On the business formula channel, the broadcast ‘way2SUSTAINABILITY’ - The Way to Sustainability, the UN Global Compact Network, was organized by Georgia with the support of the Swedish Government.

The guest of the rubric, Rusudan Telia, Co-Founder of ACT and Culture Lead, talks about the economic empowerment of the women, promotion of corporate sustainability in Georgia and the supportive measures to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Just to inform you, Research and Consulting Company ACT is a member of UN Global Compact Network. The said network unites more than 13,500 Responsible Companies from 160 countries worldwide to build a better and more desired world through facilitating the implementation and support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, 110 members are united under the Georgian network.

Software company Diflex has attracted an investment from the Georgian Healthcare Group (GHG) totaling up to GEL 1 million. Diflex starts developing an international digital product from today, and plans to enter the international market in 2022.

Diflex is a subsidiary of ACT, which has transferred the extensive experience of ACT in the field of telephone research into a specific digital product. Using international software and monitoring customer requirements has made it possible to create an online call center service that incorporates the latest technologies and innovative approaches.

Diflex offers customers a virtual call center and communication platform. The product is unique in its essence and use, it combines in itself all the priorities provided by separate technologies for different needs. If the company does not have the appropriate infrastructure - offices, servers and does not have operators, but wants to set up a call center or hotline, it can use Diflex services.

"We are currently in the process of forming a product development team. At the moment, the product is adjusted to the markets of the two countries and works smoothly, but we have the ambition to master the global market, therefore, it is planned to modify the product in accordance with international regulations and standards, - co-founder and CEO of Diflex Nino Kharshiladze said.

Diflex is a product of the future and its specific priorities go beyond the capabilities of the ordinary digital product:

• It is adaptable to all types of devices
• Has a flexible system in which people work from anywhere
• Has an intuitive interface, which simplifies the process of working in it.
• It has a built-in machine learning module, which helps to quickly status the result. This element of automation saves the operator waiting time and costs in the production process.

Given these advantages, the most important thing that Diflex allows is the reduction of costs for companies and the ability to operate with different functions and more flexible approaches. At the same time, Diflex ensures the protection of the privacy of personal databases, because the call center user organizations have the opportunity to leave the existing telephone database on their side and thus receive outsourced services. In order to control the quality, they should monitor and adjust the calls during the process.

Attracting investment and the interest of the Georgian medical group in the product with international potential took place after Diflex played a successful and fruitful role in the production process of ACT during the crisis caused by the pandemic. Carrying out telephone surveys while switching to a digital line in the Diflex program has proved to be a vital train for the company, thereby reducing costs and increasing efficiency. An important and credible indicator for the partners was the information that the representatives of QuestionPro and SurveyToGo, the management of the largest software company in the world market with digital products, were interested and expressed their willingness to cooperate.

Diflex is going through an active phase of development and is preparing to enter the world arena. ACT's many years of experience in product development and offering, and the potential of the Georgian Healthcare Group to scale, make the creating a project created in collaboration with two companies into the global market a reality. The main concept is based on the Win to Win principle, companies get the opportunity to provide a complete service using Dileplex, and ACT subsidiary "Diflex" - gets new customers around the world.

Research and Consulting Company ACT launches a new video rubric on the Marketer Platform, aimed at sharing experience for professionals interested in management consulting, sector leaders, and managers on how to start business functioning and achieve the success in ANEWNORM environment. 

The company's speakers offer the leadership of the company to constantly think and make decisions in consideration of three dimensions - vision, culture, and execution – based on the reality created and taking into account a new norm established by the transformational model developed by ACT - The Power of Three (PWR3).

The reality in which we live is epochal, as evidenced by the fundamental changes that have affected all areas and spheres of life, we are witnessing economic and social restructuring, and this in itself means the need for a complete reorganization of business.

How ANEWNORM looks like? 

