When a system is over-constrained (i.e. there are too many rules or too much bureaucracy) it often folds back into chaos i.e. order collapses. For example, too much bureaucracy forces employees to find all kinds of work-arounds to get their work done, leading to a collapse of discipline. Once a system is in chaos, order is often imposed by a despotic leader. All goes well for a while, but slowly the bureaucracy creeps in again, and in an attempt to [...]
We often need to explain to people what a heuristic is. Usually we tell them that it's similar to a "rule of thumb" and then try to give examples. I came across this great example on Bob Sutton's blog ... "Today, after lunch, an executive told me a story about how a secretary where he worked walked-up to the boss and asked "when are the layoffs?" The boss looked shocked and wondered what in the world prompted the question. She answered that [...]
CIO magazine reported on a research piece done by The Burton Group on why large organisations find it difficult to adopt social networking internally when their employees use it so easily outside of work. Some of the key issues identified are the same ones that have hamstrung many KM initiatives. Here's an excerpt from the article, I especially like the quote in bold towards the end of the final bullet point ... "Some vendors are saying employees will go in and naturally fill these enterprise [...]
During a really interesting meeting this morning, it was said: You never hear about "accountability struggles". Power is highly desired, accountability not so. This line articulated a pattern we see often in culture audits. Manager's hesitance to accept responsibility and accountability for decisions often lead to inertia and a "pass the buck" mentality that is detrimental to the productivity and morale of employees. I wonder how much of this is caused by a general intolerance to failure in an organisation. [...]
We're a finalist in the SA Blog Awards for a second year in a row. We're chuffed as we've been nominated in the Best Business Blogand Best Group Blog. To those who nominated us, thanks. To those who might be tempted to vote for us ... mosey on over to the blog awards widget on the right of this page, click and enter your vote for us (and other amazing local blogs). Voting closes on 1st April 2009.
Someone sent me this funny anecdote about the consequences of assuming the person you're communicating with understands what you mean ... Employee; "Yello Bakery, how I can help you?" Customer; "I would like to order a cake for Friday." Employee; "What you want on cake?" Customer; "Best wishes Suzanne." and underneath that, "We will miss you." The result ...
Dave is having some trouble with editors of the HBR who want him to "dumb" down the content of his next article for their more"astute" business readers. This is how he likens the process: "In both cases it's rather like a conclave of dinosaurs sitting down in the wreckage of their world post impact, demanding more simple articles on dental hygiene to cope with the fur of these strange new things, the early mammals. Or if you want another illustration, playing that old familiar fiddle while [...]
You might have seen that the slogan we have up on our website is this: "The common ground between complex problems and simple solutions." In explaining what this means we often refer to the use of an efficiency rudder used to improve the turning circle of ships (read about it here). In a similar light, I've discovered the story of John Snow as an example of how a simple solution can solve a complex problem ... In 1854, cholera broke out in [...]
TGIF is an informal gathering of like-minded people who meets every Friday to discuss interesting topics. The invitation they sent out this week really got me thinking. Here it is (emphasis added)... Is it possible to "hold" values without owning them? Ask 10 people in the street whether they think honesty (for example) is a great value, and 9.5 of them will say yes. Ask the same 10 people whether they are always honest, and there will be fewer affirmations - [...]
I came across this little story in a book byMax Lucado. I thought it was quite applicable to the way many people approach business ... Let's imagine that you want to learn to dance. Being the rational, cerebral person you are, you go to a bookstore and buy a book on dancing. You take the book home and get to work. Finally, you think you’ve got it, and you invite your wife to come in and watch. You hold the [...]
