VCW Impact

Align Decisions to Justify Resource Allocation.
Drive Higher Returns. Reduce Waste.

In the AI era, ideas are abundant, but resources remain scarce. Turn idea abundance into justifiable decisions before committing resources.
Decision quality and stakeholder alignment are now the real bottlenecks.

VCW transforms idea abundance into disciplined, auditable, aligned resource decisions—reducing waste and driving higher impact.

Over the past decades, across Fortune 500 companies, large corporations, SMEs, micro‑enterprises, start‑ups, NGOs, and public institutions operating in diverse sectors, the VCW has consistently delivered:

  • Enhanced decision quality

  • Stronger stakeholder alignment

  • Rigorous and justified resource allocation

  • Improved returns

  • Significant waste reduction

  • WHY?

    The problem:

    Executives struggle to allocate limited resources, align diverse stakeholders, and make high-quality decisions under uncertainty.

    As a result:

    - resources are misallocated

    - initiatives move forward without alignment

    - trade-offs remain implicit or political

    - decisions are slow and diluted

  • HOW?

    VCW is a scalable system that drives high-quality, aligned decisions before resources are committed:

    - commits resources with conviction to the best alternatives

    - explores options systematically

    - aligns stakeholders through explicit trade-offs

    - prioritizes using transparent, criteria-driven evaluation

    - integrates qualitative and quantitative inputs into a single decision logic

  • WHAT?

    The impact:

    - explicit decisions
    - stakeholders’ alignment through explicit trade-offs
    - evidence-based choices
    - fast, disciplined prioritization

    Outcomes:

    → better decisions

    → stronger alignment

    ‍→ justified resource allocation

    → higher returns

    → less waste

VCW’s Impact Across Organizations

Organization‑Wide Alignment and Resource Allocation with Conviction

“VCW is now part of Prestes’ day-to-day operations.

From strategic planning to execution, VCW has been used to structure key decisions across the organization - improving clarity, strengthening alignment, and increasing the maturity of decisions before committing time and resources.

What stands out most is the strong engagement of participants, the depth of discussions, and the quality of decisions - a clear reflection of the impact VCW is generating across the organization.

As the method scaled across strategic priorities, we are now extending VCW to other key areas of the company. This will enable us to build on more than 15 years of experience in the incorporation and construction market in Paraná’s economic segment and maintain our position as a leader in southern Brazil. Congratulations, Professor, on 30 years of dedication to such a powerful tool.”

Felippe Spinello

Chief Operating Officer Prestes, Brasil

When Aligned Decisions Drive Superior Performance

“In the five years that followed the VCW implementation, the company’s profit margin was huge. The rise in sales and profitability was incredible. (…)

The team felt true ownership because they had contributed their own filters and perspectives to the process; they believed the decision was also their decision. I clearly remember entering the HoReCa channel with the sales team and hearing them explain to customers, ‘We decided…’. It genuinely felt like a collective decision, not something imposed by the board from above. Everyone felt the decision belonged to them — and the impact of that sense of ownership within an organization cannot be overstated. (…)

VCW is an enabler of decisions which are more considered (allows a broader range of alternatives), more focused and supported (allows the incorporation of filters), and more structured (allows to follow a process). So, it makes decision-making more efficient and effective.”

Paula Hortinha

Former CEO of JMD-Jerónimo Martins Distribuição, Portugal

Alignment Drives Faster, Lower-Cost Decisions

“VCW is a very effective methodology to funnel idea generation. The VCW process does not waste time and benefits from the support of several people and different stakeholders, the more inputs the better.

It allows reaching a consensus on which ideas have more potential for the topic you are dealing with, without having to walk around in meetings after meetings, without reaching any results. We focus on the ideas achieved by consensus.

The VCW can help Key Decision Makers (KDMs) to take a decision and focus on stakeholders’ input to discover the actions that will have the most impact, based on the criteria KDMs have emerged and validated. (…)

Congratulations on the VCW methodology because it really helps a lot to focus on the output and manage time. It does not leave much space to disperse in the final results and have the infinite meetings that we had before the methodology.”

António Gutierrez Peña

Head of Ground Segment Engineering Unit at Indra Deimos, Spain

Better Investment Decisions and Resource Allocation

“We have the basic know-how and the tools to gain more awareness online. What we lack is an investment decision and a methodology to sustain it. Now it is available. (…)
The VCW is a solid method to take fundamental decisions, namely resource investment decisions.”

José Pinheiro

Former Director of International Business Development of Renova

Innovation to Generate Customer Engagement and Revenue

“As Benfica navigates the challenges of a modern, rapidly evolving world, the Value Creation Wheel (VCW) has emerged as a critical tool to guide its journey toward sustainable growth while staying true to its roots. (…)

The VCW framework has played a pivotal role in addressing Benfica’s strategic challenges. One example of its successful application is the transformation of the club’s mobile app. Initially launched during the website-dominated era, Benfica’s app faced issues such as outdated functionality, low engagement, and high no-show rates at sold-out games. The club needed a solution to transform casual engagement into deeper loyalty and revenue.

Using the VCW, Benfica collaborated with stakeholders to identify and implement innovative solutions (...) the club developed App 2.0—a platform designed to enhance fan engagement and generate revenue. (...)

With the VCW as its guide, Benfica proves that heritage and innovation can coexist, creating a brighter future for the club and its global community.”

