3-Tiered Stratification ModelTM
Learn the 3-Tiered Stratification Model™
on December 12, 2025 for just $999.00.
The key to knowing what your company needs to do to survive depends
upon where your company falls along the 3-Tiered Stratification Model.™
HARVEST
Thriving
Meeting demand & new opportunities
PRIORITIES
- Share strengths & express creativity.
- Embrace holistic wellbeing.
- Manage change.
PRUNE
Uncertain
Stabilizing revenue & protecting market share
PRIORITIES
-
Address challenges head-on.
-
Provide self-care resources.
-
Manage uncertainty.
PLOUGH
Struggling
Mitigating losses from sales decline
PRIORITIES
-
Strengthening community.
- Provide tools to unemployment.
- Practice empathy
& connection.
TOP THIRD ORGANIZATIONS
thrive during crisis or market disruption, primarily because their industry has become an “essential” category that is required as a result of the crisis or because they are offering an innovative product or service that’s meeting a new need or burgeoning market.
You know you are in the top tier if:
- Accelerating sales and hiring
- Increased budget for marketing & PR
- New offices / locations opening
- Overwhelmed keeping up with growth
Example of top tier company: Instacart (300K new roles generated during the pandemic)
MIDDLE THIRD ORGANIZATION
are companies that do not yet know how much they will be impacted long term by crises or other market disruption. They have not seen benefits from it; in fact,
it has likely hurt their business or sales moderately to significantly. It is unclear whether a full recovery will take just a few months, several quarters, or a year or more. These businesses are characterized by taking a conservative or wait-and-see approach.
You know you are in the middle tier if:
- You’ve instituted cost-reduction measures or controls on operational expenditures
- Only selective investments are made in new programs / projects
- Hiring freezes or reduced investment in human capital
- You’ve been focused on stabilizing revenue and cautiously conserving cash
Example of middle tier company: Google (Instituted a hiring freeze and cut marketing budget in April 2020)
BOTTOM THIRD ORGANIZATION
have experienced massive hits to revenue and sector-wide demand as a direct result of a crises or other market disruption. They’re struggling to find
relevance and, aside from suffering short-term losses, are seriously assessing the long-term impact of the status quo and do not anticipate a rebound of their
market until, for example with COVID-19, people are free to once again travel, gather together in groups, return to work, and resume daily life without being
tethered to their residence.
You know you are in the bottom tier if:
- Mass layoffs or furloughs
- Plant closures, contracts are being cancelled
- Slashing expenses and lack of investment
- Tightening of credit and dwindling cash reserves
Example of bottom tier company: Kohl’s (Layed off 70% of its 120K person workforce)
ACTIVITY – Discuss the following questions
TIERING
- What tier do you think your Company is in?
- What signs made you choose that tier?
IMPACT ON EMPLOYEES
- What are the things you’ve sacrificed that may have hurt the culture?
- What do you think your employees are concerned or worried about?
- Where are they getting their information? Who
are the influencers and trusted sources of intel? - What are their alternatives? Who is your competition for your existing and future talent? Why are they
a threat, what do they offer? - Have you openly addressed employee fears,
rumors, concerns? Have you painted a compelling vision of the future? Are your employees buying it? How do you know? - How have you gathered feedback? Is it gathered anonymously, acted upon, followed up on, and
communicated broadly throughout the organization? - How frequently have you gathered feedback? Is progress being made in areas employees desire and effectively communicated back out?
TRANSFORMATIONAL THINKING
- What changes to your talent strategy will improve the current situation?
- How must MGM fundamentally think about talent differently?
- Employees think in terms of stints, how can you create 2 year stints that are meaningful for MGM and employees? E.g. Apple rotational program, Google PMM program, Scopely Ops Mgr
- How could you think about careers at your company with mobility? Upward and sideways? E.g. Ursula Burns, former CEO at Xerox started in the mail room.
- How could senior execs be more involved and accountable in creating an employee centric culture that attracts talent and makes employees feel heard, valued, and like they have a seat at the table rather than simply like a cog in the wheel? E.g. Lunch roundtables in employee dining room, skip level big-little pairings like mentorships, work-the-floor days, exec-for-the-day à la principal-for-the-day at middle schools etc.
