A Finance Manager, Ops Manager, Human Resource Manager and a group of Employees walk into a bar. They all fight over whose round it is. End of joke! The Finance Manager had noticed that the Ops Manager and HR Manager always ask for more money than they need. They also noticed that every year they spend … Continue reading The cause of poor workplace performance – no matter which way you look at it.
Ladies and gentleman. The financial performance is not enough!
"Ladies and gentleman. The financial performance is not enough. The real thing is the harmony within the company. If you have the harmony within the company the financial performance will arrive. If you don’t have the harmony inside the company the financial performance, even if you have them, will be lost. The real key is … Continue reading Ladies and gentleman. The financial performance is not enough!
It would seem to be so self‑evident that maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with maximum prosperity for the employé, ought to be the two leading objects of management …
"It would seem to be so self‑evident that maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with maximum prosperity for the employé, ought to be the two leading objects of management, that even to state this fact should be unnecessary. And yet there is no question that, throughout the industrial world, a large part of the organization … Continue reading It would seem to be so self‑evident that maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with maximum prosperity for the employé, ought to be the two leading objects of management …
‘Command and Control’ or ‘Facilitate and Release’
“We are in the middle of one of the most profound shifts in human history, where the primary work of mankind is moving from the Industrial Age of “control” to the Knowledge Worker Age of “release.”Stephen R Covey The quote above is from the foreword of "Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning … Continue reading ‘Command and Control’ or ‘Facilitate and Release’
Focus on improving the parts or focus on improving the whole?
Can we move the whole by focusing on just one part? I wonder what Archimedes would have said?
Air New Zealand, the 3C’s and HPE
Finding the synergy between Consumer Value, Commercial Responsibility and Culture has been the key to Air New Zeland success … “Our customer centricity, commercial focus, and highly engaged culture have made Air New Zealand the most revered company in our part of the world as reflected in our corporate reputation rankings on both sides of the Tasman.”Mr … Continue reading Air New Zealand, the 3C’s and HPE
Remove resistance or harness it?
There are fundamentally two approaches to dealing with resistance to change. First, we can see the power in it and utilise it in the same way as Dr. Kegan and Dr. Lahey suggest in my last post or, we can see it as harmful and try to eliminate it. In 2001 Prof. Victoria Mabin and … Continue reading Remove resistance or harness it?
Facilitating change – the real issues are …
"It's worth remembering that we lived in tribes for millennia, long before we learned how to speak. Emotional connection is our default. We only added words and symbolic logic much later. There are a few places where all that matters is the words. Where the force of logic is sufficient to change the moment. The rest … Continue reading Facilitating change – the real issues are …
How Culture Works
What is culture?'Culture' is a term that has become an important part of any organisation's vocabulary and a defining characteristic when talking about the organisation to both employees and customers. However, what it really means, how it works, and the impact it has on performance are often misunderstood. At Human Synergistics International, they define "culture" in … Continue reading How Culture Works
Can the Life Styles Inventory™ (LSI) be used as a cultural diagnostic?
The Life Styles Inventory™ (LSI) is one of the Human Synergistics International tools for individuals. It is actually two tools: The first is Life Styles Inventory™ (LSI 1). This tool provides participants with the answer to the question “How do I think I think?” The second is Life Styles Inventory™ (LSI 2). This tool provides participants … Continue reading Can the Life Styles Inventory™ (LSI) be used as a cultural diagnostic?
How efficient is a fire engine?
Fire engines are really important. When someone's house or business is burning down or there is a major problem it will often be a fire engine that "saves the day". That is why they have real value. But, when things are quiet, fire engines just sit there doing nothing. What is worse is that they … Continue reading How efficient is a fire engine?