Rui Passo

Former Vice President and Head of Innovation & Technology,
Board of Directors at Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Real, Fast, and Valuable Outcomes

“The VCW helped structure and simplify a highly complex challenge by systematizing the generation of solutions and simulating how these solutions would unfold and be implemented in practice. It enabled us to consolidate a clear business opportunity - commercializing biostimulants from our regenerative seaweed farm - aligning exactly with the strategic direction we were aiming to achieve.
As a structured, collaborative, and outcome-oriented method, VCW ensures that ideas remain practical and ready for immediate deployment, not just long-term strategy. The VCW process was key in transforming ideas into a clear and actionable pathway for implementation.

VCW led to the creation of a ‘Biostimulant Field-Trial Consortium’ pilot, providing a clear path forward with actionable concepts ready for implementation. The VCW outcomes aligned with our operational timeline, enabling near-immediate implementation with necessary adaptations. The project is already generating strong feedback from stakeholders and supporters (…)

Thank you very much once again for the hard work and great ideas that you brought forward for Hope Zones. Most importantly understanding our vision for a regenerative future and bringing practical solutions to further this vision.”

João Macedo

President of Hope Zones Foundation

Transparent and Clear Reasoning for Better Resource Allocation

“Nowadays, organizations have lots of good ideas or initiatives, but they don’t have the resources to pursue all of them. Having a clear, transparent, and collaborative process for choosing the right actions is crucial for the success of the innovation initiatives.

When looking for solutions to address this problem, I came across the VCW framework, that incorporates an excellent decision-making process, which allows an informed decision by the decision-maker with transparent and clear reasoning for the decision.”

Paulo Malta

Managing Partner Innovsky;
Former Senior Advisor to the Minister of the Presidency and Administrative Modernization in the Portuguese Government

Anticipating and Evaluating Impact Before Action

“One of the advantages of the VCW is to help to anticipate, identify and evaluate impact.”

João Viana Ferreira

Partner at NTT Data Portugal

Align Decisions to Justify Resource Allocation.
Drive Higher Returns. Reduce Waste.

  • 1. Maximize Returns and Reduce Waste

    PRIORITIZE:
    By making trade‑offs explicit, the VCW ensures that resources flow only to the highest‑value opportunities.
    It helps organizations surface what truly matters, eliminate low‑impact initiatives, and focus their attention where returns are greatest.
    This disciplined prioritization reduces waste and creates immediate clarity on where value is created.

  • 2. Justify and Govern Resource Allocation

    JUSTIFY:
    Once priorities are clear, the VCW strengthens governance by ensuring that every initiative is rigorously justified.
    Decisions become transparent, auditable, and evidence‑based. This builds organizational confidence, aligns stakeholders, and removes ambiguity from the decision‑making process. The VCW transforms intuition‑driven choices into structured, defensible resource allocations.

  • 3. Funded Execution and Control

    EXECUTE:
    With priorities set and justification established, the VCW drives confident resource deployment.
    It supports continuous reallocation toward the initiatives that deliver the greatest value, ensuring execution remains dynamic rather than static. This creates a culture of disciplined follow‑through, where resources are not only committed but actively managed to maximize impact.

Measurable Outcomes

“This technological platform accelerates the application and integration of the VCW methodology in healthcare by using dynamic, flexible, and scalable workflows (…).

By testing the system, the hospital could potentially reduce average waiting times by 30% and improve patient satisfaction indices.

The selected interventions resulted in a 25% increase in screening rates over two years. This led to higher participation in screenings, early disease detection—reducing costs and improving quality of life—and community empowerment in preventive practices.

VCW allows for solutions to complex problems through creativity, co‑production, innovation, and decision-making. The VCW method moves from diagnosing the situation to the final decision in a dynamic process involving all internal and external stakeholders in value co‑production (…), allowing adaptability and flexibility to different complex situations, innovating and creating value in healthcare, improving user experience, professional satisfaction, as well as system sustainability, enhancing its efficiency while making it more resilient.”

Anabela Coelho

CHRC – Comprehensive Health Research Centre, & School of Nursing S. João de Deus, University of Évora

Stakeholder Alignment Driving Robust and Actionable Decisions

“VCW is a very sound methodology (…) that has a great advantage of involving a large number of stakeholders in a natural way, without creating chaos in the process, because they participate in the formulation of ideas, in the formulation of the filters, and it incorporates their inputs in a transparent and rational way, until we reach outputs which have their contribution.

The VCW process is very democratic. (…) We can come up with solutions that are real. Everyone accepts them because they have been engaged in a very balanced process.

At the time of implementation, the VCW makes the supported solutions very robust. (…) We have every interest in continuing to use the VCW.”

Nuno Ávila

Country Manager of Elecnor Deimos

Industrializing Innovation at Scale

“Knowing our ability to innovate, we needed to industrialize innovation. Professor Luis Lages (…) helped us with his VCW methodology to manage this process internally and industrialize innovation.”

Gonçalo Caseiro

Former President of the Board of INCM-Casa da Moeda

A Universal Framework for Stakeholder Value Creation Through Better Decisions

“The VCW centres its process on maximizing value creation for all stakeholders, aligning decisions with long-term strategic goals and innovative opportunities. (...) It is versatile and can be applied across industries, from business strategy to public policy and beyond. (...) If the decision-making context involves innovation, strategic planning, or solving complex, multi-stakeholder problems, the VCW is the superior tool. (...)


