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Archive for the ‘organizational development’ Category
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
I won’t say that Business Intelligence Success Factors is an easy read, but it is certainly worth your time to work through it. Olivia Parr Rud pulls together several business theories and concepts into a comprehensive study of the elements that make a business successful.
She divided the book into four parts, exploring the current business landscape, essential competencies, new models for business intelligence, and the potential of Holacracy (Holacracy takes the principles, ideas, and emerging mindset articulated by many cutting-edge thought leaders and instills them in the actual structures and processes of the organization) and the role of the visionary in modern business. She gives a wide-ranging overview of each idea, explaining each concept in clear terms using examples, stories, and graphs.
In the first part of the book, Parr Rud examines today’s business realities using the latest research on change and the global economy to provide evidence for her claims. Her explanations of chaos theory, quantum physics, systems theory, and systems thinking concepts were easy to understand and interesting especially to people who never have had any experience with these theories.
In the section that dealt with essential competencies, she shows her readers why organizations need to have good communication, active collaboration, constant creativity, and adaptability to change, as well as what it takes to be a strong leader.
 Finally, Parr Rud delves more deeply into systems thinking, holacracy, and possibilities in the future business world in parts three and four. She makes a strong argument for the idea that for an organization to prosper, leaders must create a culture of accountability. She suggests that in too many companies today, accountability is vague because systems created for reasonable employee responsibilities and organizational objectives have not been established. She stresses that accountability underlies the integrity of a successful organization.
This book is not one you will read in a weekend, nor is it something you’ll skim over once and never pick up again. This is a powerful resource and I guarantee you will pick it up again and again to understand current business practices and theories in the 21st century and beyond
Tags: book review for business, book reviews, Business Book Reviews, Business Intelligence Success Factors
Posted in organizational development, performance | No Comments »
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
The Idea
A client of CMOE, who has approximately 1,300 employees, recently requested a proposal for an in-house leadership development center. While we were excited about the opportunity, this company didn’t have the budget to begin running the development center for 18 months. Our contact made it explicitly clear that the company was going to cut some immediate costs for about 12 months to allocate funds for the leadership development center. Despite the delays in getting started, the CMOE team was eager to create a proposal for them to consider for the future.
The Industry
The company’s cost cutting and budget restrictions stemmed from the 2008-2009 economic recession. Specifically, the company provides products to the residential and commercial building industry. Next to the automobile industry, I can’t think of a more affected sector as a result of the economic downturn of 2008-2009. While their mind set was “we can’t afford it right now” it was clear they understood that leadership was critical to their success in the future.
The Proposal
 While a good portion of our proposal called for many standard leadership topics, we also proposed a training program to develop leaders in business acumen concepts such as finance, accounting, and business strategy. By helping these leaders understand the language of business: balance sheet, income statements, profitability ratios, and contribution margins, among other topics, they would better understand how the decision they make daily translate to the bottom line. Click here to see a detailed description of this program.
The Reaction
CMOE’s proposal was given to the CEO of the company for his review and tentative approval. Much to our surprise, the CEO immediately approved the proposal and requested it begin within the next six months, rather than 18. After evaluating the proposal, the CEO expressed his strong interest in the business acumen program. He expressive said, “This is exactly what we need and I wouldn’t change any of the content. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to me when I’m talking about our core business indicators in meetings. It is obvious that very few people understand what I am talking about. I’m so tired of explaining these fundamental concepts over and over again. Get this program going as fast as you can.”
The Importance
It is clear the CEO of this company understood the importance of business acumen skills in developing leadership bench strength. However, despite the prestige the Corporate world places in bachelor and master degrees in Business Management, many key players in organizations lack this critical knowledge.
What would your CEO or CFO say about these important skills? Do they experience similar frustrations as the CEO described above? Do your people have a set of business acumen skills? Give your people this quiz and find out.
Tags: bottom line training, business acumin training, Finance in a down economy, finance training investment
Posted in Mini-MBA, organizational development | No Comments »
Monday, July 13th, 2009
The author Scott McKain makes a strong case for Organization Distinction. He states that too many organizations have lost customers trying to meet their competition conditions rather than making their own. McKain explains that organizations can succeed by focusing on four cornerstones, Clarity, Creativity, Communication, and Customer.