For some businesses, the first priority on the agenda is to survive or maintain positions, while others still keep staring into the uncertain future and trying to find the right reference points. Most businesses, however, share the main requirement of the new norm and prefer to follow the flow of changes and do quick reorganizations instead of stopping and staying focused on one specific task. The said above means fully reviewing your visions and goals, correcting or completely changing their vector. Business understands that the main target of its success - the customer, is now different, they also act within the new norm, their expectations meet other standards, while the reevaluation phase caused a reexamination of their needs. For a simple example, if before the customer was a prodigal because he did not care about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow seemed quite stable, now the customer looks at the future differently, he does not know if a "day after tomorrow" will be the one he expected, because reality turns out to be very changeable and maybe can even be slipped from your or anybody’s control area.

Transformation of Vision

Stability does not mean immutability; it can only be viewed as the result of sustainable development. In the digital age, the world is changing at an astonishing rate, and businesses need to stay on top of the wave of changes rather than follow through. The pandemic has accelerated the cascade of changes even further - changing consumers, emotional backgrounds, social living, reevaluating their attitudes - all of these led to a change in the business landscape where the companies are looking for the new footholds.

Success of a business today is directly related to how timely it finds out the need for transformation and how well it manages the process. Identifying and recognizing the need for transformation is inevitable though insufficient condition for a business success. It is important for the company's management team to understand that the transformation is much bigger than the change of its any individual part - the transformation means a complete reorganization.

Renewal of the Working Model

For remote mode of work, companies managed to switch fast to digital channels, using more technologies to enable people to work from home, though that constitutes only a part of the big picture.

The efficiency of working remotely can not be assessed only by mechanical transfer of processes over long distances. It is necessary to recreate a complete working model. The strategy should reflect the interests of all the parties involved in the process, outlining the key moments of the process, the area of action, the ways of mutual cooperation and with the development perspective already in the digital context. If you only digitize one particular part in the production process, this may take more of your resources and time rather than giving a privilege, as merging that particular part with the existing one will become your main task and hamper farther development.

Human Involvement

If anything valuable can there be found in a pandemic, it is to see and recognize that even well-functioning processes do not work without humans, as they are not backed by an evaluator and substitute for the sequence, capacity, and intersection of these processes. Most importantly, these assembled systems and models lack a soul without humans, which is the main connecting and life-giving force that leads a company to a designated and agreed-upon vision, towards a specific business model and assembled processes, and finally to a brutal success point to finally celebrate that success.

The new norm forced companies representing different sizes and sectors to be in permanent operation. As a result of transformation, businesses must reach again that very harmonious stage which is becoming a new norm for them - a world of changing customer/employee behavior, non-standard management solutions and new working designs. ACT offers to follow us on the path to the search for harmony in the new norm, where our experience will share with you the shortest and most effective transitions.

History of ACT Business Model and Organizational Transformation

The research and consulting firm ACT is going through a crucial phase of major transformation. The company has already set the standard for the research industry in Georgia and now aims to conquer management consulting. ACT is successful with their clients because they enable them to make the leap from a good to a great enterprise with the help of the company’s unique model. Forbes was interested to learn about the company’s philosophy, what stages of development it went through, how it arrived at the concept of balance, and how power is distributed within the organization.

We are used to the idea that exceptional leaders are few and far between. When asked to imagine an outstanding business leader, typically we think of someone who drives a company’s progress on their own –they alone envisage the company’s future and strive towards achieving that goal, of course, whilst also being collaborative and viewing success as a common challenge. The new reality that we find ourselves in has shown us that this type of leader is no longer enough. Following on the heels of challenges allows a company to stay afloat, but those who wish to fly high require something more than just one good leader – in fact, it is three exceptionally good leaders that they need.