His VCW technique will have a profound effect on humanity in the coming times as more and more young people worldwide use this universal solution finding manner. With VCW the world will definitely be a better place!”

Mark Hartmann

Retired Lufthansa Captain
Member of Vereinigung Cockpit (VC – German Pilots Union)
Entrepreneur in the Tourism Sector

Clear Value Proposition and Strategic Alignment in Consortia

“The VCW definitely helped to manage the consortium. In the NextGEOSS, the most important part of the project was to be able to convey the message of the project to the client services. We wouldn’t have such a targeted value proposition and public image for the project without the VCW. (…) The VCW had a huge impact.”

Nuno Catarino

Project Coordinator of the €10M NextGEOSS EU project, involving 27 partners across 13 European countries; formerly with the Elecnor Deimos Group.

A Strategic Compass for Decision-Making

“To rise above these biases, we embraced the Value Creation Wheel (VCW), a structured meta-framework that would guide us through the fog of uncertainty (Lages, 2016; Lages et al., 2020, 2023). This wasn’t just a tool for analysis, it became a compass for navigating the complexities of strategy and decision-making. (…)

Through the lens of the 5 Phases, the company has redefined what it means to build sustainably. By harmonizing planetary health, societal well-being, and economic growth, Greenment offers a replicable model for businesses aiming to address the pressing challenges of urbanization and climate change.

Omig Asgari

Co-founder of Greenment

From Understanding Reality to Better Policy Decisions

“The Value Creation Wheel model is very useful to understand reality, to model it, and then to use it for policies and policy making.”

Peter Villax

Chairman of Hovione Capital

Measurable Improvements in Team Performance and Decision Outcomes

“VCW is a Meta Framework, where both structure and agility reinforce the potential for innovation and decision-making model, which helped my company (...) to take efficient decisions and to develop adequate actions. The results were surprisingly useful and comprehensive, allowing us to confidently move forward (...).

As an example, the first program we implemented, right after the work done with VCW, was aimed at the management board of a company (...) The results were excellent:
• Cohesion – the group stepped from 40% of cohesion to 80%.
• Trust – the group stepped from 60% of trust to 70%.

• Collaboration – the group stepped from 60% of collaboration to 80%.
• Creativity – the group stepped from 60% of creativity to 70%.

The results obtained have positively changed the entire dynamic between these five leaders (...).

We continue to understand the overall impact that VCW gave us, not only for solving a problem, but also in a new mindset of addressing challenges. (...)

It offers a multidimensional analytical path that covers the distance between point A, initial question, and point B, the found solution, ready to be implemented.”

Maria Júlia Nunes

Founder and CEO of inSoul

Versatility Across Problems, Functions, and Contexts

“VCW aids in finding the solutions for any kind of problems (…) It can be applied in every conceivable area, at internal or client level.”

Fernando Amaro

Executive Board Member at Banco Montepio

Organization-Wide Strategy and Value Creation

“Our organization uses the VCW methodology to define every area of its existence, which is much more than a specific project. (…) We use the VCW to understand how we can create more value for our financier. (…) Moreover, we used the VCW to define not only the entire operative model throughout the year (…) but also our mission, and the entire association service model to be catered for the Portuguese society.”

Pedro Queiró

CEO of Acredita Portugal
CoFounder of DreamShaper

From Innovation to Fundable, Sustainable Solutions

“In designing a project to get EU funds, UBImedical applies the VCW in different moments to find answers to diverse challenges.The VCW framework proved to be efficient when addressing particular issues like innovation potential and capabilities, answering problems related with societal challenges, and assessing and securing sustainability of actions taken. (…)

(…) The UBImedical team uses the VCW to boosting the entrepreneurial mindset of academics, students, and staff, plus improving the relationships with the stakeholders of the local entrepreneurial ecosystems.

In the context of a EU consortium, under the scope of a 24h workshop, (…) each team used the VCW Journey’s DIANA methodology (…) to clearly define the challenge, select criteria and produce ideas, assess the set of ideas gathered according to criteria, narrow-down to a sub-set of concepts/actors/supporters, and decide upon specific actions.

Start ‘N’ team (also) undertook a VCW funnel to co-create the inhaler's most important features, the ones that would give the device its value proposition (…)The startup ‘N’ and the stakeholders involved in the VCW process were extremely satisfied with the tools, which allowed them to achieve the desired outcome, the co-creation, patient-based, user-based (…) innovative drug inhaler, in an effective way and in a timely manner.”

Dina Batista Pereira

Executive Director UBImedical Incubator
CEO of NeuroSoV

Driving Co-Creation, Innovation and Sustainable Growth

“The VCW method was powerful throughout the project. My main takeout was the very well-structured approach and quantitative methods used to generate, increase, assess and narrow ideas. (...) using quantitative rankings and weighting criteria as filters, defined by us. (…) The solution that came out was not obvious and led to great discussion (...) with our internal teams.

Multiple options were assessed: evaluating the cost and feasibility (...) potential market demand (...) considering food transition and environmental impact.

For Limiano, the biggest benefits were mostly around boosting Innovation - enhancing creative thinking - and Sustainability, by reducing environmental impact from farm to fork. (...) It highlighted the importance of several stakeholders (...) being able to sell the product internally way better.

