ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Understanding How Change Has Changed
There seems to be an assumption that change is a single traumatic event that is thrust upon us and over which we have no control. In the recent past this was definitely true, in industry there would come a sudden realisation at the end of the financial year that unless we did something radical we were going to the wall. The huge and destructive changes that then occurred fitted this model. In 1936 Kurt Lewin suggested that change be divided into three phases: Unfreezing This finite process with a beginning middle and end is dated in a climate that is today too dynamic to allow us the luxury of such a mechanistic process. Our competitors, our industry and our technology are changing so quickly that we must change constantly to keep up. If we have to stop to make a change we will be lost. Kurts proposition is an indication of how much our understanding and use of change has developed. The difference is between the assumptions made then and what is actually happening now, years later. Change is now accepted as a part of the way we need to react to continue to stay competitive. For the most part it is still administered in large indigestible lumps and for the most part we still have no control. Today we are going to the next level. The process of change itself must become dynamic. The only way this can be achieved is to make change part of our daily expectation. Every day we must consider how to improve and that is not possible unless the environment is created that allows us to want to get better at what we do. How to change to that environment is the key. When the workforce becomes involved in the change instead of having it thrust upon them their ideas are respected and used, the resistance to change disappears. We create a workforce that is powerful and valuable, who are proud of their ability to improve the performance of their organisation and constantly seek new ways to personally add value. This sounds like a fantasy based on a plot for the perfect organisation which we know will never be recreated in reality. Except that this fantasy is already a reality. The model created by Ricardo Semler in Semco demonstrates not only how socially right creating ownership is, it is also unequivocal proof of the financial return that accrues when the workforce are allowed to take ownership. Peter A Hunter
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Improving Patient Sensitivity in Doctors and Hospital Staff COMPANY/ORGANIZATION Too Much Time Treating Symptoms A man drives down the highway each day on his way to work. On Monday he gets a flat tire. Like anyone else, he takes his lumps, changes his tire, and moves on. How to Get the Best from Outsourcing There's a great little article ('Business Lifeforms') on the back pages of the UK's leading management magazine, Management Today each month. It's a spoof (at least I think it is!) about some fictitious key player in a fictitious organisation. For January, it's about Ken, who's a 'Facilities Manager'.Now Ken has seen it all and truly worked his way up from the bottom to the top. Until, that is, a couple of years ago when new MBA-armed suits took over and decide to slash Ken's department (until now, running very, very smoothly under Ken's watchful eye) and Ken himself. Of course it all goes pear-shaped and the top dog has to come grovelling back to Ken, offer him loads of money and a big car, basically to ensure that the toilets aren't 'backing up' any more!This is in direct contrast to Michael Gerber, in his fascinating book The E-Myth Revisited. There he talks about working 'on' the business and 'in' the business, making it clear that if you do too much of the grindstone not-my-expertise stuff yourself, you lose track of what you are really good at, and what you went into business for.In a past life, I too experienced challenging outsourcing. At one time I had a great little local cleaner who I trusted (he even opened the store up for me - hmmm, that was a long time ago!). He did an excellent job and was on hand for emergencies. Then a new senior director decided to consolidate and outsource, for 'economy and consistency'. It was cheap - but the service was awful. Each time I got a new 'centrally sourced' cleaning company, they came with great intentions for the first 3 months and then dribbled off (with our money!) until it became unsustainable and another 'excellent contractor' came along.The moment of truth for me, was when the director for one of these contractors, came along for the first time in a brand new £60K Merc (and it's a few years ago now). Then I knew where my money would be going. I went through 6 contractors in 5 years, even though my hands were tied by 'Head Office' contracts!To solve this problem? There needs to be strong leadership at the start. Very clear standards required from outside contractors and severe penalties (yes, stop paying them even!) for under achievement. Corporate central contracts agreed there, but implemented and managed locally, leave a lot of space for waste.And yes, in a small business, don't even think of doing the bookkeeping yourself as soon as you can afford not to - do what you do best, value it and get on with creating the business you love, not like struggling Sarah in the book. But, get someone who you trust and who will deliver. Chris Barrow, of Million Dollar Coaching Practice fame, suggests that the very first thing anyone going into a consulting business should do, is get a PA. And that modern day evolution, a VA (virtual assistant) has made this a real, low cost possibility for many.Moral of the story?If you are going to outsource, especially if your business is big enough, where it's not only the fashion, but it can have economic and logistic value, take the following steps:-Find the best on the market, not the cheapest.Set the standards yourself, and don't take theirs.Be very clear on expectations and outcomes if standards aren't met.Keep in very business-like, however much you like/know/are related to them.Have clear timescales for regular review.Have a named and senior contact in the organisation for whom there will be pain if they lose the contract.Keep contract length manageable.If things start going wrong tackle them early, before too much money is wasted.If 'Head Office' agrees the contract, don't chase your own tail over non-delivery - get someone from there down as soon as there is a problem - you have enough to do.Don't get involved in the problems any local operatives might have - refer them back. You Get the Behavior You Reward