The most common causes of team failures are well-known, completely predictable & mostly avoidable.
Who We Are and What We Do
Transforming Managers into Leaders and Groups of People into True Teams.
Reading a book about exercise won’t make you strong. And simply knowing HOW to do something changes nothing! It is the will and the discipline to ACT that are required.
Our highly engaging learning labs enable teams to practice, prototype, apply key insights, and build “muscles” that enable them to achieve “impossible” together.
We support common sense, effective & efficient leadership, team and project management practices that are proven to double productivity and increase profitability. How? By overcoming dysfunctions typical in organizations containing human beings, engaging disengaged employees and strengthening cross-functional communication and organizational culture.
PROOF IT WORKS: We tracked retention among several hundred graduates of one of our programs. Over a 5 year period only ~1% of our graduates quit annually compared with the over 20% that were quitting globally annually. And only ~10% of the people who reported to our graduates quit! Yes, that’s right, we dropped voluntary turnover from over 20% to just over 10% among people who NEVER MET us simply by doing a 3 day workshop with their MANAGERS on how NOT to be a “Bosshole” (NOT the official workshop title! 😱🤪).
We are not “teachers”, and we don’t do “training”. We are seasoned professionals with real-world experience in starting, leading and growing businesses in the Silicon Valley, and expanding businesses globally, including product development program leadership and management of HW, SW, and complex systems. Our practical approaches are proven to produce results, whether it’s through facilitating our “Leadership Learning Laboratories“, or working hand-in-hand with your organization on a strategically important project. We believe that leadership, team effectiveness, organizational culture, innovation, and the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial “magic”, are the result of behaviors that can be learned and honed with practice. Our Tokyo-based Team has been collaborating with us to transform Japanese businesses through our unique “WorkSHOCKs” for over a decade with outstanding results in some of the biggest and best-known companies in Japan. And our European and Australian Teams gives us truly global reach.
What’s possible? What seems “impossible”? What might make impossible –> possible? Contact us and let’s find out!
Consulting Areas
Leadership Development
(click to read more)
Reading about exercise doesn’t make you strong – exercise does! Our “Learning Laboratories” and “WorkSHOCKs” turn managers into leaders and groups of people into real teams via the sensible practices in our “Possibilities Toolbox”.
Team Effectiveness Workshops
(click to read more)
“Training” doesn’t change behavior, and changed behavior is required for improved business results. We deliver the results that you need – engaged people, delighted customers, expanded markets, increased revenue, reduced costs, improved quality, strategic advantage – by focusing on the following key areas:
- People, Teams & Organizations
- Program & Project Management
- Silicon Valley Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Executive Coaching Sessions
(click to read more)
Olympic athletes have a coach, and so do great business leaders. Our “Thinking Partner” sessions support, guide and empower you to be successful in reaching your goals.
Innovation & Design Thinking
(click to read more)
Both Design Thinking and Scrappy Project Management© share an obsession with “the customer”. Both start by “thinking from the future” rather than getting stuck in the current situation, hampered by self-limiting beliefs about what’s possible. Rather than using the classic design thinking model of Empathize–Define–Ideate– Prototype–Test, we use the Why, Who, What and How model.
Organizational Culture/DNA
(click to read more)
Organizational Culture is “the way we are” today, including the laundry list of do’s and don’ts that the old-timers share with newbies on their first day of work. It’s “the way we do things around here,” even if we’ve forgotten why we’re doing them.
OUR VALUE
For large, multi-national companies, SV Alliances offers purposeful Organizational Culture Change, Leadership Development Programs and Consulting Services which, unlike McKinsey, Accenture, or university executive programs, provide:
- engaging, action-oriented team project-based programs leading to concrete, visible results.
- immersive development experiences that broaden and deepen the leadership and management skills of the participants.
- a collaborative culture which breaks down organizational silos and encourages the risk-taking necessary for growth.