It was an absolute pleasure to work (...) using the VCW method to systematically identify and address key value drivers, foster innovation, and sustainable growth.”

Paula Amaral Mendes

Head of Sustainability, Innovation & Strategy at BEL

From Skepticism to Practical Results

“I started as a skeptic in relation to this methodology and I confess, that in the first stage, I didn’t expect the results we obtained. At the end of the process, we found very practical solutions, and we achieved the objectives that we had set. Indeed, it was a very pleasant surprise to me.”

Paulo Pires

CEO of WhyMob
COO of Oramix

From Decisions to Resource Allocation Impact

  • Decision and Resource Allocation Performance

    1)  Resource Allocation Control

    VCW funds only rigorously justified initiatives, ensuring disciplined allocation of critical resources.

    2) Financial Performance

    VCW maximizes financial performance by allocating resources to the most justified, high-impact initiatives.

    3) Defensible and Transparent Resource Allocation

    VCW provides clear, auditable resource allocation that strengthens governance and confidence.

  • Strategic Decision and Allocation Discipline

    4) Trade-offs and Focus

    VCW forces transparent trade‑offs, ensuring scarce resources go to the highest‑value opportunities.

    5) Risk Reduction

    VCW reduces risk by committing resources only to properly evaluated and justified initiatives.

    6) Decision Speed

    VCW enables faster and more confident commitment of resources without sacrificing rigor.

  • Strategy‑Aligned Resource Governance

    7) Innovation-to-Investment Discipline

    VCW transforms ideas and exploratory insights into justified initiatives by funding only those that deserve commitment.

    8) Governance & Execution Alignment

    VCW enforces strategic alignment in funding and converts alignment into coordinated execution.

    9) Dynamic Portfolio Reallocation

    VCW continually redirects resources to the most justified and impactful opportunities.

How VCW Complements and Integrates Existing Approaches

A System for Communication Alignment

“Communication is a facilitator of innovation and value creation between people (…)

There must be a ‘mediator’ in situations where communication sometimes fails, assisting in creating more productive and inclusive dialogues (…) aligned with the methodologies of the VCW.”

José Gabriel Quaresma

CNN Portugal

Clear, Practical, and Outcome-Driven Decision Making

“I have used many frameworks over time, including Design Thinking, Business Model Canvas, and Lean Startup for my business ideas, but VCW is the one that made the process feel truly clear and meaningful. It keeps things grounded, practical, and aligned around outcomes that are not only actionable, but also realistic and sustainable.

I also appreciate how VCW brings other frameworks together in a way that feels natural, making it easier to understand the problem more deeply and develop stronger solutions.”

Davide Calvi

Founder WeAreData
Director T. Telecom Consulting

Structuring Design Thinking for Viable, Impactful Solutions

“By integrating Design Thinking's iterative prototyping with the VCW's systematic evaluation processes, organizations can enhance their ability to innovate while ensuring scalability and alignment with broader goals. (…)

This synergy enables teams to not only generate ideas but also refine and implement them effectively, creating lasting value for stakeholders. (…)

This structured process ensures that the creativity of Design Thinking translates into viable, impactful solutions.

By leveraging the strengths of both methodologies, organizations can create sustainable value and maintain a competitive edge in dynamic environments."

Guilherme Victorino

Associate Dean for Value Creation, NOVA IMS Director of the NOVA Innovation & Analytics Lab

Enhancing Agile: From Iteration to Structured Decision-Making

“Agile’s iterative, flexible approach to project delivery and VCW’s structured, systematic framework for decision-making, innovation, and value prioritization (…) By merging these methodologies (…) this creates a powerful toolkit to address complex challenges, prioritize solutions effectively, and deliver maximum value in dynamic and uncertain environments.”(…)

Agile focuses on adaptability and delivering incremental results, but it can sometimes lack a clear process for prioritizing competing ideas and aligning diverse stakeholders. (…)

VCW complements Agile by providing a robust mechanism for generating, filtering, and validating options based on clear criteria, ensuring decisions align with strategic goals. Together (…) help organizations and project managers to make better-informed decisions, enhance stakeholder collaboration, and optimize project outcomes.

VCW significantly enhances Agile by introducing structured decision-making, effective prioritization, and improved stakeholder alignment. (…) This integration leads to improved efficiency, sharper focus on value-driven outcomes, and greater stakeholder satisfaction.”

Nélia Câmara
CEO of Nova FCT Executive Education

Turning LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® into Actionable Decisions

“Integrating Lego Serious Play (LSP) with the structured decision-making framework of VCW(…) ensures that creative exploration remains aligned with strategic goals (…).

VCW complements this by structuring the decision-making process (…) the creative outputs from LSP are evaluated (…) Together, they create a (…) loop of ideation, prototyping, and strategic alignment (…)

Combining LSP with the VCW offers a powerful (…) approach to solving complex challenges. This synergy fosters creativity, collaboration, and actionable outcomes.”

Rita Oliveira Pelica
CEO & Founder ONYOU - Empowering & Learning Experiences

Beyond Silos: A System for Cross-Sector Innovation

“Integration of the Tri-Sector mindset (i.e., engagement of public sector, private sector & social sector) into the VCW enhances its ability to create solutions that are equitable, sustainable, and implementable across varied systems (…).