 The author’s fist cornerstone discussion and one he insists must be first, is Clarity. How can you sell anything unless you know what it is? This concept certainly made me think about my own situation. What is it that makes the organization different than the rest of the pack? I quickly realized that I couldn’t state in “High Concept” what our company really does. High Concept is a short, less than five words, statement of who an organization, a team, or a person is.
The second cornerstone is Creativity. Thank you, Scott McKain for taking me out of the box called “Out of the Box.” I agree the term has become so convoluted that it is confusing. Creativity cannot grow without roots, the knowing why and what we are creating. My manager certainly doesn’t want a song when he needs a story. The author gives a series of steps that are well worth considering and applying to your situation.
At first the third cornerstone, Communication, the process of telling the organization’s story, seemed a bit hokey. Why an organization is created seemed quite obvious to me, the organization wants to sell or promote its product or service. However, the author is saying because your competitor has the same product, you need to tell why you are different. This difference is solely because of your story and includes all of the reasons you chose that particular product or service to support. Secondly, you need to let everyone know what it is that makes you unique. Finally, McKain tells us you can’t sell what you don’t know. I found this was exceptionally beneficial for me. It is well worth the effort to write the story down before you try to sell the world about your passion.
Finally the last corner stone is the customer. Here the author hit the nail on the head. One of my pet peeves is trying to purchase an item only to have the salesperson tell me that I want something else. Just as he stated, I seldom go back to that business. Certainly, customers may not know about or understand new products, but they do know what they are looking for and what they will spend their money on. Taking time to learn the wants of your customer is not only an important way to develop truly impressive distinction, it is critical if you are to succeed.
While reading industry books, I often make write comments in the margin. In this book, “Good Point” far exceeded the “I’ll think about this” or “Missed” notations. This book compelled me to consider what it is that makes me distinctive. What makes my organization distinctive? How I can become distinctive? I highly recommend this book to any organization trying to survive in these turbulent times, and to take up the author’s charge; Don’t be simply value-added; Be Distinctive.
Tags: communication, customer service, fighting corporate competition, how to address competition, standing above competition
Posted in communication, corporate strategy, organizational development | No Comments »
Monday, June 29th, 2009
Recently, one of the participants in our Applied Strategic Thinking Workshop asked if the material being presented was available in an E-Learning format or if we had considered making it available on-line. Though, I had my answer before he even finished his question, I asked the rest of the group how they would answer his question. Overwhelmingly the group said what they were learning in the classroom could not be duplicated by e-learning. In fact, the person who asked the question actually felt the same way. He just wanted to probe a group of 20 of his peers on this topic because the leaders in his organization seem to believe that everything can be done electronically.
All things done electronically
 What an interesting concept—all things done electronically. It has some truth to it. Many things can be done electronically or will be in the future. I mean, whoever thought text messaging would be a common norm for just about everyone. However, it doesn’t mean messages can be received equally. When getting a text from someone, you cannot distinguish the tone in which it was sent. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and physical stance gives the intended receiver a clearer message. The same can be said about teaching sessions.
The Best Leadership Training
While teaching concepts and content can be done on the Internet, it doesn’t mean we can guarantee the same results as we would get with traditional classroom training. For example, I saw an advertisement for a self-study leadership program. It “GUARANTEES” that the person will become a “PHENOMENALLY SUCCESSFUL” leader after viewing four 60 minute programs and reading a participant guide which was all on 1 DVD. I am very curious as to how many successful leaders would agree that a 4-hour self-study program would translate into a successful leader? Leadership is about what you help others achieve, not about where you take yourself. It is about interaction.
Electronic Teaching has a place
This group agreed that e-learning, web based learning, and computer based training does have a place. CMOE’s Applied Strategic Thinking does not give the same return on investment in an electronic format. The same is true for our Coaching Skills workshop and several of our leadership development programs. The human element that exists in developing these types of skills simply can’t be fully replicated on-line. On the flip side, you could see great results using an online training program for product information or employee orientation. It certainly would save time. What we have found is that a blended learning approach can work well. Combining traditional classroom training with e-learning tools to prepare and then sustain what is done in the classroom can be a powerful combination for long term success.
In the end, it’s isn’t a matter of one training method being better than the other. What it really boils down to is selecting the best training method that will get the results you want. While you can attempt to teach human interaction skills through a computer, it won’t be truly effective without human interaction. Regardless of your choice, remember that in general, you get what you pay for.
