“Networks, — social, neural, physical, metaphorical — enable connectedness and connectedness changes everything. Networks compress distances and time, that concentration speeds up life, and that, in turn, creates sociological and economic change” (“The New Victorian Age”, by Om Malik, Fast Company, May 2015, P. 38…. Read More ›
Managing People
A PLUG FOR TEAM MANAGEMENT
In their most basic form, organizational work units consist of four parts: (1) a named entity of some size (i.e. a team, branch, staff, division, etc); a service or mission focus for that unit; (3) an assemblage of human talent and skills to… Read More ›
ADVERTIZING A JOB: TELL THE TRUTH
I recently had a long conversation with a disgruntled employee. Her primary issue was that she believed she was lied to and deceived about her job when hired. She told me she applied for and was promised at her hiring a major… Read More ›
CREATING POSITIVE TEAM CHEMISTRY
Now here is a dream achievement for most managers; creating positive team chemistry. If only a manager could find the magic formula that creates a team environment where almost any accomplishment is possible. The trouble is, there is no magic… Read More ›
MERGING ORGANIZATIONS? MERGE PEOPLE AND FAST
Over the years I have observed — up close and from afar — numerous company, business and agency mergers. None of them ever went as smoothly as promised. A few well-managed mergers produced minimal pain, while some others had their human victims… Read More ›
KEEPING YOUR WORKFORCE ENGAGED
I have been following yearly surveys focused on the topic of “Workforce Engagement” for the last fifteen years. These surveys have varied in their methodologies and organizational authors. Some focused exclusively on the United States, while others offered a global perspective…. Read More ›
AT WORK OR WORKING?
The term “knowledge workforce” refers to those individuals who make their living primarily by developing and using KNOWLEDGE in their daily work. The knowledge workers are our planners, analyzers, organizers, programmers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, marketers and designers whose contributions transform our business, commerce and… Read More ›
UNLOCKING WHAT YOU SEE IN OTHERS
Of all the management challenges I confronted over the years, this one was one of the most challenging of all. To begin with, what we think we see in others is a perception. Sometimes it is a perception based on… Read More ›
DON’T ASK IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO ACT ON WHAT YOU HEAR
I recently encountered the following story. A supervisor initiated an employee opinion survey designed, among other things, to identify what the staff thought of their performance as a manager. The supervisor promised the responses would be anonymous and had arranged to have another staff… Read More ›
GOOD MANAGEMENT: THE ART OF NUDGING
I once asked a senior manager colleague what she considered the “core competency” of a good manager. “the art of Effective Nudging“, she replied. I knew at once what she meant as I had done my fair share of it… Read More ›