Organizations can build solutions that transcend traditional silos. This alignment fosters systemic thinking, enhances the scalability of innovations, and ensures inclusivity. (…)

It amplifies its potential to solve complex challenges (…) aligning diverse priorities and maximizing resource utilization.”

Can Uslay

Professor of Marketing at Rutgers Business School, USA

VCW’s Impact on Government, Public‑Sector Organizations and NGOs

Extending Impact from Business to Public and Social Sectors

“The Value Creation Wheel is a problem‑solving model initially created to meet the needs of the business sector, but its application can also be extended to the public and social sector. (…) I never get tired of highlighting these good examples because we increasingly need knowledge to support the decision and the social policy initiatives. Congratulations to Professor Luís Filipe Lages and his team for this work and good wishes for the future.”

Maria Manuel Leitão Marques
‍
Former Minister of the Presidency and of Administrative Modernisation;
Member of the European Parliament

Supporting Value Creation and Innovation Across Industries

“I consider very interesting the existence of tools to support managers in decision-making to create the maximum possible value, as is the case of Value Creation Wheel created by Professor Luis Filipe Lages and his team. The VCW helps to think innovation and value capturing in companies and organizations in sectors as diverse as aerospace, biology, energy, etc.”

Ana Teresa Lehmann

Former Secretary of State of Industry of Portugal

Unlocking Creative Thinking for Value Creation

“Creating value through an open‑minded methodology — with no bad ideas and full freedom to think inside, outside, or beyond the box — is a stimulating challenge, and one that is essential for today’s healthcare organizations.”

Manuel Delgado

Former Secretary of State of Health of Portugal

From Complexity to Consensus and Impact

“The VCW is uniquely geared to address complex challenges and co-generate creative solutions, and its effectiveness in academic research and business case studies is now beyond question. (...)

It has enormous potential for broader adoption, given its adaptability to various organizational contexts and challenges (...)

Its ability to guide conversations, create inclusive environments, and build consensus empowers it to significantly impact policy and operational outcomes. “

Luís Brites Pereira

Former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal

Better Decisions and Alignment in Public Organizations

“VCW is a very useful and powerful tool which, in addition to helping solve the more or less complex problems faced by public organizations, supports the implementation of a strategy of innovation and change, delivering real value to Public Administration, to the implementing organization, and ultimately to all of us as citizens.

(…) “The first approach to the adoption of the VCW in the Portuguese Criminal Police allowed to conclude that it could be a powerful instrument to help top management to solve any kind of problems (...) It allowed to understand that a session or a cycle of sessions based on the VCW could ease the decision process. (...) VCW could be very supportive to decision making, for instance in the allocation of resources, either human or financial ones (...)

One of the good results (…) was the good cooperation among the internal stakeholders (...) allowing for a better alignment with the operational goals. (...) The VCW’s iterative nature may help law enforcement agencies to be proactive and agile (...)

In the end of the session, the great majority of the participants assumed the huge value of the VCW (...) VCW can put together the various and diverse perspectives, analyse and balance pros and cons, help to identify the best solutions (...) and align the challenges faced by the internal stakeholders with the mission of the organisation.”

Luisa Proença

Former Deputy National Director,
Polícia Judiciária (Portuguese Criminal Police)

Societal Impact (3Rs & 5Ps)

“The VCW is an innovation, decision-making, and problem-solving methodology designed to implement the principles of the Decade of Humanity effectively and efficiently in your business and life. (...)

It is the ideal tool for unlocking the full potential of yourself, your team, and your organization.
(...) By fostering better innovation, decision-making, and problem-solving, the Value Creation Wheel embodies a truly values-based business model. (...)

Its distinctive features make it highly versatile, adaptable, and impactful, especially when applied to initiatives like the Decade of Humanity, which focus on creating meaningful societal change. (...)

By using the Value Creation Wheel, the Decade of Humanity can transition from an inspiring concept into a transformative movement with measurable, lasting outcomes..”

Bert Martin Ohnemüller

High-Performance Business Philosopher, TEDx speaker, and author.

Sustainable, Scalable and Context‑Specific

“The usefulness of the VCW has been put to the test and proved consistently valuable. During the first Tropical Summit, a groundbreaking event held in Lisbon, (…) drove value across the four pillars of the tropical summit (planetary health, agriculture development, social and territorial transitions, and human empowerment). (…)

The VCW enables stakeholders to develop practical, scalable, and sustainable solutions tailored to the realities of the tropics (…) Rather than applying one-size-fits-all models, the VCW enables stakeholders to co-create context-specific strategies

"The VCW is a powerful tool for implementing feasible and scalable strategies that are effectively accepted and adopted at all levels."

Ana I. Ribeiro-Barros
Andrea Valente

Tropical College, University of Lisbon

VCW’s Impact Across Functions

Overcoming Decision Paralysis and Accelerating Business Impact

“The VCW team came up with 3 proposed solutions (...) they designed the business case for each solution, which created the needed setting (...) to take effective sustained decisions.

The project allowed the Career Management Team to surpass decision paralysis and to accelerate solutions that could bring a tangible impact to the business performance and positioning, empowering the team to continuously adapt, reposition and grow.”

Vânia Fonseca

Former Manager at Mercer

Clear Prioritization and Stakeholder-Aligned Development

“Using the VCW methodology made us look at our technology in a new light, focusing on our goals and identifying the core aspects for attaining them. It allowed us to quickly define priorities for our development, while taking into account inputs from all major stakeholders in a manageable way.”

