Talented young people are of the view that the company's CEO and business concept per se are of little significance to earning abilities. This was the result of a recent questionnaire, Sällma Barometer 2007, which was aimed at working members of NOVA 100. An overwhelming majority of the 837 respondents thought instead that the abilities of staff are the primary reason as to why the company is making money. Almost as many people stipulated that the quality of goods and services is a strongly contributing factor to the results (Appendix 1).
If we look at the differences between companies which post losses and those which have margins in excess of 30 %, this becomes even clearer. The results of the profitable companies are deemed to be due to their staff and the fact that they supply high quality, while the results of the non-profitable companies rely more extensively on a "unique business concept" (Appendix 2).
One surprising factor was the fact that costcutting comes a long way down on the list. One conclusion which can be drawn - according to Ove Erlandzon, CEO of Cordovan Performance - is that potential is greater on the income side. In other words, it is better to create greater income in an existing suit than to just shrink the suit. The responses to the question "how can we ourselves contribute towards profitability?" confirm this hypothesis. Here, the talented young people respond that they contribute by developing goods, services and processes, and by means of increased sales (Appendix 3). The Sällma Barometer also indicates that there is potential for companies to make the most of their staff. Only 6 % are of the view that their capacity is being utilised to its fullest extent. If we combine in-house and external training, along with mentoring and coaching, the response for success is obvious. Besides this, in-house communication also appears frequently in responses. The conclusion drawn is that the winning companies are those which recruit the right staff, make the most of their skills and constantly develop them, create a culture which focuses on customer orientation and work singlemindedly with constant follow-up. This is clearly apparent in the comparison between companies with different levels of profitability (Appendix 4).
Ove Erlandzon
CEO, Cordovan Performance AB
To view the results, click here
The Sällma Barometer is a cooperative project involving 3S, Nova 100 and Cordovan Performance AB.
Cordovan Performance works together with its clients in fields such as management, communication, sales and measurements when strategies and visions are to be turned into practical reality and higher income.
Ove Erlandzon, +46 31 761 92 05, 
Nova 100 is the only functioning talent market in Northern Europe, and its business concept involves working through its members to create companies with more talent. Working members of Nova 100 have contributed to the Sällma Barometer 2006.
Fredrik Andersson, +46 703 75 79 33, 
3S helps companies, organisations and consultants to prepare and analyse online surveys. 3S offers market-leading tools, systems and methods for measurements.
Johan Carlsson, +46 733 81 68 98, 