Monthly Archives: March 2009
As a lean manager I lose control again
Artist: Naomi Leibowitz www.naomileibowitz.com
Control the chaos is the way, we managers, are taught to act. Or even better, we have think in terms of command and control. But in enterprise in which knowledge is the only sustainable competetive factor, may be we have to redefine that paradigma.
Command and control managers believe that organizational change management comes from projects and project plans, cost-benefit analysis, deliverables, milestones, strategic plans and the like. Time and value is wasted over and over again breaking things down, timelines, inter-dependencies identified, resources and skill sets . . . you get the idea.
An alternative approach might be system thinking.
Systems thinking reduces complexity by eliminating all this.
The Vanguard Method (that I promote) begins with “check” which means understanding the “what and why” of current performance as a system. People who are familiar with S. Covey may see a link!
Change begins at “check” in contrast to the command and control style of predetermination of outcomes.
In the command and control world plans and projects are rarely returned to . . . they usually wind up in a neat binder on the executives desk. Worse, much time is taken to cover-up failings and milestones are extended, manipulated or constantly adjusted.
The Vanguard Model for check follows a six step process:
1. What is the purpose?
At each service touchpoint (where the customer transacts business with service company)
What is the purpose of this service from the customer’s standpoint?
2. What are the types and frequencies of demand?
Managers must go to the point(s) of transaction to find out. Why do they call? What do they want
or need? What matters? Are the demands value or failure?
3. How well does the system respond to demand?
How well does your service respond to these demands?
4. Study the Flow.
Only after studying demand and measuring how well the service is performed do we study flow.
5. Understand what system conditions exist.
Systems build their own waste from command and control thinking. Work design, information technology,
contracts, targets, structure, scripts, etc. are all potential conditions that add waste to the system.
6. Review management thinking.
Learning is not something for the front-line only, managers learn
through this process. They can see the waste caused by command and control thinking.
Doing “check” creates the mindset and momentum for business improvement. Purpose and measures change in systems thinking.
Source: 6 Steps to Service Improvement
Thursday, March 19, 2009 by Tripp Babbitt
Artist: Naomi Leibowitz www.naomileibowitz.com
Oops, remarkable! 03/26/2009
-
Hello, my name is Sanna Annukka, welcome to my site!
I’m an illustrator and printmaker with a love for nature and folklore. I’m half finnish and half english. I spent many summers throughout my childhood in Paltaniemi, a village in Finland, swimming and fishing in Oulujarvi and exploring the forests. I also travelled to Lapland, camping by artic rivers enjoying the midnight sun. The forests, lakes and wildlife of where I grew up heavily inspire my work. Lapland is one of my favourite places on earth and also Chamonix (in France) where I go snowboarding most years.
Another major influence is Finland’s national epic known as The Kalevala, a collection of folklore songs which i find quite magical. My new range of prints coming out this year will depict ten different scenes from the Kalevala.
I graduated with a BA Hons in Illustration from the University of Brighton in July 2005. My speciality during the final year of university became silkscreen printing. During this time I created a range of limited edition silkscreen prints of my ‘Maiden’ designs (now every year two new ‘Maiden’ characters will get printed as an ongoing range).
-
b.1983 in Chicago, IL
EDUCATION
BFA, Department of Photography and Imaging, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, 2005SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2009
FROM THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS, THE ARTS GUILD OF RAHWAY, January 9 – February 1
2008
DUMBO ART UNDER THE BRIDGE FESTIVAL, September 27-28, Brooklyn, NY
SUPERMASOCHIST part of the Come Out & Play Exhibition, apexart, June 11, New York, NY
SCOPE BASEL, June 3-8, Basel, Switzerland. NY
ROCKERS AND POSERS, May 22 – June 5, Brooklyn Artists Gym, Brooklyn NY
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Has your working environment changed in the last 5 years? And your organization
Great post found on twitter (yes, i did) l
Artist: Naomi Leibowitz http://www.naomileibowitz.com
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Source: Peter Merholz Experience Matters RSS Feed
The bulk of my work concerns people’s interactions with technology, and my field is currently in a remarkable period of development.
Just five years ago, most people used computers and mobile phones through very limited means of input — the tools essentially reduced the people using them to fingers: typing, pressing buttons, mousing, or maneuvering a joystick.