Nuno Catarino

Former Head of Division of Elecnor Deimos

Structured Convergence to the Most Relevant Insights

“I like the way the VCW framework structures the information. (…) it goes through different stages until you funnel the ideas and get the more relevant information out of it.”

Nuno Grosso

Senior Project Engineer of Elecnor Deimos

From Technology to High-Value Markets

“We use the Value Creation Wheel (…) to explore application opportunities for the PURE Technology in several industries considering both the inventors' and stakeholders' perspectives.

The VCW dynamic framework involves the key stakeholders in the decision process of the best market application. (…) The VCW filters used in the selection of the best application of these next generation adsorbents were divided into technology and market filters. (…)

Based on interviews and market reports the recommendation ended up being to focus on using PURE adsorbents in the purification of monoclonal antibodies and virus like particles. (…) Then, with the inventors and stakeholders, the selected applications were classified and ranked according to their interests.

The recommendation ended up being to focus on using PURE adsorbents in the purification of monoclonal antibodies and virus like particles due to the strong necessity of creating new alternatives to downstream processing for them.”

José Dinis
Fernanda Llussá
Paula Urze
Cecília Roque

Nova School of Science and Technology
Nova University of Lisbon

Fresh Ideas with Scalable Application

“With the VCW we got fresh and out-of-the-box ideas.
We can also replicate this process to other products and services.”

Aurélio Duarte

Chief Information Officer at Insparya Portugal

Systematic Decision‑Making

“Uniplaces, uses the Value Creation Wheel (VCW) framework to systematically understand the nature of SEO in real estate. (…)

It has been successfully implemented at Uniplaces, where it has been used to guide decision-making processes across various teams. (…)

By applying VCW, Uniplaces can enhance collaboration, refined strategies, and generated innovative solutions to address challenges in their rental business operations."

Yousef Ebrahimi

Data Analyst & SEO Growth Strategist

Stronger Decision Justification and Confidence

“The VCW value comes from the reasoning;
now we have great arguments to support our recruiting decision.”

Tânia Franco Marques

Former Senior HRM Officer of Elecnor Deimos

VCW’s Relevance for Higher Education

Enabling Innovation Processes for Startup Growth

“We need a better interaction between universities and firms. (….)
What we want is more startups that have a process to produce innovation and value.
Start-ups that grow.”

Manuel Caldeira Cabral

Former Minister of Economy of Portugal

Trusted Tool for Solving Real Organizational Challenges

“Since we believe in the tool, we use it ourselves.
What we have been doing with Luis is to identify interesting challenges here at our school, so that the VCW methodology can help us to address some of those challenges.
(…) So thank you Luis on behalf of Nova.”

Pedro Oliveira

Dean of Nova SBE

Implementation with Measurable Results

“Nova SBE Library leveraged the VCW framework to address the challenge of improving booking system adoption. Despite 86% of students reporting difficulty finding study spots, only 20% had ever used the system. (…)

A comprehensive implementation plan was developed:

- Trial Phase: A 30-day free trial minimized risk.

- Launch Strategy: Timed promotions, onboarding campaigns, and stakeholder training ensured smooth adoption.

  • KPIs: (…) increased usage by 40%, improved user satisfaction, and 30% more data collection.”

Susana Lopes

Head Librarian of Nova SBE

Turning Challenges into Growth and Resilience

“The VCW methodology, as a strategic tool for executive education schools, offers a comprehensive and action‑oriented approach that enables institutions to navigate a changing world and transform challenges into growth opportunities. By addressing critical dimensions such as leadership, decision-making, innovation, internationalization, people management, risk, and complex problem-solving, VCW ensures more informed, collaborative, and sustainable decisions.

In a sector where adaptation and differentiation are essential, VCW has enabled Nova SBE Executive Education not only to respond to current challenges but also to build a more resilient and innovative future.”

Pedro Brito

CEO Nova SBE Executive Education;
Associate Dean of Nova SBE

Bringing Structure and Method to Innovation

“Innovation for the future has to be much more methodical,
and method for innovation is exactly what the VCW is about.”

Daniel Traça

Former Dean of Nova SBE

Solve Complex, Multidisciplinary Challenges

“Having closely followed the creator of the Value Creation Wheel (VCW) in documented processes, (…) (TropiKMan PhD) sought to develop a highly motivated new generation from diverse fields such as agricultural, environmental, and life sciences, health, economics, management, history, and other social sciences. The goal was to use science and technology to promote development in tropical regions. By applying the VCW in their PhD theses, students were able to address a wide range of complex challenges in the Tropics.

Jorge Braga Macedo

Former Minister of Finance
Emeritus Professor at Nova SBE

Transforming Learning into Real-World Impact

“From the moment I first experienced a Value Creation Wheel (VCW) workshop, I recognized its transformative potential for decision-making and innovation. Since then, I have aspired to integrate this powerful methodology into the Executive Education programs at NOVA FCT, offering participants with a structured approach to not only solving complex challenges but also driving value creation. (…)

What we teach is only valuable if participants can apply it to make a meaningful, positive difference in their work. The VCW Method (a structured problem-solving and decision-making framework) perfectly aligns with our mission by helping individuals, teams, and organizations tackle complex challenges with a strong focus on value creation.”