Company founder and lead visionary Tinatin Rukhadze have spent several years thinking about the balance between three forces. Having assumed leadership of the company nineteen years ago and having presided over each stage of its development, she was certain that she could offer more than the standard management model. That is how the idea of transforming ACT and establishing a new business model was born, nurtured for years, and finally realized in 2021. „For nine years, starting in 2002, ACT grew extremely fast. Then came a period of slow growth in 2013-2018. For me, stagnation means regression. I, therefore, saw the need for transformation. It was also important for us to decide what the customers valued most. We had the data and the insight, but nothing to bridge data with a business solution. We decided to offer tangible support to our clients and help them put their knowledge-based solutions into practice,“ says Tinatin Rukhadze. The company has gone through three major stages of development to get to where it is today:

Tinatin Rukhadze, ACT's Vision Lead

The first stage was „rapid progress.“ During the difficult 1990s in Georgia, the research startup had a clear ambition to not only establish itself in the business world but also to create public trust in the research industry and demonstrate its importance to the business. Indeed, ACT gradually developed all areas that are important to this field and gained the image of a trustworthy partner in the region. On the one hand, the company began working on corporate social responsibility, establishing relationships with international donors who wanted to help improve the social environment and develop a sustainable economy in Georgia. On the other hand, ACT became a new voice in Georgian business; quickly taking on the role of the market leader and industry expert.

At this stage of development, the company was headed by Tinatin Rukhadze, who had the necessary boldness to lead a startup, as well as the ability to anticipate and assess the industry’s potential. 

„It was difficult to establish research as a necessary condition for business development or to encourage local companies to be proactive and believe in the necessity of research. It took a lot of effort to gain these companies’ trust and to get them to acknowledge that any information obtained and processed in Georgia would be as valuable to them as information provided by international firms,“ Tinatin recalls.

Rusudan Telia, ACT's People and Culture Lead, Co-Founder

The second stage of development was „growth.“ These were the years during which the company accumulated experience in specific areas of expertise and strengthened its leadership. Parallel to attaining the status of the local market leader, ACT had the ambition to expand internationally, which created the need for a management team and diversity of expertise. Company co-founder Rusudan Telia assumed leadership and implemented a trajectory of success that allowed ACT to develop into a fast-growing and ambitious company. At various times since the founding of the company, she has held the positions of the Head of Analytics, Director of Operations and Head of Social Research. However, she has consistently prioritized organizational culture, people and their development throughout her time at the firm. The new head of ACT initiated the process of decentralizing the company’s structure and strengthened mid-level management. Caring and motivating people is a skill that comes naturally to Rusudan Telia. She realized some time ago that „creating and maintaining team spirit is one of the most decisive factors in achieving the best results.“ Today she is leading and strengthening the company’s organizational culture.

„The new vision helped us understand what kind of organizational culture and leadership was needed for our company. Growth and globalization can only be achieved by strengthening team leadership, being flexible, decentralizing management and implementing innovative thinking and approaches. That is why we added creativity to our list of fundamental values, which also includes love, support, effectiveness, and continuous development. It is only possible to create something new and adapt yourself to a rapidly changing environment through creative thinking,“ states Rusudan Telia. 

The third stage was „equilibrium.“ A phase dedicated to achieving and maintaining a balance of forces. Nineteen years of experience was molded into a specific action model that ensures that measurable results meet the company’s vision. This is how ACT achieves memorable success and translates it into the public good. The vision, the implementation and the corporate culture form a triangle through which the company serves the aforementioned ideals.

The company began taking active steps towards achieving its great transformation one year ago. To ensure that the new reality became the norm for ACT, the initial changes were implemented internally. The current CEO of ACT is someone who embodies the company’s history and serves as an example of how success can be achieved one step at a time. Natalia Kvitsinashvili joined the firm eighteen years ago and witnessed all crucial decisions as well as every stage of the company’s development. Apart from growing professionally, she also became a partner in the firm in 2010. Under her leadership, ACT developed the image of a reliable and valuable player in the competitive research market, often presenting itself as the only viable option in this field. Natalia has a long history of producing results. She knows exactly how to plan and implement each step to quickly move the company towards its main goal, and how to facilitate people’s involvement in the relevant processes.  „We are now at the stage where the vision has been formed, we know exactly where we are going and what are the results we want to achieve. The boldest dreams come true when transformed into prioritized tasks and when resources are adequately assessed. In today’s world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, the best results are the ones that can be achieved quickly. Therefore, it is important to create digital systems that are simple, flexible, and capable of delivering complex analysis,“ says Natalia Kvitsinashvili.

