relationship Currencies to Drive Financial Outcomes

Relationship currencies, such as insight and access, proliferate in networks and often have greater value than cash currencies. Too often, these currencies aren’t properly utilized because it has been difficult to measure and thus communicate their value. Learn how to define relationship value relative to strategic objectives and measure relationship performance relative to all the potential currencies available in a network of relationships. You’ll see how leading companies are recognizing significant financial benefits from recognizing new ways to generate revenues, change cost structures, improve asset utilization, and deliver operational innovation.