Nélia Câmara

CEO of Nova FCT Executive Education

Agile, Scalable Decision-Making for Complex Challenges

“The VCW model equips managers with a structured yet flexible approach to ‘walk the talk’. (…) Provides a structured methodology for problem-solving and decision-making by integrating diverse perspectives to identify and implement optimal solutions. (…)

The VCW’s iterative process (…) mirrors the principles of agility (…) ensuring that organizations can pivot effectively in response to shifts in the markets. The VCW helps managers develop scalable solutions to multi-dimensional challenges.

The VCW framework was utilized in projects like NextLand and NextOcean (…) overseeing the coordination of the ‘Innovation Management Board’. This is where the VCW can guide managers’ decision-making systematically, leading to success.

I am excited to witness the global success of the VCW brand… paving the way for breakthroughs and competitive advantages.”

Yoel Asseraf

Head of MBA of the Rupin Academic Center Israel

From Ideas to Viable, Impactful Solutions

“We were able to arrive at a set of differentiated and well-structured solution proposals. The method helped us not only in the ideation process but also in validating these ideas and deciding which were the most viable for implementation.

(...) one of the key advantages of this method is the balance it strikes between innovation (...) and optimization (...) ensuring that the solutions are both creative and practical, feasible for implementation (...)

The VCW can provide significant enhancement to Project Based Learning (PBL) regarding:

  • aligning with and reinforcing the competencies that PBL aims to develop in students, such as critical thinking, collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability (...)

  • providing a value-driven approach to solving PBL challenges more strategically (...)

  • enhance students’ ability to deliver impactful, value-driven solutions (...)

Combining the experiential learning power of PBL with the strategic rigor of the VCW (...) reinforces the value provided (...). The VCW offers a pathway to make that vision a reality, reinforcing Nova SBE’s role as a leader in experiential, impact-driven education.”

Jessica Carvalho


Head of Strategic Development for Global Education
Nova School of Business and Economics

Engaging Organizations in Solving Real Challenges

“Many thanks to Luis Lages and to Nova School of Business and Economics for the opportunity to present Sport Lisboa e Benfica and some of our challenges to the Master students of Innovation and Value Creation Wheel course!

Great concept this VCW methodology!”

Rui Passo

Treasury Director, Board of Directors of Benfica Foundation

From Structured Thinking to Actionable Solutions Across Education

“What fascinates me about the VCW is its structured process (...) culminating in actionable solutions (...)

The VCW can support higher education Institutions (through):

  1. Defining Purpose: (…)The VCW can assist in redefining missions, values, and goals, aligning them with these broader objectives. (…)

  2. Curriculum Development: HEIs face the challenge of designing curricula that meet industry demands, reflect emerging trends, and address complex subjects like digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and sustainability. The VCW facilitates this process by incorporating diverse perspectives and innovative approaches.

  3. Addressing Curriculum Obsolescence: (…) The VCW helps develop adaptive curricula that meet current and future demands while adhering to global educational standards.

  4. Enhancing Student Engagement: (...) The VCW can uncover creative strategies to boost student motivation, participation, and engagement. By involving students, alumni, and faculty in the process, it creates a collaborative approach to improving education systems. (...)

  5. Improving Student Satisfaction: (…)Tools like the Net Promoter Score (NPS) and pedagogic surveys, essential for evaluating faculty performance, can be enhanced using the VCW.

  6. Supporting Faculty Development: The VCW can help uncover strategies to support and motivate faculty, addressing their diverse challenges effectively. (...)

The examples above, while specific to academia and education, reflect how the VCW can be used to address challenges across industries. In a rapidly evolving world, innovative approaches like the VCW are essential. (...) The VCW’s process not only enhances awareness for decision-makers but also fosters greater engagement and commitment to implementing solutions.”

Marta Bicho

Dean of IPAM

Delivering Actionable Directions with Real Adoption

“Congratulations (to the students of the “Innovation and VCW” Master Course at Nova SBE) on the work developed – it felt very insightful and it indeed provided relevant directions for Ciência Viva to pursue. We are now actually participating in a project proposal where we will be leading a work package on inclusion and diversity (including gender), and I am already thinking on how to include several elements of your proposal into it.”

Maria Vicente

Project Development Coordinator of Ciência Viva

Advancing Scientific Knowledge and Publication Impact

“(…) It was amid such complexity that my PhD supervisor at the time, Luís Filipe Lages, brought to my attention the Value Creation Wheel (VCW), a strategic decision-making framework designed to help individuals and organizations identify, evaluate, and implement innovative solutions to complex challenges. The VCW is a simple and quite straightforward methodology for an inexperienced doctoral student, describing five specific steps of what needs to be done (...)

I leveraged the validated operational definition from the previous stage to explore new hypotheses and advance knowledge in the field. Specifically, I was able to confirm that compassion to others is an antecedent of transformational social entrepreneurship. I also confirmed that transformational social entrepreneurship has a positive impact on performance and work engagement.

The first study was eventually accepted in the Journal of Business Ethics, with the title “Social entrepreneurship as a family resemblance concept with distinct ethical views” (Lancastre, Lages and Santos, 2024).”

Filipa Lancastre

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics

Strategic Prioritization for Fundraising Impact

“Fund-Raising is a huge challenge for non-profits. The VCW methodology makes us prioritize our scope and from there help to be specific about what to focus on to reach our dream one campaign at a time.