Tags: Business electronic learning, e-learning, E-learning disadvantages, Electronic Teaching advantages, Leadership Training, training
Posted in learning, organizational development | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Several years ago I was invited to participate on an industry association panel, discussing “offshoring,” (which means outsourcing globally). Having been a senior leader in a global company for many years, I asked the first very obvious question — Which shore? I proceeded to have some fun in addressing the subject by noting that virtually all developed countries (and of late some not so developed countries) are having similar discussions.
While many educated people can discuss the economic and social impacts on countries of the movement of goods and services around the globe, I would like to address some principles of building and operating a company that spans multiple continents.
 Let’s begin by getting some of our vocabulary aligned. There is a difference between being an International” company versus a “Global” company. A lot of companies have out-of-country activities that may include sales and procurement – this is an international company, even if it includes a few regional offices. A global company truly operates in various countries providing goods/services both in the native country as well as moving goods/services between countries. A fully functioning global company has a culture and perspective that transcends the locale where it is registered or where its stock is listed.
For those companies desiring to be truly global, the development of an appropriate company culture cannot be left to chance – building the desired culture is a full-time job. A global company is not just a series of regional companies strung together under common ownership. Quickly one can see the need for tailored products/services and the delivery of these to satisfy the local or regional market expectations. But here is the bigger question: How do you build a team of people who recognize the need to serve the local market and effectively operate their assigned area while also being part of the bigger team where they can exchange ideas, get inspiration, and contribute to the advancement of the entire company?
Commitment
Building an effective global culture is not inexpensive, nor is it a one-shot deal. It is a concept to which all senior leadership must commit and make a part of their daily actions. Human Resources can help with well planned global talent assessments, succession planning, and leadership skills development, including expatriate assignments. Cultural sensitivity training and facilitated mixed culture forums can start the process.
Vision
There has to be a Global Vision/Mission statement that is an anchor point for your leaders, irrespective of their home country. It must have longevity, addressing the business purpose and corporate values.
Acceptance
Perhaps the most powerful force in building a global company is the basic human trait to accept and bond with those we have come to know on a more personal basis. Audio/video conferencing is a nice tool once a relationship is established, but it is ineffective for establishing the relationship. To establish the bonds between people and break down inherent nationalistic, cultural and personal biases, people need to travel and partake in the cultures of their colleagues.
Share
Forming a global team to implement a global or regional project (contrasted to a local team doing a global project) brings the best ideas forward and builds strong bonds that benefit the company well beyond the specific project. Functional leadership forums and best-practice sharing sessions break down barriers and drive the best ideas forward. Promoting those individuals that best demonstrate the desired culture will send powerful messages throughout the organization.
Diversity
There is a large WATCH OUT. In the drive for a corporate global culture it is easy to inadvertently paint a picture that the “desired culture” is, for example, American or German or Chinese. To be most effective, a company’s global corporate culture must reflect a mix of the best qualities its participants have to offer.
One way to measure your success in building an effective global company culture is to monitor your recruitment results. Are you able to equally attract and retain talented people from all the countries you serve?
Tags: global company, global market, offshore services, offshoring, offshoring companies
Posted in achievement, corporate strategy, organizational change, organizational development, planning, strategy, talent | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 24th, 2008
THE QUESTION:
I have a question I would like to pose to those of you who attend trade shows every year. Whether you attend the conference sessions, or your company exhibits at tradeshows, I would like to know if your organization has seen value resulting from a tradeshow/conference/exposition. What does your company gain from expense every year? Where is the ROI?
SOME BACKGROUND:
This year CMOE exhibited at two different Conference and Trade Show Expositions. We exhibit every year at one conference or another and, to be honest, we really haven’t had great experiences in the past. This year a few of the conferences were held in different locations than in years previous and we thought (hoped) the new location may draw a different audience response than the previous years. We were sorely mistaken.
While I had a great time in the city, and enjoyed the after-conference activities, we only talked to about 50 people in the three days (at both shows) who were genuinely interested in anything besides free stuff. In fact, people were fighting and practically clawing at each other for the popular giveaways. The people walking by our booth did not even make eye contact with us. Their gazes were fixed at the level of the tables, where they were searching for the best “free stuff”. I even had a personal item on our table where someone reached beyond another employee in our booth requesting to have the item. Some of our display-only materials were even taken off the table right in front of us. My impression of this Expo: HOW MUCH FREE STUFF CAN I GET HERE?