On consulting assignments, here are some of the questions I frequently ask the employees I interview: Knowledge Management - Lessons Learned and How To Identify Them Many organisations use the term "lessons learned" to describe the way in which they avoid repeating mistakes, or ensure that they build on past successes, yet a lesson can only be applied if it has been successfully identified, and captured first. Even in "learning organisations" who profess to be good at knowledge management and knowledge sharing, the process for identifying lessons learned can lacks rigour or depth. All too often, lessons end up as "motherhood and apple pie" statements, and end up in reports on shelves gathering dust (or its electronic equivalent). Is A Bad Attitude Permanent Today there is great weight put on a person's attitude. It is as if this is something for which they are individually responsible and should be held to account for. Provisioning/User Management System Upgrades: Part II ? Building Awareness And Building Approval Somewhere in the world is a person who wants to see their provisioning/user management systems get a sorely needed upgrade. But they seem to be getting nowhere. How to Overcome Your Fear of Firing OVERCOMING FEAR OF FIRING "It was obvious that this employee could not relate well to clients. But I could not bring myself to fire him.? and while I wavered, things only got worse for everyone in the department." Having to fire someone is one of the most difficult actions any manager or executive may have to take. It is an action that many manager's find endless excuses to avoid, as did the executive quoted above. Yet, in certain cases it is unavoidable. Firing is a managerial art that many otherwise successful supervisor's neglect to develop. 7 Tips for Growing Your Business You Do Not Want to Ignore: Business Strategies To Easily Implement Growing companies must always be ready for the next challenge. If you fail in meeting critical business challenges you will not grow. Challenges often require some type of breakthrough. But do not be misled. A business breakthrough does not have to be something no one has thought of ? it just needs to be a solution to your problem that you can act on now. Breakthroughs may involve simply finding the solution to a common, nagging problem or it may be nurturing a more complex way of thinking. We all must be ready and observant of breakthrough opportunities. What keeps us from moving forward can easily be overcome by incorporating one or all of the following tips. There is nothing magical about growing a business ? it just takes the right effort. Focus On the Prize People talk to me about making personal and professional changes in their life. I hear comments about how hard they think it will be, concerns about their ability to be successful, pressure on themselves to produce results, etc. The anticipation (what you imagine or assume will happen) of the experience can be daunting enough to deter a person from taking the first step! How often does the anticipation match the reality of what happens? If your thoughts and emotions are getting in the way of what you want, read on for 10 tips to get going and stay moving. Ten Top Ways for Managers to Motivate Their People So to help start the ball rolling, here are ten top ways to get your people motivated. Ten small steps for you to start with. Business & Family Safety and Health Rating For good reason, practically every endeavor in life is rated. I've seen ratings on who or what's #1 in business, industry, NFL, NBA, MLB, person of the century, athlete of the century, technology, restaurants, university, neighborhoods, travel destination, best looking, best movie, best book, etc. It doesn't stop. In fact, there are multiple ratings for the same #1 spot because of varying value systems. Of course, each of us has our independent rating to see if it's in agreement with the masses, the experts, or promotional efforts. Help Your Employees Prepare for a Performance Appraisal PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to give some thought to the purpose of performance appraisal: it is a means to learn from the past, plan for the future, and improve effectiveness and work satisfaction. The performance appraisal discussion is an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and reward your employee. It is a time for you and your employee to share perceptions about the employee's accomplishments during the performance period. It is meant to be a culmination of all previous communications made during the performance period. Change Management: Avoid Havoc In Very Uncertain Times Escalating gas prices...tensions and turmoil in the Middle East...a struggling world economy. Leadership, in times of uncertainty, is not that much different from that of 'normal' times. What does differ is the degree to which basic tactics of change management are applied. In times of uncertainty, leaders must pay even more attention to the people issues in change. Here are five ways to avoid leadership havoc. Hiring a Book Keeping Service Whether you choose to do your own books and accounting or hire those services out there are a few things you should know first. Creativity and Innovation Management ? Personality Testing Whilst tests measuring the creative or innovative personality exist, there are a number of inherent flaws. Some are noted below: Create Your Dashboard for Success Driving down the road our eyes frequently scan the vital instruments on the dashboard that monitor speed, fuel level, coolant temperature, and oil pressure. The modern vehicle also has many more devices that constantly monitor various systems for fuel mixture, exhaust gasses, timing adjustment and others. If there is something amiss, sensors trigger the "check-engine" light. As long as the instruments register within their normal range the "check-engine" light stays off and we drive along confidently that we will reach our destination safely and without problems. Sexual Harassment Policy Guidelines Part II SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE Recycling, Reverse Logistics and?..Candy The candy box is a container for all your favourite chew bars, gum and all your other favourite candy. A must-have for all kids and a great fashion accessory! The marketers are desperate for kids to user their box - so much so that they will soon be giving them away! Is Your Employee Newsletter Management Propaganda? It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter, it will serve the needs of readers (employees) as much as it serves the needs of the publisher (management).
|
|
|
|
|