Both main ideas will be pursued in the short-term. The idea regarding organizing an ocean expedition as a fund-raising vessel is pertinent through the long-run… as is the partnership with Cabo d’Mar.”

João Macedo

President of Hope Zones Foundation;
Founding Partner Surf Academia Joao Macedo

Engaging Communities to Co-Create Better Solutions

“Last year, we used this methodology to find solutions to improve the school meal. (…) This is an excellent framework to put the entire school community thinking together about the best solutions to improve the food served at school.

This framework was very useful, but it was also good to make the children aware that their opinions matter and they can help solving problems that affect them too.”

Maria Elsa Lopes

Teacher at Sagrado Coração de Maria

Communication with Stakeholders & Planning

“The VCW increases communication with stakeholders, facilitates dialogue, facilitates students’ understanding of business difficulties, facilitates planning. Motivates (…) to continue our journey.”

Alexandra Santos

Founder of Livros Pangaea

In this video, different leaders explain how VCW has impacted their organizations.

Watch

  • Faster, High-Confidence Decisions

    - Reduces decision time by removing misalignment, circular debates, and unclear next steps

    - Forces early agreement on problem and criteria removing delays later in the process

    - Separates idea generation from evaluation, accelerating idea-to-decision cycles

    - Replaces opinion-driven debate with structured, evidence-based evaluation (e.g., scoring, criteria)

    - Prevents late-stage rework by addressing risks, feasibility, and stakeholder input upfront

    - Prevents decision bottlenecks by structuring clear transitions from analysis to decision.

    - Cuts meeting and preparation time by standardizing decision framing.

    - Enables faster executive decisions with clear, structured inputs.

    👉 Key Impact: Eliminates decision paralysis and accelerates time-to-decision without compromising quality or confidence.

  • Better Capital Allocation and Higher Returns

    - Ensures ideas are evaluated based on strategic fit and value creation

    - Turns innovation into growth by embedding capital discipline in decision‑making.

    - Directs resources to the highest-value opportunities based on explicit criteria

    - Eliminates low-impact, misaligned, or non-scalable initiatives early

    - Improves decision quality through structured, cross-functional, evidence-based evaluation

    - Accelerates time-to-value (earlier execution = earlier returns)

    - Reduces risk of costly failures and late pivots

    - Innovation is not treated as creativity alone, but as value creation minus resources

    👉 Key Impact: Directs resources to the highest-value opportunities, maximizing returns while minimizing investment risk.

  • Less Waste and Greater Efficiency

    - Prevents wasted effort through clear project scope

    - Avoids slow, costly decisions that silently erode revenue, energy, and valuation

    - Early filtering, feasibility checks, and stakeholder validation reduce innovation failure rates

    - Prevents investment in weak or misaligned initiatives before committing resources

    - Avoids delays where teams wait for direction or approvals

    - Reduces time wasted in unstructured meetings and repeated discussions

    - Eliminates redundant work, duplicated analysis, and unnecessary pilots

    - Ensures resources (time, budget, talent) are allocated proportionally to value

    - Minimizes political or emotional decision-making through transparent evaluation

    👉 Key Impact: Prevents investment in low-impact initiatives and eliminates rework, reducing cost, time, and organizational friction.

  • Stronger Alignment and Execution

    - Aligns stakeholders early to reduce resistance and execution risk

    - Turns decisions into action plans with clear next steps and milestones.

    - Ensures decisions are understood, accepted, and supported - accelerating implementation

    - Establishes ownership and accountability from decision to execution

    - Defines execution priorities, preventing dilution of focus across initiatives

    - Maintains consistency between strategic decisions and operational execution

    - Creates a shared decision narrative that enables coordinated action across teams

    - Ensures continuity from decision to implementation, preserving intent in execution

    👉 Key Impact: Aligns stakeholders early and converts decisions into clear, actionable pathways with accountability - significantly increasing execution success.

  • Motivated and Accountable Teams

    - Gives stakeholders a real voice in shaping decisions, increasing ownership and commitment

    - Builds accountability by linking decisions to clearly defined responsibilities

    - Connects individual contributions to strategic outcomes and value creation

    - Creates a sense of progress through structured phases and visible decision milestones

    - Reduces frustration by clarifying priorities and eliminating ambiguity in what matters

    - Strengthens cross-functional collaboration by creating shared ownership of outcomes

    - Encourages proactive contribution by creating a safe and structured environment for input

    - Reinforces accountability by making contributions and decisions visible across the organization

    👉 Key Impact: Creates ownership and accountability by giving stakeholders a real voice in decisions, driving stronger performance.

  • Scalable Decision-Making and Innovation System

    - Acts as a meta-framework integrating tools and approaches into one system

    - Brings discipline to innovation, using superior decision-making to turn ideas into impact.

    - Provides a repeatable, organization-wide process (DIANA, DIFER, TIAGO)

    - Creates a common language and governance model across teams and units

    - Enables consistent decision quality across projects, geographies, and functions

    - Reduces dependency on individual intuition by institutionalizing decision logic

    - Designed to handle complexity, uncertainty, and multi-stakeholder environments

    - Designed to scale across multinationals, corporate groups, and multi‑industry ecosystems.

    👉 Key Impact: Turns decision-making and innovation into a scalable, repeatable system that works across teams, units, and geographies.