 THE CONFERENCE SESSIONS:
I also attended one of the mega-sessions where an industry leader was to speak. I intended to learn and gain some nuggets of knowledge I could take away and apply to my job. The session was full of fluff, stories and anecdotes about this particular consultant’s life, and swimming with dolphins. While it was mildly entertaining, it was zero in the way of content or any kind of personal growth. I was not alone in my thinking. When I spoke with other attendees, no one had found any value in any of the sessions they attended either. How can organizations justify spending money on something that has this response?
I don’t know the total amount of money spent by all the exhibitors and attendees, but with 60,000 HR/Training Professionals in attendance, and all the after-expo parties and concerts, I can imagine it’s too much money to be spending on nonsense and free gifts. I don’t understand how organizations justify this expense. Is it strictly for branding purposes? Even if this is the case, I feel these expenses are exorbitant both in dollars spent and time away from the office.
For those organizations who send people to these expositions to learn: Why not spend that money on some actual training, some real employee development, something worth the investment, that will help the organization reach their true goals?
I think a better way to spend this money is to bring in an outside vendor with expertise in an area where you or your team need development. Have the message delivered a message or skills for 15, 18, or 25 of your people. This would probably cost about the same as it costs to send one person to these mega shows and rely on them to bring back information of value.
LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER:
What do you think? I would love to see comments on why your company attends trade shows, what goals you have going into the show, and if they are achieved. If you have another opinion, we would love to hear it!
MY OPINION:
If you want free stuff, attend the next trade show coming to your city! If you need training, spend your money on valuable, in-house training that more people will be able to use.
Posted in organizational development, performance | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Raw unfiltered feedback really sheds light on people or organization issues and often comes out in full force during organizational assessments. A few years ago, CMOE was working with an organization to improve the performance and effectiveness of its managers. We provided an assessment tool to specifically help draw out insight and feedback as to how effective the managers were in their roles, skills, and competencies. Overall, the managers scored well. However, one department wasn’t doing as well as the rest. As we sifted through the data, I came across some general comments provided by an individual in this department. Let me share with you this rare glimpse of someone truly opening up and sharing.
Unfiltered Feedback – These comments has been modified to ensure anonymity
“I think Mark has good intentions, but lacks some people skills in general. He’s a good programmer and sales rep, but seems to be rather abrasive as a manager. The all-star athlete doesn’t always make a good coach. Mark tends to think it is his way or the highway. Team meetings are viewed as ‘time to get beat up’ sessions…”
“The sales team feels constant pressure to perform at a level beyond common sense. We all know there is pressure from the top down to “make the numbers,” but lose sight of the fact that our customers drive the business. Our promises to Wall Street should not influence how we treat our customers……We think short-term and are managed accordingly. Our success is based on long-term professional relationships with customers we care about and treat right. As long as we deliver what we promise and provide solutions that customers are happy with, we will do well…”
“I am VERY uncomfortable with having to share this information at this time. I fully expect to get in trouble for being open and honest and sharing this information.”
Our Summary of These Comments: The translation of the above comment is that this person loves the job, but feels changes are drastically needed for the department. It is clear that this person has also reached a tipping point where frustration will lead to radical change for them as an individual; the person may leave, start to resist, or even break down emotionally.
All-star performers often accomplish more and in return often expect more from those they manage. I don’t see anything wrong with expecting more, so long as these all-star athletes are equipped and continually develop interpersonal communication skills. The big question is have these people been identified in your organization?
Tags: business coach, coaching skills, managers
Posted in coaching skills, communication, organizational development | No Comments »
Monday, July 21st, 2008
You’ve probably heard jargon such as “He’s got a short fuse,” “I’ve had it up to here,” “She is going to blow up,” or other phrases that equate to irrational behavior and poor emotional control. It is safe to say that many of us, likely all of us have felt this way at one time or another. At some point we have blown our tops and acted irrational in one way or another.
The Tipping Point
While I admit to having reached this tipping more than a few times throughout my life, it still is unacceptable in any situation. In my blog posted on July 23rd, The All Star Athlete Doesn’t Necessarily Make A Good Coach, I quoted a real life employee who had reached her tipping point as indicated by the feedback she provided in an organization assessment.
