Penta Group

With all due respect to your gut, its time as a decision-maker is over ?? It can no longer be trusted to exercise judgement in a complex, fast-moving world that demands data-backed conclusions over subjective hunches. Organizations must juggle four key stakeholder groups—each with shifting priorities, perspectives, and tensions not just toward the company, but toward each other. Trying to satisfy them all, at all times, is a recipe for failure. We know there is a better, tested way to measure and manage stakeholder tensions. By accurately measuring the sentiment of each stakeholder group, companies can make strategic trade-offs, deliberately choosing where to gain favor—and where to sacrifice it. Take the hypothetical example pictured below, mapping out stakeholder tensions for a manufacturing company. With a disproportionately strong favorability among employees, but negative sentiment with investors, the organization's leaders might consider cost-cutting measures that would bring the two closer to similar satisfaction levels. While no organization would ever want to intentionally alienate one of its stakeholder groups, executives must recognize that every decision they make will inevitably be received differently (and likely negatively) by at least one of them. By purposefully measuring sentiment, these trade-offs can be made intelligently, with the understanding that garnering goodwill from a group that was previously dissatisfied outweighs losing favorability from another. To read more about the science of managing stakeholder tensions and how it can be implemented for your organization, read our latest piece here: https://lnkd.in/d9ms4Qdt

Penta is excited to announce that former Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will officially join our firm on April 10 as a Global Advisory Board member. A two-term Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Mr. Varadkar brings a wealth of global leadership and crisis management experience spanning the 2019 Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, social reforms in Ireland, as well as navigating the country through COVID-19. “[Varadkar’s] deep commitment to evidence-based policymaking and strategic leadership aligns seamlessly with Penta’s mission,” said Penta CEO Matt McDonald. “His experience at the highest levels of government will enhance our ability to provide data-driven advice and solutions to help clients navigate today’s increasingly complex global environment.” Read more about Mr. Varadkar’s future role with Penta here: https://lnkd.in/dBWSbnGz

While this year has brought noticeable change in Washington from a #policy perspective, it has also reflected a shift in partisan attitudes and division on Capitol Hill. Penta partner and DC office head Bryan DeAngelis recently went on MONEY FM 89.3 to share his insights on how party splits have widened?since Trump retook office, as well as implications of the President's #tariffs and mounting #trade tensions. You can listen to Bryan's entire segment here:?https://lnkd.in/eT2uCy2u

Today's volatile geopolitical landscape is proving to be challenging for businesses in more ways than one. Unpacking these growing complexities of competing pressures, Conall McDevitt, President of Penta Group, talks with Roshan Kanesan, CFP at BFM 89.9 - The Business Station. Drawing on Trump’s recent call for Apple to end its DEI policies, Conall explored how businesses can turn such challenges into a competitive edge, using Penta’s strategic framework on stakeholder engagement to anticipate and manage reactions. Have a listen to Conall’s insights here: https://lnkd.in/guu9W795

The Penta-CivicScience Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) fell by 1.4 points to 33.5 from February 26 - March 11, as consumer sentiment continues to descend from a peak in late December. Four of the ESI’s five indicators decreased during this latest two-week period, as reflected below: Confidence in finding a new job decreased 3.5 points to 30.3 Confidence in the overall U.S. #economy decreased 2.1 points to 37.1 Confidence in personal finances decreased 1.6 points to 53.4 Confidence in buying a new home decreased 0.1 points to 22.8 Confidence in making a major purchase remained unchanged at 23.6 Read the latest ESI report in its entirety here: https://lnkd.in/ddBwwqUy

The European Commissioner hearings were undoubtedly one of the political highlights of 2024; however, did AGRI Committee MEPs use the opportunity for meaningful scrutiny, or was it just partisan posturing? ?? During the hearings, AGRI MEPs were largely split along ideological lines, with free trade (particularly the EU-Mercosur deal) and climate rules at the heart of the debate. Some accused the process of lacking real accountability, whereas others saw it as a necessary political grilling. As agriculture shapes up to be a major battleground in EU policy for this mandate, these debates are far from over. With Penta Live, our Stakeholder Intelligence platform, we delved into what made AGRI MEPs tick in the latter half of 2024, and just as importantly, the issues that didn't make the cut ?? Discover what else set the agenda in the full analysis on our website by clicking the link below?? https://lnkd.in/dmdvU9nS

Penta’s Policy Brand Research continues to have its finger on the pulse of Washington. Last spring, our team polled senior D.C. policymakers and found that #AI, #healthcare costs and social media platforms were three areas in the greatest need of regulation. However, with a new year comes a new Congress, and new priorities. How will lawmakers answer differently with a Republican majority? Our Washington Insights Review is currently underway. Follow Penta Insiders for the latest in #policy research, findings and how you can get involved.

Which parts of President Trump's address to a joint session of Congress stood out to an external audience? Penta's Insights team analyzed over a million data points from across social media and traditional outlets to see which topics were mentioned most. The highest volume? As the old adage goes, "it's [still] the economy, stupid." Trump's emphasis on his economic policy, particularly tax cuts, received the most attention, followed by his defense of #tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. This graph is a snapshot of our team's larger analysis of the President's address and its reception. Contact us to learn how these insights can be leveraged to give your organization clarity amongst change in public #policy.

Companies must find ways to evolve faster than ever, but at the heart of any real transformation is culture. That's what I took away from the conversations I moderated with top executives from the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) over the past few weeks. We discussed omnichannel and operations, supply chain and artificial intelligence, collaborations and creativity. But what stood out most? Every single executive focused on the role of people, communication, and mindset in making change happen. That's why at Penta Group we invest so much time in understanding audiences and stakeholders, both internal and external. Business technology and strategy will keep shifting, but a company that can build a culture that embraces change and works across silos will always be a winner.

Ron Hammond of the Blockchain Association says #cryptocurrency cannot become a partisan issue if it wants to have staying power. “Let’s get good legislation, good policy, and make it bipartisan.” Hammond discusses the challenges and opportunities #crypto faces in Washington in 2025 in the latest What’s At Stake podcast found here: https://lnkd.in/e6ssf9DF