Consulting Insights

Explore bold ideas

Discover articles, blog posts, white papers, and insights from the team at Pepper Foster. Our team of experts, thought leaders, and industry professionals share their insights and opinions on everything from the latest trends in technology and business to personal growth and development.

How we think

Blog Post

Is Wall Street's Relationship with the S&P 500 Parasitic?

The S&P 500 has seen a surge in average annual returns, rising from around 6% in the 1960’s and 1970’s to over 20% recently. Yet, the average lifespan of companies listed on the S&P 500 has plummeted, from 67 years to just 15 years or less. This paradox raises a critical question: Is being in the S&P 500 bad for business?

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Blog Post

New Tech, Same Challenges

As organizations increasingly turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to revolutionize their operations, the journey from conceptualization to implementation presents challenges reminiscent of past technological adoptions, such as ERP systems and cloud deployments. The parallels are striking, offering valuable lessons for businesses navigating the AI landscape.

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White Paper

HR is Where Change Goes to Die!

The days of treating change management as unnecessary or a luxury are thankfully in the past. Most organizations now accept effective change management as essential to maintain business relevancy, achieve enterprise-wide transformation, and realize value. However, many organizations are still stifling their change management teams and making the value realization of transformations more elusive.

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Blog Post

Is AI the New Dot-Com?

The late 1990s were marked by a frenzied surge of investments in dot-com companies, driven by the promise of the internet revolutionizing business and personal life. And then came the crash. Today, AI is experiencing a surge of interest and investment reminiscent of the dot-com boom. So, will its growth parallel the dot-com boom and bust or the cloud's more steady ascent? And when should companies invest in developing their AI future?

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Blog Post

US Healthcare's Dual Crisis

The US healthcare system is facing a dual crisis: a growing shortage of healthcare professionals and increasing financial pressures from Medicare reimbursements. These issues are intertwined, creating significant challenges but also opportunities for those who can navigate them effectively.

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Blog Post

Is There a White-Collar Recession in the US Right Now?

The term "white-collar recession" has started to surface in 2024 as several high-profile companies announce significant white-collar layoffs. But what does this mean? How does it contrast with the employment trends seen among blue-collar workers? What are the root causes? And, should we be worried?

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White Paper

AI for M&A - Hype or Substance?

The world of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) has experienced a flexuous journey in recent years. The COVID recovery, changing financial climate, and now Artificial Intelligence (AI) have all shaped the future of deal-making. In this white paper, we explore the nuanced reality of AI for M&A in 2024, dissecting both the hype and substance surrounding its integration into the M&A process. Drawing on historical evidence and industry insights, we strive to provide a holistic analysis of the current state of AI in M&A and articulate the conditions under which it can evolve to provide real value.

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Press

Minneapolis Star Tribune Article Featuring Pepper Foster

A great article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about the return of companies to downtown Minneapolis that includes coverage of Pepper Foster's recent move to a bigger office in downtown and includes some great quotes and photos of our people and space including Todd Dale, Nathan Caskey, & Jamie Kissell.

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White Paper

M&A Surge: Riding a Wave of Optimism or Desperation?

In late March 2024, Pepper Foster Consulting surveyed 115 US-based C-level and senior executives at companies with over 5,000 employees. All of those surveyed had visibility to and knowledge of their organization’s plans for M&A. The survey covered growth pressure, current M&A activity, key drivers, M&A focus, and deal size.

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How we help our clients

Success Story

Team Success

Rebuilding and Redefining Team Success at a Top 5 National Bank

A wealth management team in a top 5 national bank had challenges attracting and retaining high-quality team members and the team’s backlog of work had grown insurmountable. The client needed a strategy to reduce attrition but lacked the expertise to identify the root causes of turnover, eliminate the team’s backlog, identify service gaps, and build a stable, successful team. Using Pepper Foster’s strategic transformation experience and StratC&T™ framework we implemented a team development program and workflow strategy to solve the client’s largest challenges, reduce turnover, increase team and customer satisfaction, work the backlog, and hire and onboard new team members.

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Success Story

CombineHarvester

Improving strategic alignment, governance, and planning for an Ag Lending leader with Pepper Foster’s StratX™ Framework

As a leader in the agriculture lending industry, our client had reached a strategic inflection point. The CEO told the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and Board of Directors, “We don’t know how to do strategy so we need to organize a strategy practice for the enterprise.” Leveraging our StratX™ framework, Pepper Foster implemented a collaborative strategy development solution that aligned the ELT and Board around a new corporate vision, strategic priorities, themes, plans, budget, and execution governance model.

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Success Story

EVCharging

Aligning Resource Utilization with Revenue and Expense Forecast for Clean Transportation

The client had seen the number of initiatives significantly increase over the last 3 years and needed a tool and methodology to align leadership around project prioritization and resource utilization. Pepper Foster worked with stakeholders to understand the priorities and constraints and rapidly developed and deployed a resource management tool and process.

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Success Story

Athlete

Redefining the Track: Digital Transformation of Athletic Performance for Global Apparel and Shoe Retailer

Pepper Foster spearheaded a digital transformation initiative focused on enhancing the athlete experience and improving operational efficiency. The new solution dramatically improved the functionality and efficiency of the lab, allowing for simultaneous multi-athlete tracking and interactive data engagement. Researchers and athletes experienced a more seamless interaction, with significant enhancements in data capture and analysis capabilities.

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Success Story

DoctorPatientConsultation

Streamlining Success: Maximizing Efficiency Through Lean 5S for Healthcare Provider

Pepper Foster was engaged to spearhead a Lean 5S initiative for a regional healthcare provider. The primary objective was establishing an organized and sustainable space, fostering increased efficiency while instilling a culture of ownership and responsibility among the Clinical and Learning and Development (L&D) teams.

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Success Story

Clockwork

Turning Around A Struggling Software Upgrade Project By Establishing Best Practices

How Pepper Foster helped a large utility turn around a critical software upgrade project and ensure dependent projects could be successful by refocusing the team, establishing best practices, and implementing a comprehensive runbook department-wide.

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