For small and medium size businesses, SV Alliances offers Executive Leadership Guidance, Professional Development Programs, and Consulting Services , which, unlike typical consultant services, provide:
- an intense focus on sensible, practical projects leading to direct business benefits with measurable results.
- a strategic framework for Customer-focus and Innovation that enables the business to fulfill their strategic plans.
- the perspective and experience of Silicon Valley, to inspire creativity and risk-taking within the constraints of human and financial resources.
OUR DREAM FOR OUR WORKING WORLD: We love to work with purpose-driven organizations committed to optimizing overall “success”, starting with defining what exactly “success” is for their complex stakeholder universe. Doing this we demonstrate the superior results (including financial) such organizations enjoy, attract more investors to these better-performing investments (long-term), and attract more and better workers to these organizations. We strongly believe that, eventually, both investments and workers preferentially flow to these kinds of organizations instead of the soul-sucking variety, and the sick, twisted, dysfunctional organizations of Our World, which will eventually wither and die for lack of financial resources and people.
Partial Client List
Our Team
Our team of business leadership consultants and entrepreneurship advisers are dedicated, experienced, and accomplished professionals. We are motivated by love and passion, and the belief that people can learn to be better leaders, more effective teams, and healthier, more profitable organizations, through practicing changes in behavior and language that transform business results. We are committed to helping organizations solve global problems . . . profitably, and thus sustainably . . . for a better World.
Our Team in Silicon Valley, Japan, Europe and Australia:
Kimberly Wiefling
Focus Areas
- Keynotes & Workshops
- Global Leadership
- Team Effectiveness
- Organizational Culture/DNA
- EQ-Human Skills
- Project Mgmt.
- Post-merger Integ.
- Coaching
- Product Dev.
Lifecycle - Design Thinking
Clients/Experience
Indeed, Intuit
Cisco, Kuraray
Docomo Innovations
Houzz, NASA
Pigeon, Symantec
(click to read more)
Dell-EMC
YKK
NSSOL
Toshiba
Mazda
Comet Tech
Suntory
Yamaha Motors
MUFG
Keyence
HP
Juniper Networks
Velo3D
Isuzu
Japan Science & Technology (JST)
Stanford Healthcare Hospitality
Daiichi Sankyo
Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma
Sony (via Candescent)
Panasonic (via ReplayTV)
Furukawa Electric
Tokyo Medical & Dental University (TMDU)
Kyoto University
Tokyo Electron
Veritas
Daiwa
Orbotech
Mizuho
UBE
Toray
Tokio Marine
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Sun Allomer
Mitsui Fudosan
Oracle Japan
Cadence Design Systems
Fisher Investments
Scientific Revenue
Technology Ventures Launch Program (TVLP)
Leadership San Mateo
PabLove
Ascaldera
Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research (PAVIR)
MORE ABOUT KIMBERLY . . .
My Work: https://kimberlywiefling.com/
My Business: https://wiefling.com/
My Workshops: https://wiefling.com/our-services/workshops/
My Keynote Speaking: https://wiefling.com/our-services/keynote-speaking/
My Team: https://siliconvalleyalliances.com/
My Books: https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Wiefling/e/B002GWKPOG
My Scrappy Women’s Book: https://scrappywomen.biz/
My Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/KimberlyWiefling
Our SV Engineering Leadership Meetup (I am a cofounder): https://www.meetup.com/SV-ELC/
Yumi Wakayama
Focus Areas
- Talent Management
- Organizational Development
- Business Development
- Global Communications
- Client Engagement Management
Clients
Hitachi
Mitsui
Tokyo Medical & Dental University
Pigeon Group
Toyota
Kuraray
NSSOL
(click to read more)
Tok
JST
Mana Tomitori
Focus Areas
- Executive Coaching
- Global Leadership
- Team Effectiveness
- Creativity & Innovation
- Visions & Core Values
- Global Mindset
Clients
LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton
Christian Dior
HUGO BOSS
Gucci
Bosch
Guinness World Record
Adobe Systems
Kuraray
(click to read more)
Yamaha Motors
NSSOL
Equinix
Ube
ADK
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology (AIST)
Stephen Parent
Focus Areas
- Global Team Effectiveness
- Global Leadership
- Intercultural Readiness
- Global Mindset
- Powerful Presentations
Clients
Sudler Japan
Merck & Co
Sumitomo Chemical
Tokyo Star Bank
Mizuho Securities
Keyence
NSSOL
Furukawa Electric
UBE
Kuraray
(click to read more)
Yvonne Burton
Focus Areas
- Tech Consulting /Solutions Analysis
- Business English Training
- Cross-Cultural Comm.
