“Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, ‘Grow, grow.” From The Talmud Do you feel as if you’re stuck the way you are or do you feel that you can grow? A book by a Stanford psychologist identifies a “fixed mindset” and a “growth mindset.” Depending on your mindset, […]
Quantifying the Business Value of Systemic vs Silo Management
A business leader recently asked us about quantifying the business value of a systemic approach to management. This is someone who completely understands that it makes much more sense to work in an integrated and collaborative way rather than within a “functional empire”. The question was, what can we say to people about the quantifiable […]
What’s a Priority? Thinking it Through
We need structure and priorities at every level in order to lead constructive and productive lives and to deliver whatever it is we produce as companies and individuals. So the practical problem becomes, how do we decide what a priority is? When we’re faced with something we have to accomplish or a project, where do […]
How to Predict the Future in Uncertain Times
What exactly do we mean when we talk about prediction? In uncertain times it’s a relevant question. However, we’re not talking here about having a crystal ball but the relevance of prediction in the field of management. A little less exciting than Tom Cruise but very important nonetheless. Dr. Giovanni Siepe explains… What do we […]
The End of Silos – Building Organizations Fit for Our Times
If organizations need to learn anything today it’s how to overcome silos. Silos are the number one enemy of productivity and competitiveness. They also seriously threaten the quality of life of employees. A recent article by former Navy Seal Chris Fussell ‘The battlefield experience that made me realize the danger of silos and isolated teams’ is a […]
The Opportunity of Digitalization: Integration and Acceleration
Digitalization is something companies are increasingly coming to grips with and it is radically impacting business models. Communication channels are multiplying and consumer behaviours and expectations are changing. This means that producers of goods and services have to supply the right information to the various channels available in order to be seen, heard and sell. Every […]
Come together, right now! Technology for Collaboration
New technological platforms are emerging almost daily to allow people to come together and collaborate. This should be good news because every human activity aimed at producing a result requires collaboration. Even more good news is that this is very healthy in evolutionary terms: collaboration is more effective than competition. The very success of our species […]
Creative Thinking for Business – A Process that Can Be Learned
How can we produce more creative business thinkers? What sort of things should business schools be teaching to make that happen? When asked those questions, Neil Turok, Physicist and the director of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario answered: “I’d want to show students how to see vast opportunities where everyone else […]
Truly Transformational – The Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Unity of Purpose
Once you have understood and experienced the transformational power of the Theory of Constraints there is no going back. It changes your life in ways that you might not have imagined. This is true for individuals as much as it is for companies and organizations. Where does that shift come from? This week marks the […]
Supply Chain Management – Radically Improving the Process
No matter what a company does, it is inevitably part of a supply chain. It receives inputs and has to transform these inputs into something to pass on to a customer reliably. It’s an ongoing process, and like every process it can be improved. Today change is happening fast, threatening the survival of companies that […]