Q Identify the important intangibles within your organization. Since your performance comes from concrete resources, start with these and ask whether an intangible factor is likely to influence your ability to win or lose them. However, do not go on an exhaustive search for as many soft factors as possible; each part of your strategic architecture will probably be most strongly influenced by one or two intangibles. Be clear which of these soft factors genuinely accumulate through time and which are simply varying features of your organization. “Quality” often reflects immediately the balance between what has to be done and what is available to do it, in which case it does not accumulate. Reputation, motivation, commitment, and perception, on the other hand, are built up and drain away over time in response to an entire history of events. Specify intangibles carefully and identify the best measure. What exactly is it that drives the choices of each group? That will be the measure that matters. Our IT service firm’s current clients, for example, were strongly influenced by the error rate they experienced, while potential clients responded to the firm’s reputation. Identify the events causing each intangible to fill up and drain away. This is the same bathtub principle we have used before, so remember that different items may be featured on either side of this question. Look for places where you can strengthen intangibles. If you were to lose some of your client relationship managers, for example, what could you do quickly to keep your reputation strong with the wider market and sustain the morale of your other staff? Watch out for negative resources. What can you do to slow down the unfortunate events that are filling up these negative feelings? Is there anything you can do to actively dissipate them?