Here's the question heard around the world: How do we continuously increase speed, improve quality while lowering our operating costs? This article's answer is to stop chasing computer sophistication and start applying the 8-basics of lean manufacturing.
Ever wondered why it takes you so long to find the information you need on your corporate computer system? That's if you can find it at all. Did you know that the tooth fairy could be partly to blame?
Sure, you're tired of having the big talkers dominate your time at work. But what can you do to stifle their gabby ways, without hurting their feelings? Here are twelve practical steps to silence the windbags.
Is your business short of cash again? Are you having a hard time in solving the liquidity problem of your business? Are you confused why your business is having cash problems? Read and I'll give you tips on how to solve it.
"Empowerment" of employees, where they are given the competency, data, tools and authority to do their job independent of supervision is a good thing in most organisations. But "empowering" people or delegating borders on abdication too often
Organization across the globe spend millions of dollars on Training Initiatives but the return on their investments is almost negligible. The primary reason of this minuscule return is the Organizations themselves.
You may discover in your research that the company has many strong points, but at the same time some weaknesses may be revealed. Do not play on those weaknesses, but play to their strengths.
Knowledge Management (KM) refers to a range of practices and techniques used by organizations to identify, represent and distribute knowledge, know-how, expertise, intellectual capital and other forms of knowledge.
Getting involved with other businesses is the best way to cement a relationship and to ensure longevity with the projects. It will also eliminate the threat of competition as they are an unknown and you know the trade secrets on an intimate basis.
This past weekend I learned the importance of not flying solo in your business activities. I took a weekend off to spend time with one of my sons, and we traveled to a small British Columbia town called Cranbrook to watch our hockey team from Calgary
With the amount of information accessible on the Internet, combined with threats by viruses, worms, malicious code, spyware, and disruptions to service attacks- a threat to business productivity and profitability has always existed.
In the last couple of decades, a lot of things have happened which were supposed to improve our efficiency. We were going to have extra time for personal growth and self improvement as a result. The world was going to be a better place...etc.
What is your vision for 2007? What is it that you want? Now is the time to paint a picture of your future. Describe in detail what it is that you want. And allow yourself to feel how you will feel when you have accomplished this vision.
As a business owner you may struggle with the question of how you will be able to get everything done. This is especially true for independent service professionals and solopreneurs.
Goals need to thread through every fiber of the business. The starting point is to do a 26 point gap analysis of the organization. This means taking a look at every department and analyzing how they are conducting business...
Financial decisions are very important to the health of any company. So it is critical that decisions are made using the best techniques available. Cost Benefit Analysis is designed to help you make the best financial decision possible.
A couple months back I had a little plumbing problem that required turning off the water to the house. Our do-it-yourself job was great until we needed to turn the water back on and nothing happened.
Solution to 20th century problems are prevented by conventional thinking that allows only incremental inprovements in the way that things have always be done and prevents the breakthrough needed to find a new way to do things.
There is a need for collaboration through value chains, but no way to do it. Finally, Result-performance Management R-pM provides the way for the 21st century enterprise to build, link, and collaborate through value-quality chains.
Real estate investors, like so many others, fight the battle with procrastination, but there are steps that one can take to ward off this mighty foe. With procrastination dealt with, your God-given talents can create lasting wealth
As the economy continues to grow, companies are unleashing their employees to travel to seek opportunities and work with clients and customers all over the world. Increased numbers of business travelers bring problems as well.
Other than monopolists, everyone agrees that good customer service is a fundamental necessity for the success of his business. Successful leaders recognize that great ideas and solutions come from all quarters
As a recovering workaholic/perfectionist, not to mention having delusions-of-superhero syndrome, I'm first to tell you the road to recovery isn't easy. But it is worth it. Here are 3 tips to get you started.
It may be challenging to learn about Cost Benefit Analysis quickly. However, if you review the questions and answers listed below you will gain a little more understanding since these are commonly asked questions and the answers are based on...
Making decisions is what managers are paid to do. However, the ramifications of these decisions can have a marked positive or negative outcome on the company. Not to mention the manager's prospects as well.
What causes conflict in the workpéace? Personality differences? Cultural differences? Role ambiguity? This article sets out an interesting perspective.
Accountants are well suited to making extra income by using Cost Benefit Analysis. The 9 ways shown in the article will make it easy to add these elements to your business. Cost Benefit Anlysis can assist your clients and boost your profit.
If you are called upon to make financial decisions you may find it difficult sometimes to confidently choose the best proposal. Using Cost Benefit Analysis can help.
In today's fast-paced and rapidly changing business climate, it is critical that organizations maintain flexibility, fast response time, customer focus and agility. The vital ingredient necessary to accomplish all of these is...
Cost Benefit Analysis must be carried out to accepted principles. If not, your reputation and the company could suffer. There are some elements that should never be included in Cost Benefit Analysis. Some of these are listed in this article.
You may be aware of them, you may not be. In any case, chances are high that even if you are aware of them, you probably don't realize the negative impact they are having on your business. What are they?
People have a built in tendency to favor the views of hawks over doves. This psychological bias can have a huge negative impact on our ability to lead change effectively.
If everything you are doing is working to your satisfaction then I will bet you are growing and changing. The question is, are you anticipating the need for these changes before you need to make them or are your competitors beating you to the punch?
