In Good to Great, author Jim Collins explains a number of key principles that defines greatness. Recently, the DevCom team reviewed the Good to Great principles, and we were super pleased to realise that we are living our Hedgehog Concept in each and every project we currently work on. In as much as this means we pursue projects that fall where the three circles meet, it also means that we are willing to say “no” to business that is not true to our Hedgehog Concept.

In short, the Hedgehog Concept is about aligning three intersecting circles that represent three pivotal questions: What can we be the best in the world at? (And equally important—what can we not be the best at?) What is the economic denominator that best drives our economic engine (profit or cash flow per “x”)? And what are our core people deeply passionate about? “Answer those three questions honestly, face the brutal facts without blinking, and you’ll begin to see your Hedgehog Concept emerge,” says Jim Collins.

DevCom’s Hedgehog Concept

• What can we be the best in the world at? Strategic communication with a focus on development communication. What this means is that we will not update your corporate ID without proper research, we will not just tick your BEE scorecard by doing a project that doesn’t support your business and social objectives, and we will not take business that does not allow us into meaningful two-way communication.
• What do we have a burning passion for? People and social change. Results are our fuel, people our inspiration, communication our passion.
• What is our economic engine? Projects that add value to business bottom line and have social impact. Our clients are willing to pay us for our services, because we focus on delivering results. We work with clients who share our passion and understand what we are good at, and pay us for the work we do to achieve the results they want.

Our Hedgehog Concept is summed up in our elevator speech: DevCom uses the power of communication to assist individuals, companies and communities to reach their business and social goals.

When in danger, we curl up in a little bundle around this core value, and we keep on pushing to deliver it. This is who we are.