For years (centuries?) there have been boundary issues, discussions and disputes between parishes, districts, boroughs and counties. Where are the lines to be drawn, and who takes responsibility? Each political area then has its own structure of management – and in most cases consists of: unpaid political leaders and members to give the strategic direction as voted for by the population, and a paid CEO, directors and managers to lead the staff.
Cost exist to be reduced.
I was reminded of this great quote from the master of the Toyota Production System today: “Costs do not exist to be calculated. Costs exist to be reduced.”
As a Chartered Accountant, I am well trained to understand cost – especially with respect to Activity Based Costing. Understanding the cost of every element of the process is clearly important. However, it is all too easy to then assume that these activities are actually necessary.
Check the Management System
Business issues can often feel either complicated or complex – and sometimes both. And yet I regularly see senior management trying to find a simple solution. If only life were that easy! I’m frequently asked to help diagnose serious business situations spanning hundreds of employees doing their job, together with their team leaders, managers and directors…
Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence
In the change management arena, people interactions are key, especially for those in the consultant’s role. I continuously refer to Daniel Goleman’s work, an American psychologist who developed a framework of five elements that define emotional intelligence.
Angry Birds Layoffs: Poor strategic aim causes pigs to proliferate as Rovio’s growth slows
Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, recently announced layoffs, as reported in Wired and elsewhere. I don’t believe, however, that Rovio’s issues stem from the inherent nature of mobile gaming.
If we look at their iconic games, we find “innovations” that distract from game play and push advertising and upgrades at every turn. Angry Birds started as an engaging game playing experience that was simple and well designed. Rovio has lost its strategic path as the company attempted to enhance revenue streams through push sales automation and near coercion of their audience.
From A to B – The difference between Change Management and Work Design.
When I explain to people what it is that I do, the end result is often “Ah, you’re a change consultant.” The conversation rarely begins with “What are you actually changing to?”. It’s a bit like talking about a journey from A to B – and focusing solely on the car you’re driving, without ever considering where you’re actually going, or asking what’s wrong with where you are?
What is ‘Good’?
Fans of Only Fools & Horses will remember Dell-Boy’s great line to the supermarket check-out girl, “Did you sue them?” When asked who, he replied “The Charm School!” And many of us will have found ourselves in circumstances when we would have loved to use the same sarcastic wit.
Four Quick, Easy, Surefire Ways of Improving Customer Experience
MightyCall‘s Edmund Tee captured some of my comments from a recent advisory session and posted them as a blog. He did a great job of representing the issues we were discussing. His accuracy also reflects on the value of recording meetings so you don’t have to rely just on handwritten notes.
Should I Delete Email During Vacation?
Should I Delete E-mail During Vacation? A post on the BBC new magazine asks the question: “Should holiday email be deleted?” First, let me say to American readers that in this case “holiday” means “vacation.” What they mean to ask is: “Should I have incoming E-mail deleted while on vacation?” My answer, yes, but with a caveat. If you […]
The post Collaboration Tip: Delete E-mail During Vacation appeared first on Serious Insights.
The Economist Get’s Airport Check-in Wrong
In the Guliver blog on Economist.com (Check-in desks Time to check-out?), the writer suggest that airlines do away with airport check-in. We do it all on-line anyway, and who would miss the queues waiting for check-i anyway?. Well, for the most part, self-check-in is common, but not universal (59% of people still check-in at the counter). Airlines […]
The post The Economist Get’s Airport Check-in Wrong appeared first on Daniel W. Rasmus.