This article will help you make your workplace more comfortable. Follow the practical guidelines presented in the article to substantially improve your personal efficiency and avoid tiredness at work.
For managers, this article shows how to apply some basic management principles to the day to day management of people to avoid them remembering you as one of their “horror” stories.
Assertiveness is a useful communication tool. It's application is contextual and it's not appropriate to be assertive in all situations. Remember, your sudden use of assertiveness may be perceived as an act of aggression by others.
When entering a new role in an organisation where change is required there is about six weeks to make an impact. Within six weeks we need to establish what merit exists for what level of change and make our intentions known.
I would acknowledge the author of this tale I am about to tell about company policy if only I knew who wrote it. It is one of those stories that you see handed out at training courses or published on the internet without a hint of who the author was.
What's the most successful way to learn about being a good manager? Some tips for all aspiring managers and a few pitfalls to avoid in their quest to become better managers.
General training does not have the immediate and emotional rewards of safety training. The lessons that organisations have learnt in making safety training effective are, therefore, all the more instructional for general training.
Leading a change programme is a risky business, for the leader and the lead. The law of unintended consequences applies in full as change involves people. People see the the starting and finishing points and the intention of change
When leading a change programme, the bare minimum requirement of a leader is to be seen to be in control. The people you are leading will have a range of anxieties about the change which different individuals will feel to a different depth.
When it comes to skills to be transferred into new contexts, it helps to pair mentors and apprentices, who practice and adjust to improve a bigger picture. Skill transfer often introduces new technologies that require staff to unlearn old practices,
Failure to implement the recommendations of an investigation into what ails an organisation is a norm for most organisations. For some organisations it is a serial norm.
Conventional enterprises waste a lot of money on change management, because they cannot manage change, R-pM builds in on-going natural change with professional management capabilities.
When do you tell employees about bad news? When do you tell them about good news? Many organisations have difficulty determining the answers to the former question and do not enough thinking about the latter question.
Seventy percent of all change management projects are considered to be failures. The critical factors for change management success or failure are fairly simple.
Changing culture or “the way we do things around here” need not be as difficult as it first seems. We often make it more difficult for ourselves because the first and most important change often needs to come from us as leaders.
Do we often use excuses as a "cop out"? Excuses like: I'm too old, He was born rich, It's who you know, and the one I was carrying around I'm a failure. Do any of these ring a bell?
Over the past month I have been reflecting on the topic of organisational management. I am surprised by the number of organisations that survive perhaps through the benefit of their size or monopolistic position
Now that you've incorporated your business or are close to doing so, we'd like to share with you some insight and advice for growing your new business. Keep in mind that as a corporate director, you will face new challenges..
If incorporating was your first step to a new and safe way to do business, compliance with the law is the easiest way to keep you safe from any liability associated with they way you manage your company. Let's talk about this important topic.
Why waste your precious time working on tasks, which are definitely not your forte when you can delegate or invest your money on a product or service which will free up your time?
Leaders, it is said, have the responsibility to "do the right things" and managers have the responsibility to "do things right". In doing the right things leaders make decisions. My observation is that too many people in leadership positions are...
You might as well realize that the time for opportunity is past. There's no longer any use trying to save for investing. The best you can hope for is to keep a steady job and stay off welfare.
When leading a change programme, the bare minimum requirement of a leader is to be seen to be in control. Four simple principles will help you stay in control.
Leading a change programme is a risky business, for the leader and the lead. The law of unintended consequences applies in full as change involves people. People see the the starting and finishing points and the intention of change from their...
Fed up with the performance of your organisation? Ask and you may find that your organisation is fed up with you as its leader. Provide your organisation with some strong, clear goals and the wherewithal to achieve them..
Motivating people is a myth. People cannot be motivated by others. They are motivated from within. Leaders can however, set up an environment in which people are able to motivate themselves.
Teams are not of group of people brought together to manage a project. Teams are not a group of people who are members of the same function in an organisation.....Teams are people working together to achieve a common, singular goal.
Many once great organisations have disappeared over time. They may have been unable to stem the tide of technical innovation or the entrance of low cost competitors or in the public arena they may have become irrelevant as service providers.
If you are passionate about the things you love, then it comes through in everything that you do. If you are passionate about what you are doing, then it is a natural element for the money to follow that path of passion.
If your business isn't more than a reflection of you then it will have all of your failing points as well. It's easy to become personally entwined in a business...
The start of a new year is an ideal time to rethink what you want to achieve in your business this year. It's true to say that small and medium businesses must be proactive about creating their future.
Who tells the boss that they can improve their management or leadership? How do they look at themselves objectively and identify what areas they can improve and the benefits of doing so?
Globally, senior management as a profession is underperforming. A chronic case of under-management of tasks and people has developed over the years on the back of management fads and copy cat management replacing focused, systemic thought.
How can we turn daily conflicts into life teachers? Just by asking the question, we begin to transform conflict moments into ki moments and attack with energy we can use to build the kinds of home, work, and community environments we want to live in.
A jury consultant is typically not called in until there is some high certainty that a case will, in fact, go to trial. By then, if the case in question has been highly visible in the press, it may well be too late to educate a jury pool "contaminate
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