Introduction to Brainstorming Brainstorming as an approach or technique can be an effective way of generating many ideas on a specific issue which can then be filtered and reviewed to determine which idea or approach is the most appropriate.Brainstorming as a technique is most effective with groups of between 8 and 12 people performed in a relaxed environment. History of Brainstorming Brainstorming is a technique often used by groups, but can be done alone (although this is not as … [Read more...] about Brainstorming technique for innovation, creativity and problem solving – a business strategy
Management and leadership skills: What is the difference?
As our organizations change and adapt so must the people running them - our managers and leaders. In the past, many organizations have neglected to develop and train this group, letting most find their own way to their own unique management or leadership style.The best organizations know that consistency is the name of the game for continued success. At the same time there has been much debate about methodologies - to train or to develop; to feed or to grow.I would define the difference … [Read more...] about Management and leadership skills: What is the difference?
IM in business – performance enhancement or distractor?
Have you been pinged? Instant Messagingn (IM) inside business has ballooned at an ever increasing rate - but does this enable or disable performance?IM or Instant Messaging used to be the domain of MSN , Yahoo and other internet based messaging systems, but increasingly organizations are installing systems internally. What is Instant messaging? IM is a person to person message system - you can see if a person is on line or not and send a message live to their desk "PING!" The flashing … [Read more...] about IM in business – performance enhancement or distractor?
GROW into a coaching model
GROW -- Goals - Reality - Options - WillThe GROW model in coaching has been around for some time. It was first made popular by Sir John Whitmore and described in his book Coaching For Performance in 1992. It is widely believed that GROW was originally developed by Graham Alexander, who worked with Whitmore.The GROW model has been used successfully by coaches in sport and business as well as by many organizations as part of a change towards a coaching style of management.How to use … [Read more...] about GROW into a coaching model
Pareto's Principle – The 80/20 rule
Introduction to 80-20In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth.In the late 1940s, Dr. Joseph M. Juran inaccurately attributed the 80/20 Rule to Pareto, calling it Pareto's Principle. While it may be misnamed, Pareto's Principle or Pareto's Law as it is sometimes called, can be a very effective tool to help you manage … [Read more...] about Pareto's Principle – The 80/20 rule
Porters five forces
Michael Porter's Five Forces Michael Porter's five forces is a model used to explore the environment in which a product or company (or business unit) operates. Five forces analysis looks at five key areas mainly the threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry. New Entrants SuppliersIndustry competitors and extent of rivalryBuyers Substitutes Introduction The model of the Five Competitive Forces … [Read more...] about Porters five forces
Ansoff matrix – product market grid – Management theory & model
Introduction to the Ansoff matrix Igor Ansoff is known as the father of strategic management. He was a mathematician and business manager. In the 1950s his work was developed and eventually published providing managers and the marketing world with a simple, practical tool that is in use 50 years later.In essence the Ansoff product/ market matrix is a tool that helps businesses decide their product and market growth strategy.Ansoff's product/ market matrix suggests that a business' … [Read more...] about Ansoff matrix – product market grid – Management theory & model
Performance Reviews & Performance Appraisals are already gamified #hrblog
Do you have performance reviews or appraisals of any kind? Do they have a score or rank included in them? then rad on!Readers of this blog will know that I have been interested in gamification for some time. Even traveling to New York to learn from one of the biggest names in the industry, Gabe Zichermann. Last week I was at one of the UKs leading conferences for Learning and development #cipdLDshow. On several occasions I found myself hearing other professionals and practitioners in the … [Read more...] about Performance Reviews & Performance Appraisals are already gamified #hrblog
HR trends survey 2016 in just one word #hrblog #cipd #oneword
Introduction to One Word HR Trends SurveyWhat is the One word HR trends survey 2016? Early in 2015 we ran a simple survey among HR professionals. They were given 10 topics and asked for one word which represented there understanding or meaning for that word or phrase. This produced some interesting results. So twelve months on I thought we could repeat the process. The results are fascinating. In the first survey we had just over 500 responses, in this later version we had just under 400 … [Read more...] about HR trends survey 2016 in just one word #hrblog #cipd #oneword
Leadership Competences – how effective are you?
Leadership Competence, just how effective are you in managing tasks and people? Leadership and management competencies are often used by larger organizations to identify peoples strengths and development needs. Often these frameworks are expensive and complex. One framework we have used in the past is this simple 55 item competence framework. It is based on 3 key factors:Managing yourself, Managing tasks, and Managing others.You can use this list to look at the statements, rate … [Read more...] about Leadership Competences – how effective are you?
The Managers Dilemma by Jesse Sostrin – Book Review
The Manager's Dilemma by Jesse Sostrin Balancing the inverse equation of increasing demands + shrinking resources The first thing that struck me about The Manager's Dilemma is the jargon loaded cover. But do not let that put you off. Once you open the book we enter into a practical and well laid out journey through identifying the problem, recognising potential solutions and making changes that work. The book is written in three sections:Embrace the dilemma Balance the equation Flip … [Read more...] about The Managers Dilemma by Jesse Sostrin – Book Review
Demystifying the Psychological Contract
If I put five HR Professionals in a room and asked them to define the Psychological Contract and its value, why would I expect to return later to find at least four different opinions? What is the Psychological Contract? As so often in HR, we have before us a term which has been created, in all good faith, to describe observations of human behaviour in employment that we cannot quite quantify, but can see are significant. “Engagement”, “Motivation”, “Job satisfaction“ and even “Leadership” are … [Read more...] about Demystifying the Psychological Contract
Why training fails – time for a new approach?
Time for a new approach to learning in business?Over the years I have looked at a number of books, blogs and articles and in various LinkedIn groups to do with training and developing people. Many of these are about management, leadership and developing people for the future.There seems to be a common theme.... new ways of doing things. A reinforcement of the message that the old ways did not get what you wanted. Here is a new, improved and better way. A new and shiny approach if you … [Read more...] about Why training fails – time for a new approach?
Fun Friday Office Cartoon #250
Why should your lazy left hand be paid as much as your hard-working right hand? … [Read more...] about Fun Friday Office Cartoon #250
RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #248
"The rest of us would appreciate it if you would leave the thermostat alone." … [Read more...] about RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #248
Management #oneword #HR #CIPD
One word 2015In 2015 100s of HR professionals were asked a simple question in a survey… in one word describe…ManagementParticipants were invited from the CIPD Members LinkedIn group, the CIPD communities, and the CIPD Facebook group. 616 participated. Of those, over 70% have been in HR for more than 11 years.Not all questions were mandatory. The response rate for this question was 616 out of the 616 participants. The demographics for this were:Processing of one word data During … [Read more...] about Management #oneword #HR #CIPD
RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #247
""Someone in accounting lost a decimal point. You can remove one from my paycheck to replace it," … [Read more...] about RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #247
RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #246
"We got married because people don't give you gifts for breaking up." … [Read more...] about RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #246
RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon 245
"If dolphins are just as smart as humans, why aren't we investing in underwater shopping malls and teaching them how to bury themselves in credit card debt?" … [Read more...] about RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon 245
RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #244
"Overnight delivery is $25. Two-day is $15. Standard is $10. Never is only $5." … [Read more...] about RapidBI Daily Business Cartoon #244