- Virtual Tools (MS TEAMS)
- Workshop Facilitation
Clients
Mitsui & Co
Stanford Healthcare Hospitality
Clarivate Analytics
Intrapshere Technologies
Monster.com
(click to read more)
Thomson Reuters
Japan Culture-NYC
Japan External Trade Org
Tom Okada
Focus Areas
- Executive Leadership
- Cross Culture Management
- Global Technology Bus. Development
- Corporate Strategy
- Account Management
- Technology Sales
- Startup Mentoring
- Investment Funding
Clients/Experience
Motorola
Azingo
Aplix Corporation
Ecrio
Witricity
(click to read more)
Tortuga Pacific Inc.
Zeemote
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Delta Electronics
NTT Docomo
Belle Walker
Focus areas
- Systems Thinking for Organizations
- Operational Efficiency
- Leadership (Collocated and Remote Strategies)
- Collaboration Coaching (Collocated and Remote Strategies)
- Post-merger Integration
- Virtual Facilitation
Clients/Experience
Beth Interactive
(click to read more)
Corporation for NJ Local Media
HERE Technologies
Future Ads LLC
Plan9 Group
Google
Ambassador Construction
Peter Ivanov
Focus Areas
- Build Virtual Power Teams & deliver outstanding results!
-
Leading Virtual/Remote Teams
-
Leadership, Intercultural Teams
-
Keynote Speaker
-
Executive Coach
Clients/Experience
Danone
Nemak
British American Tobacco
Kuraray
Wirtshafts Woche
iimex
BASF
(click to read more)
CeBIT
MPI
Komfo
BASF
Ikea
Lufthansa
VISA
Danone Nutiricia
Matt Schlegel
Focus Areas
- Team-based Problem-solving
- Teambuilding
- Work Team Design
- Hiring
- Rapport Building
- The Enneagram
- Org. Culture
- Individual Coaching
- 1-day or 2-day virtual workshops
- Speaking
Clients/Experience
NewTek
HP
Houzz
Xcelaero
ReplayTV
CSL
Avenidas
(click to read more)
Alvarez & Marsal
Matthew Cahill
Focus Areas
- Learning & Development
- Bias Mitigation Strategies
- Sales Negotiations
- Org. Change
- Creating Inclusive Workplaces
Clients/Experience
LinkedIn
Salesforce
Tata Consultancy Services
Pure Storage
Interactive Business Systems
Nielsen
Leadership San Mateo
HP
CloudSense
Apttus
(click to read more)
Dr. William Davis
Alan Tsuda
Focus Areas
- Financial Analysis
- Marketing
- Project Management
- Project Leadership
- Virtual Teams
- Pitch Development
- Pitch Delivery
Clients/Experience
Altapoint Learning
UCSC – Silicon Valley
UC Berkeley
Suntory
Mazda
World Innovation Lab
Kuraray
Daiichi Sankyo
ALC Education
(click to read more)
Matthias Orgler
Focus Areas
- Agile Leadership & Agile Transformation
- High Performing Teams
- Agile Software Engineering
- Lean Startup & Business Model Innovation
Clients