Now, with Apple’s iPhone, Nintendo’s Wii, and some less common technologies like Microsoft Surface and even Taco Lab’s Siftables, we’re starting to see a panoply of new ways for people to engage with their devices.
Both the iPhone and the Wii-mote contain accelerometers that are responsive to how the devices are held, what angle they’re tilting, how vigorously they’re being shaken. The multitouch display of the iPhone or Surface table allow for more natural movements and interactions, directly with the device, and not mediated through something like a mouse.
What most excites me about these new means of engagement (which already have amazing successors in university and corporate labs) is that they allow their users to do something that hadn’t been possible five years ago — truly be human. The body is extremely important for human beings, and it’s almost shameful that for so long, such a small part of it was used when working with computers. Mice and keyboards were the product of the Cartesian mentality that mind and body could be separated, that humans could at teams be reduced to brains attached to fingers, eyes, and ears.
Artist: Naomi Leibowitz http://www.naomileibowitz.com
Research over the last couple of decades has shown that not to be true, that our minds, our thoughts, our emotions are very much the result of an interplay between our brains and our bodies.
I know I think better not when sitting, but when given the freedom to move around (if I have to sit, I end up fidgeting). Those thoughts that emerge in the shower are very much the product of immersion in hot water.
As I’ve been thinking of this technological revolution, I’ve realized we need an organizational revolution.
The organizations many of us work in remind me of the state of computer technology from five years ago:
They’re remarkably confining.
We’re placed in hierarchical org charts, remnant of railroad and factory operations of the 19th century, and find ourselves in silos that prevent us from collaborating with our colleagues.
We’re given job titles with an explicit set of responsibilities, and discouraged to perform outside that boundary.
We thus leave the office having only engaged a small part of who we are.
Is it any wonder that most companies deliver such poor customer experiences? They can’t even create a good staff experience, and that’s something they have a higher degree of influence over! The companies that do best in serving others are those that do best in serving themselves. In your business, encourage yourself and those around to do something that’s so simple, it’s truly profound (and maybe a little bit dangerous) — be human.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Artist: Naomi Leibowitz http://www.naomileibowitz.com
A sound business case for knowledge management: utopia or myopia
Artist: Clark Little http://www.clarklittlephotography.com
For me, as a manager of a large customer contact center, knowledge management is essential.
In my working environment I see more and more organizations denying the need of additional investing in systems and approaches (which are very often established around the millenium). And that behaviour existed before the financial meltdown of 09/2008.
Knowledge management has – in my opinion – become an important area of focus for many organizations in order to be successful in today’s business environment. However, many companies are reluctant to undertake new KM initiatives.
There are undoubtedly many reasons for this; however, foremost amongst them is related to the difficulty in establishing a sound business case and justification for this type of an undertaking.
The difficulty in establishing a business case for knowledge management programs is really an issue of cause and effect, and often stems from the fact that, since knowledge is intangible, there is no direct link from a knowledge management process to a demonstrable business outcome.
Knowledge, knowledge management and systems are often judged as an investment in systems. An approach that in the earlier times when IT was the initiator of these kind of project might be a “sound” reason. But in 2009 business is or should be in the lead. And the business is not capable to show a sound business case.
Let us be honest. No one – senior management or HR – ever asks for a sound business case for a training initiative. And for investing in knowledge it is often an imperative.
Artist: Clark Little http://www.clarklittlephotography.com
One might also notice a big difference in the approach to knowledge based on the position of the staff member involved. Very often, the senior management – still working within their concepts of implicit knowledge – does not merit a knowledge mangement approach. On the other side, the blue collar worker – heavy end-users computers – acknowledge more and more the fact that knowledge management is their lifeline to a sound operations. And in case of the younger generation, their approach to knowledge is even more straight: the internet is there & knowledge is know how to get there.
Inspired by: http://www.tlainc.com/articl69.htm
Artist: Clark Little http://www.clarklittlephotography.com
I know they are a little late but it’s relevant anyway: CRM predictions 2009 (another bunch of)
Artist: Naomi Leibowitz http://www.naomileibowitz.com/
Although the first quarter of this inspiring year (yes, I really think so) is coming to an end, it is time again for some trends. This post I encountered in a tweet (source: http://ow.ly/1nqi)
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Guest Blogger William Band: Six Trends That Will Drive CRM Decision-Making in 2009
In light of the recent sudden and dramatic deterioration of the economic climate, what are the key developments driving CRM strategies and the adoption of enabling technologies now?