While reaching this point doesn’t mean one is ineffective or poor at their job, it is something one should learn to control. I’m not saying you can’t be passionate or engaged in work, because that is important too. What I am saying is when you start to feel an emotionally investment in a project, meeting or conversation, it is important to share your thoughts, feedback, and perspective with respect. Don’t allow emotions or passion to be trapped where it builds up uncontrollable pressure. If you do, this pressure will compound continually over time and cause more frustration. This build-up often leads to behaving irrationally or unprofessionally.
Avoid The Tipping Point
One way to avoid reaching the tipping point is to properly engage your team, employees, or managers in open and candid discussion. For example, set ground rules before team meetings for dealing with heated issues. Some examples of ground rules to experiment with in your next meeting include:
- Everyone must actively participate
- No side conversations
- Avoid getting defensive
- Be authentic in your comments and behavior
- Stay focused on the topic or issue at hand
- Don’t shoot down other people’s ideas. Take the best, leave the rest.
Establishing ground rules often helps people express themselves, their ideas, and their passion in a way that doesn’t alienate. Simply put, don’t hold out until you’re emotionally invested.
Tags: anger, business, emotions, frustration, relationships, resentment, team building discussions
Posted in communication, emotional intelligence, organizational development | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
The Tool
For organizations, teams, products, and services to be successful in the business world, continuous improvement is necessary. However, far too often organizations fail to achieve the benefits of change because they don’t know what to change or where to start. The Plus/Delta assessment and feedback tool is quick and effective for both individuals and groups. This brainstorm-type format creates a comfortable atmosphere for openness and honesty. As an added benefit, when people give feedback they often experience a sense of responsibility to the changes and solutions to their feedback.
The Pluses
The best part of the Plus/Delta assessment and feedback tool is its ease of use. On a piece of paper or on a flipchart, divide the sheet using a “T” shape. The right side of the vertical line is for things that should be continued or the positives, the left side of the vertical line is for things that need to be changed or the negatives. Positive feedback can be given first, followed by the negative, or feedback can be given randomly and the meeting facilitator or individual can identify which side of the diagram it falls under.
In a training atmosphere, CMOE’s facilitators have found success with a small deviation of this tool for enhancing learning. Working on the Plus/Delta as an individual, participants use the right side of the diagram to identify what their strengths are in relation to the workshop topic and the left side of the diagram for areas needing change or improvement. The responses of the participants can be used to evaluate their implementation of the knowledge and skills learned at a later time.
The Deltas
While a Plus/Delta helps identify key problems, it may not surface root issues. As a result, it is often a great place to start, but once key problems are identified, other assessment and feedback tools may be the right next step. The brainstorm-type style can easily get out-of-hand in a group situation. People may speak out of turn, side conversations may develop, and feedback comments may be missed. Ground rules are highly recommended!
We hope you utilize and enjoy this simple, yet effective feedback tool!
Posted in brainstorm, facilitation skills, organizational development, problem solving | No Comments »
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Organizations invest significant amounts of money, resources and time into training and developing their teams. Skills such as teamwork, coaching and strategic thinking have proven to be invaluable to creating a positive and successful work environment. Training like this can be intimidating because there are so many options and it can be hard to determine what will best fit your organization.
CMOE is asking their readers to help increase reviews on Amazon.com. This offer is a unique opportunity for you to become quickly acquainted with CMOE philosophies. CMOE is giving a away their valuable skills; the steps are simple and the payout is great: two free books of your choice from CMOE Press along with free shipping.
Step 1: Purchase any book from CMOE Press on Amazon.com
Step 2: Read the book and then write a review on Amazon.com
Step 3: Fax or email your posted book review to CMOE (info@cmoe.com or 801-569-3449) and receive two free books from CMOE Press of your choice AND free shipping!
Very few opportunities like this come along. You can become fully familiar with just a little effort on your part. CMOE’s techniques work in every industry from law enforcement to private universities to multinational organizations, now is the time to test it for yourself and your industry.
The process is as easy as it sounds. Go to www.Amazon.com, search “CMOE Press” and chose any of the CMOE books:
- Ahead of the Curve
- The Team Approach
- Win-Win Partnerships
- The Coach
- Leading Groups to Solutions
When you’ve finished reading the book, log into your account at www.Amazon.com. Find the product page for the book you read. Scroll down to Customer Reviews and select Create Your Own Review. Be sure to take advantage of this unique opportunity while supplies last.
Posted in organizational development | No Comments »
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