Volkswagen Vodafone Novartis DekaBank Allianz BearingPoint Schaeffler Union Investment(click to read more)
Detecon Consulting
Mainova
Shore.com
Elobau
Schaeffler
Union Investment
LinkedIn Profile
Nathalie Udo
Focus Areas
- Global Business Strategy
- Sustainability Champion
- Executive Coach
- Keynote Speaker
- Program Management
- Agile Processes
Clients/Experience
AT&T
Autodesk
Alcatel
Kuraray
TRI/TRIAD
Lucent
Kaiser Permanente
Ube
(click to read more)
Ricoh
NASA
Keyence
PG&E
Annie Sheehan
Focus Areas
- Executive Coaching
- Project Sponsor Development
- Agile Project Management
- Agile Processes
- Workshop Facilitation
- Portfolio Governance
- Team development
Clients/Experience
Walt Disney
The Salvation Army
National Australia Bank
AXA
JBWere
Telstra
(click to read more)
DST Systems
UBS
BNP Paribas
Francine Gordon
Focus Areas
- Organizational Behavior
- Business Management
- Creativity & Innovation
- Keynote Speaking
- Coaching
Clients/Experience
Technology Ventures Launch Program (TVLP)
Kuraray
Boston Consulting Group
Yale University
Santa Clara University
Stanford University
Dow Corning Toray
ALC Education, Inc.
(click to read more)
Kumi Kobayashi
Focus Areas
- Global Leadership
- Team Effectiveness
- Organizational Culture
- Company Vision
- Cross-Cultural Effectiveness
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Empower Women
Clients
Canon, YAMAHA, NEC
Astellas
Fuji Xerox
Merrill Lynch
Bank of America
NEC
AXA Management
(click to read more)
Waseda University
Maria Pienaar
Focus Areas
- Corp. Innovation
- Executive Advisor
- Investor
- Private Company Board Director
- US Investor readiness and funding
- Investor readiness master classes
- US market entry strategy and acquisition
- Market Value Proposition Testing & Assessment
- Early Growth Funding Deal Sourcing
(click to read more)
- Product Strategy
- Business Development for New Market Opportunities
Clients/Experience
Runway Innovation Hub
Unicorn Growth Capital
Blue label Ventures
Rosemary Coates
Focus Areas
- Global Supply Chain Strategy and Architecture
- Reshoring, Tariffs, Country of Origin
- Counterfeit Imports
- Global Manufacturing
- Expert Witness
Clients
Microsoft, Exxon Mobil
Chevron, Northrop
Siemens
Hewlett-Packard
Waterlogic, Kinaxis
Brooks Running
Starbucks
(click to read more)
American Airlines
FedEx, Nike
Kenneth Cole
Nordstrom,BMW
Gigamon, NetApp
VM Ware, SAP
Lam Research
FedEx, Nike
Kenneth Cole
Nordstrom,BMW
Gigamon, NetApp
VM Ware, SAP
Lam Research
Yumi Kitahama
Focus areas
- Emotional Intelligence Training & Coaching
- Resilience Training & Coaching
- Enneagram Coaching
- Global Leadership
- Cross-Cultural Communications
- Post Merger Integ.