Natalia Kvitsinashvili, ACT's Executive Lead, Partner

The transformation has unified the three stages of the company’s development. Today, ACT is led by its former CEOs Tinatin Rukhadze and Rusudan Shelia, and their successor Natalia Kvitsinashvili. 

The three roles and the perspectives of the three managers are reflected in ACT’s business model and approach to work. The company devised a unique model of transformation and management called „The Power of Three“ (PWR3), which it first tested in house. According to the ACT philosophy, the three main forces driving a company’s development and success are vision, culture, and execution. The model encourages a company’s leadership team to constantly think and make decisions in these three dimensions.

The creators of this model believe that the best results can only be achieved through decisions that:

1. Serve the company’s vision and main goals;
2. Are consistent with the company’s values and take employee interests into account;
3. Can be implemented with the company’s actual resources.

PWR3 is not only a model of transformation but also an effective management tool, which allows a company’s leadership team to make consistent and effective decisions as well as ensure sustainable development. The ACT model is unique because it attaches equal weight to organizational culture, vision, and execution. Accordingly, the proposed approaches focus equally on all three domains in the process of organizational transformation.

„In the example of our company, this means that all-important decisions are considered from all three angles. This is not a straightforward process. In some cases, it involves compromise and lengthy work to make the right choice. However, sustainable long-term results are the main appeal of our model.” The three forces of management at ACT are convinced that decisions which have been evaluated from all angles are valuable and will achieve the best results.

„WE ARE NOT HEROES TRYING TO SAVE BUSINESSES. FOR US, BUSINESSES ARE THE HEROES: IMPROVING THE WORKING CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYEES, AND PLAYING THEIR PART IN CREATING A BETTER COUNTRY. WE ARE HERE TO HELP BUSINESSES ACHIEVE THESE GOALS.“

As a result of the transformation, ACT has also set a new vision for growth. The company’s clients are future leaders who are trying every day to change themselves and the world for the better. By creating better products or services that meet people’s needs, fight poverty, ensure social equality as well as freedom, and offer people better choices. The company sees its mission as empowering these beneficial changes, where data is only necessary to create a complete picture. For that reason, ACT is no longer just a research company – it is positioning itself as both a research and consulting firm.

ACT does not view consulting from a consultant’s perspective. It is more of a collaborative process where ACT acts as a facilitator, supporting the process. Its main responsibility in the work process is to help a company’s transformation team make effective decisions and implement changes. The main measures of effectiveness are the company’s figures.

„We are not heroes trying to save businesses. For us, businesses are the heroes: improving the working conditions of employees, and playing their part in creating a better country. We are here to help businesses achieve these goals,“ says Tinatin Rukhadze.

ACT will be celebrating its 20th anniversary next year. By 2022, the company will complete the main phase of its transformation and move to a higher level of operating within the new norm, where its transformation model will be the company’s main product and a valuable tool offered to clients. ACT’s unique cohesive strength will convince people that the world is based on a balance of forces. It is no longer enough to have one leader taking the leap forward, deciding everything, making all the calculations, and having everyone’s back. The new reality dictates that the formula for success lies in shared responsibility.

Let us all follow the ACT philosophy – take the leap together, back each other up and strengthen each other to achieve memorable results. Let us collectively write history. After all, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

On November 5, the presentation of the ACT Development Consulting research project "Legal Market Research in Georgia" was held. The project was commissioned by the East-West Management Institute (EWMI).

At the presentation, ACT Lead Consultant Keso Esebua presented a qualitative research report, which reflects the requirements of the legal market in Georgia and the extent to which the current level of training of lawyers meets these requirements.

As the results of the research show, the main demand in the legal labor market is for novice lawyers with practical and professional skills, critical thinking and various soft skills. However, knowledge of English is less important for the public sector but more important for the private sector. These are the basic requirements that young lawyers find most difficult to meet, however, the main challenge still lies in the transition from theoretical knowledge into practice.

Research Report: Legal Market Research in Georgia