Critical Thinking & Problem Solving March 2, 2010
Posted by ehatch in Leadership.Tags: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving
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We have all had this experience. We were in a meeting where the assembled participants struggled with a problem; progress was slow, frustration high and momentum fleeting. Then, just when advancement appeared to arrest, a member offers a thought that captured the essence of the prior discussion and posed an elegant solution to the issue at hand. Our reaction; “I wish I had thought of that.” For that brief moment we were energized to enhance our decision-making. We pined for this leader/problem solver image. Following is a brief synopsis of how such decision-making occurs. (more…)
Quality is a Process, not a Program January 19, 2010
Posted by paulwlarson in Leadership, Quality.Tags: Leadership, Quality
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There is an illusion about quality that starts with the erroneous idea that a company knows what the customer wants when sometimes the customer doesn’t even know.
Thirty years ago people certainly didn’t know they would want a cell phone or personal computer; they didn’t exist. A reality is the most basic definition of quality still eludes many at the working levels of an organization, as their quality measurements don’t reflect that customers sometimes don’t know what they want. Since nature abhors a vacuum, organizations tend to measure quality in ways that don’t reflect this detail about customers. (more…)
The 10% Precedent December 11, 2009
Posted by paulwlarson in Leadership, Quality.Tags: Leadership, Statistical Thinking, Systems Thinking
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Ten percent is a number that shows up frequently when top management is setting and evaluating performance results for a part or all of an organization.
Here are some examples that can be found in many organizations today:
* Increase sales by 10%
* Reduce the accident rate by 10%
* In crease market share by 10%
* Remove the bottom 10% performers
* Address and explain all budget variances in excessive of 10%
* Improve profits by 10%
* Reduce labor costs by 10%
Why is this? What is so magical about the number – 10 percent? (more…)
Leadership Takes Courage November 30, 2009
Posted by Gregory Gull, Ph.D. in Leadership.Tags: Leadership, self-development
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What we believe to be true to a large extent is socially constructed. Accordingly, in Western society we tacitly learn to believe that the main purpose in life is to acquire as much as we can. While there is no truth to the adage the one who dies with the most toys wins, it seems to be the guiding principle of those seeking to keep up with the Joneses.
When life becomes a game, then unavoidably we become the pawns—the victims of our own devices. That is, not only does one structure his/her life in a way that will inhibit the development of his/her humanness, it also impacts the development of others. (more…)
The End of International Business November 13, 2009
Posted by thirdculture1 in Global Leadership.Tags: Cross-cultural
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Naturally, there are different laws and politics overseas but the idea of us (domestic) and them (international) no longer holds. When the owners, management, clients, suppliers, and labor are global the only thing domestic is a slender thread to the nation state. Take a hypothetical company whose management and ownership is mostly US but whose major supplier is in Shanghai, whose biggest client is in Seattle, and whose go-to graphic artist is a Russian in Toronto. Or, take the beer company, formerly known as the American icon Anheuser-Busch, but which was sold to a Belgian brewer. Business is not international, business is not domestic, and resists neat categories! Business is an involved system that taps into the humanities; it is not for amateurs, but it is not impossible. (more…)
Systems View of Empowerment November 6, 2009
Posted by paulwlarson in Empowerment, Learning Organization.Tags: Empowerment
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A self-directed workforce is a puzzle to most in management in the same way that land is a mystery to dolphins.
They may be masters of their domain and seem to be in control, but in a world of self-actualizing employees, they are completely out of their element. Companies today are looking to create and dominate emerging opportunities. A self-directed learning organization is a competitive advantage in exploiting those opportunities.
Those organizations that have achieved this state realize they simply can’t be disorganized or inefficient, except to people who don’t understand. They have achieved a true transformation of the governance model of an organization.
The Role of Empowerment in Self-Direction. (more…)
Looking for Leadership in All The Wrong Places November 2, 2009
Posted by Gregory Gull, Ph.D. in Leadership.Tags: Leadership, Leadership Development
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Most make reference to the leadership in an organization, speaking about what leadership has done, hasn’t done, is doing or not doing—as if leadership is actually present everywhere! The term is used in so many different ways and in so many different contexts. As a result we are never quite sure what we are really referring to when the term leadership is the subject of the conversation. Just pay particular attention to its use over the next few days and you will no doubt experience this firsthand. You will see that there are many views of leadership, so let’s examine the most popular views.