- Peak Performance Coaching
Clients
Changi Airport
Pokemon
(click to read more)
Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
Web Analytics Consultants Association
Bridge-C Estate
Baiko Gakuin University
Innosparks/ST Engineering
Kuraray
Furukawa electric
Bandai
John Chen
Focus Areas
- Virtual Meeting & Conference Design
- Virtual Meeting & Conference Production
- Virtual Meeting Keynotes & Breakouts
- Virtual Meeting MC
- Team Building
- Leadership
- Experiential Meeting Design
- Creativity & Innovation
- 1:1 Coaching
Clients/Experience
Microsoft
(click to read more)
Amazon
CSL Behring
YPO
National Park Service
Training Magazine
Host Healthcare
Northwest Natural
International Reciprocal Trade Association
George Healthcare Association
Global Networking Training Center in Saudi Arabia
Yuki Sekiguchi
Focus Areas
- Lean Startups for Big Companies
- Customer Development Interviews
- MVPs
- Business Idea Validation
- From R&D to Commercialization
- Climate Tech
- Workshops & Webinars
Clients/Experience
Canon
Fujifilm
Fujitsu
IHI
JNC
Panasonic
(click to read more)
Iris Kuhnert
Focus Areas
- Transformational Leadership Coaching
- Team Effectiveness in a VUCA World
- No magic wand needed: Making virtual collab. a great experience
- Change Agent for Creating Global Mindset
- OD for Enhanced Agility
- Mindfulness & Resilience in Change Processes
Clients
Bayer
Daimler
(click to read more)
Automotive Intelligent Driving
Nissan
SAP
BASF
and small/mid-sized organizations in various industries
LinkedIn Profile
Yuki Parent
Focus Areas
- Executive Coaching
- Team Building
- Cross Cultural
Clients
NSSOL
Kuraray
AWS
Several Luxury Brands
<br>
LinkedIn Profile
<br>
(click to read more)
Rina Vivekanandan
Focus Areas
- Change Management
- Leadership Development
- Organizational Transformation
- Learning & Development Program Design & Implementation
- Team Building
- Emotional Intelligence
Clients/Experience
Acsia Technologies
Market Ghosts
Mahila Shakti Kendra
MG University
(click to read more)
Lourde Matha College
Allianz Services – Mentoring & Coaching
US Technologies – Mentoring & Coaching
Our Valued & Trusted Partners
A Silicon Valley-based training and consulting firm
THE LEADER IN HELPING HIGH-TECH COMPANIES
ACCELERATE MARKET SUCCESS OF KEY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
The Chasm Institute – Japan:キャズムインスティテュートは、ハイテク企業が、新製品の市場開発戦略と新しいイノベーションに成功する実績のあるアプローチを学び、適用し、実装することをご支援いたします。当社は、製品開発、営業、技術、およびマーケティングチームが市場のリーダーシップを達成し、維持するために企業をご支援いたします。当社は、500社以上のクライアントとのエンゲージメントと、Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado, Living on the Fault Line, Dealing with Darwin, Escape Velocity, および Zone to Winを含むジェフリー・ムーアのベストセラー書籍から得られたベストプラクティスを基礎として活動しています。
Testimonials
“Kimberly helped our organization confront some key challenges we faced working as a team. She also assisted us in creating clear and shared goals, and a practical implementation plan that enabled us to overcome our difficulties in achieving results. Working with Kimberly was energizing, and her experience, practical knowledge and wisdom guided us for years after her workshop. I highly recommend consulting with Kimberly and her Silicon Valley Alliances Team, especially to achieve results in your team that at times might seem impossible.” – Ardavan M. Tehrani, CTO – ASSIA Inc. (2010-2017)
The recommendation of a transformed cynic: Kimberly is a bit like a cyclone – she will turn your world upside down and blow you away. Unlike a cyclone, however, she will be sure that all of the important pieces remain; neatly reorganized and stronger than before she met you. She will also, undoubtedly, leave many gems behind for you as well – some ready to display and others for you to continue polishing throughout your life and career. You will definitely be richer for having crossed her path. With unrivaled passion, Kimberly effortlessly blends principles of transformational leadership, communication, cultural understanding and relationship building and links them directly to operational excellence with brilliant simplicity. I learned more practical skills in a 6-day program led by Kimberly than I have in nearly three decades of management education and experience. These lessons will not only allow me to foster an environment that is both enjoyable and highly productive, but will, as a result, make the company I work in stronger and more successful. Without question, Kimberly merits my highest recommendation. – Ross McClure, Manufacturing Manager, SuperPower, Inc., a Furukawa Company
Kimberly’s Leading From Any Chair workshop is the single most powerful class I’ve attended, and the highest rated class I’ve participated in. Her teachings have fundamentally changed me as a leader, a coach, and a team member. — Lesley Kew, Intuit
Nathalie is an exceptionally talented person whose expertise in all levels of project management (Portfolio, Program and Project) allows her to effectively deliver even on troubled projects. As a consultant, her strong facilitation and leadership skills make her an invaluable asset to any company requiring training, methodology or project rescue. – Stacey Lyons, Senior Director PMO, Move Inc.