I recently recorded a podcast summing-up my take on the situation, based on Forrester’s latest research.
Here’s what I know: Locking-in customer loyalty through deeper engagement and differentiated experiences will continue as critical priorities.
Six trends will drive CRM decision-making in 2009.
Trend 1: The Emergence of the Social Consumer
Social technology adoption has increased tremendously during the past 12 months. Three in four U.S. online adults now use social tools to connect with each other compared with 56 percent in 2007. This new trend — which goes by a number of names, including CRM 2.0, Social CRM, and Collaborative CRM — is forcing CRM professionals to look for innovative ways to engage with these new “social consumers.” In 2009 CRM leaders will be looking to enrich the customer experience through community-based interactions, and architecting solutions that are flexible and foster strong intra-organization and customer collaboration.
Trend 2: The Imperative That CRM Strategies Deliver Business Value
I recently conducted a survey with business and IT managers about the pitfalls that trip-up CRM projects. I examined 133 separate projects. Nearly 20 percent of those surveyed reported troubles with their CRM strategy. Problems cited were: poor deployment approaches (40 percent); difficulties in defining business requirements (23 percent); inability to gain organizational alignment on objectives (18 percent); and concerns about cost (18 percent). During tough economic times, CRM professionals will be retooling their strategies with a focus on spotlighting the biggest opportunities for quick wins.
Trend 3: The Requirement to Fully Cost-Justify CRM Investments
CRM professionals tell me that during this economic downturn they need bullet-proof financial arguments to get funding for the technologies the need to deliver value to the customer and back to the customer.
In 2009 every business case must answer four critical questions:
What are the business benefits?
What is the impact on IT or project costs?
Is future flexibility increased or decreased?
How will risks be mitigated?
Trend 4: The Necessity to Reduce the Risk of CRM Initiatives
CRM professionals cannot afford failed CRM projects, particularly in down markets when business survival may be at stake. There are plenty of risks to worry about. In the survey of CRM professionals mentioned above, more than 200 individual problems were reported. Thirty-three percent of the problems related to technology, 27 percent to business processes, 22 percent to people, and 18 percent to CRM strategy. In 2009 “risk-proofing” projects will near the top of the priority list for CRM professionals.
Trend 5: The Need to Get More Value From Customer Information
CRM professionals tell me that poor customer data management is one of the biggest barriers to getting value from their CRM programs. In a recent Forrester survey of more than 1,000 North American and European decision-makers, 44 percent said that a master data management initiative was a critical or important priority for 2008. But, the right approach to customer data management is elusive. In 2009 I expect CRM professionals will continue to focus intently on how enterprises collect, distribute, and use customer data to create value.
Trend 6: The Battle to Redefine Vendor Pricing and Licensing Arrangements
Forrester interviewed 25 clients of leading enterprise applications providers and surveyed 215 business process and applications professionals about their software licensing and pricing experiences. According to these users, software licensing and pricing continues to be marred by complexity, soaring maintenance costs, and a lack of flexibility and alignment with business goals. With resources increasingly scarce, but key vendors pushing hard for upgrades for their products, CRM professionals will have to sharpen their negotiating skills to get more value from their vendor relationships in the coming year.
+ + + + + + + + + +
William Band is Vice President & Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, where he serves Business Process & Applications professionals.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
My advice: The social consumer is here to stay and you have to deal with that pleasant fact!. And the proposed approach for business cases can be innovating for some of us!!
Artist: Naomi Leibowitz http://www.naomileibowitz.com/
Again, my sincere faith in Popcorn confirmed
Artist: Gustav Almestal http://www.almestal.se
The David Report mentions ‘5 key design trends’ :
Cooltural,
Rationaissance,
Responsibiz,
Sensuctive and
Breaking Boundaries.
Nice interview in the report with Faith Popcorn. She stated:
Recognize that this is not the beginning of the recession—this is the end of the world as we have known it. “Be willing and open to change—everything—because business as usual simply isn’t anymore.
Decision making is going to become much more rational vs. emotional; be prepared for that level of scrutiny.
Tell the truth. Over-tell the truth. They will discover all you are hiding.
Give service, service, service.”
As an operational manager who believes in connecting to changing contexts, really great!!
Source: http”://www.davidreport.com
Artist: Gustav Almestal http://www.almestal.se
