Jump Associates

Jump Associates takes what it has termed a “hybrid thinking” approach to business strategy, with the goal of helping clients to identify new markets, develop new sources of revenue, and reinvent existing categories.[3] Jump believes that this interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of organizational culture, design thinking and business strategy allows them to take a broader and more nuanced view of the business landscape and find innovation opportunities that might otherwise be missed.[4]

Underlying the hybrid thinking approach is an emphasis on using empathy to help companies better understand what customers truly want.[3] In his book “Wired to Care,” Patnaik discusses customer empathy and how the “needfinding” exercises that industrial designers do that are ostensibly about objects and products are really about using empathy to understand the user experience.[5] Patnaik contends that empathy for customers enables companies to align directly with people’s needs and create novel products and services that are more likely to succeed.

Jump’s work is built on the premise that creativity is an expertise, and that it is possible to create conditions for cultivating innovative ideas and for sparking impromptu brainstorming sessions.[6] The firm uses a variety of methods including improv theatre-inspired brainstorming, anthropological analysis of video footage of target users, ethnographic interviews, and immersion methods.[6] The company also relies on findings from neuroscience and the latest team-building research and methods to improve camaraderie. For example, new employees take learning style and skills-assessment tests, which are discussed on a regular basis to improve team performance and dynamics.[7]

Jump’s services and "future-focused approach" are tailored to help organizations solve their most pressing growth challenges in times of dramatic change.[8] Clients rely on Jump to help them figure out everything from their purpose and values to new market expansion, creation of new businesses, and differentiation strategies. Services range from year-long, multi-initiative engagements to daylong workshops and one-on-one advisory sessions.

The firm combines elements of management consulting, product design, and “the art of innovation.” Organizations may hire Jump to “think on [their] behalf,” or to teach them how to generate better ideas through a series of executive training sessions.[6]

The problems Jump has helped companies to solve include helping Procter & Gamble study the future of water[9] and working with Target to reframe its back-to-school lines by focusing on students’ mindsets and hopes rather than specific product trends. Jump has a long history of forming deep partnerships with their clients, often working on multiple growth initiatives over a few years that help to transform and continuously evolve their businesses, as seen with Target, Universal Music Group, and Stanford Children’s Health.

Jump serves clients in various industries, including but not limited to high tech, consumer packaged goods, retail, hospitality, and travel, and has specialized practices in healthcare and financial services. Other clients include Thrivent and Humana.

Jump is a "purpose-driven organization," claiming to have more in common with Starbucks and Whole Foods than it does with traditional management consulting firms like McKinsey or Bain. Jump’s overarching purpose is to transform lives through learning and growth, helping organizations develop sustainably while creating positive social impact. This empathy-informed purpose guides the company’s approach to strategy and shapes the culture for its employees, who are known as “Jumpsters.”

Jump core values include passion, enthusiasm, acuity, play, initiative, curiosity, and intention. Jumpsters strive to embody these values by promoting a culture of exploration, continuous learning, and co-creation. Jumpsters meet every morning for a standing meeting called “Scrum,” a quick gathering to share company news and updates and partake in mindfulness exercises and brain-stimulating games.

Jump is also Great Place to Work Certified and a minority-owned business.[10]

• Jump Associates Web Site
• Jump articles on Forbes
• Wired To Care book official site