Ultimate facilitator to inspire your group to achieve breakthrough results, gain new insights, remove roadblocks and achieve what might have appeared to be impossible results prior to Kimberly’s leadership. Kimberly leads from the front and adeptly works with groups to gain their trust and confidence. She uses humor and scientifically proven methods to begin the critical work of helping groups get unstuck and see their own greatness. I have worked with Kimberly for more than 20 years and she consistently exhibits an interesting combination of courage, practicality and generosity. Kimberly has my utmost confidence and I will absolutely hire her again. Thanks Kimberly. You Rock! —Carol Smith, CEO Oak Grove Enterprises
I have worked with Kumi at Global Leadership Partners Asia for multiple projects as a Leadership Facilitator and Leadership Coach for over a year. She is a fun, dynamic and intelligent professional with an uncanny ability to connect with almost anyone. Always upbeat and positive, she motivates leaders to transform their self-limiting beliefs in order to think and act in new ways, previously unavailable to them. She has a high level of emotional intelligence, is fully bi-lingual (Japanese and English) and has advanced collaboration skills. I strongly recommend her for leadership development facilitation and coaching work. —Michael Shell, President & Consultant, GLPA, Tokyo, Japan
Kimberly, I continue to be in awe of your leadership skills. Very impressive!! I am so very pleased with how well our retreat went. I could not have asked for more. Inspirational, transformational, and built our team unlike anything I’ve seen before. You have a gift to bring out the best in people and to help them to believe! —Rebecca S. Cole, Vice President for Advancement, President, Wright State University Foundation, Wright State University
Case Studies
Furukawa Electric Co, Ltd. – Feedback from Global HR of “One Furukawa”Global Development Program
Ube Industries Co., Ltd. – Feedback from Global HR on Global Leadership Development Program
Case 1: How does a multinational Japanese company become a truly global company?
- By committing to building strong relationships among the next generation of global executives and giving them the freedom to co-create the future of their company together.
- That’s what we helped Kuraray to do over the past 8 years. Now we have over 200 graduates of 12 of our intensive 7 months team-project-centric global leadership development programs in the past 8 years.
- Over 50 team projects have been completed in these programs, and more than half of those projects continue actively in some form in the business.
- Most graduates are promoted, or transferred to positions of greater responsibility within a year or two of completing this program, and several have been promoted to the executive level.
- As a result of the globalization of this company, overseas revenues have grown from 30% to over 50% of the total revenues of the company.
- FORMAT: (3 weeks of in-person events over a 7 month period)
Whitepaper: Cross-linking the Human Polymer Network at a Global Chemical Company 
Case 2: How does a company spread all over the world assure that every employee shares a passionate commitment to a shared identity and core values that make their company unique?
- By strengthening the shared cultural DNA of their front-line leaders and making these leaders “Organizational Culture Ambassadors.”
- A cohort of a dozen executives from all over the world come together three times over a 1 year period for a day of intensive exploration into their historical roots, their shared cultural DNA, and their aspirations for the future of their organizational culture.
- Through powerful approaches such as storytelling, interpretative drawings, and collage, these global leaders explore stories from the past, present and future, and create a shared understanding of their identity as an organization, the roots of that identity, and their commitments to perpetuating their organization’s cultural DNA into the far future.
- This program was repeated with another cohort the following year, and now these graduates are teaching others to be Organizational Culture Ambassadors. These ambassadors are using the power of storytelling to spread their organization’s cultural DNA throughout Yamaha worldwide.
- FORMAT: (6 days of in-person events over a 9 month period)
Whitepaper: Company Culture-Corporate DNA_Sept2014
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