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Business Management Information
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Managing Change in the Workplace Change is exhilarating. Change is terrifying. Change is badly needed around here. Whatever your attitude is to change, it is the most reliable companion you will likely ever have. It will always be with you so are better off making friends! Here are three tips on managing change in your workplace: Year 2010: Permanent Employees No Longer Required Jack Welch joined a conference that was held in Duke Fuquay Business School where he was invited to promote his new book called "Winning". He told audience about how culture is important in a company. Culture builds integration and integration guarantees better products and services for customers. In GE's 1994 annual report his statements were no different. "Boundaryless behavior?" he said "?has become the right behavior at GE, and aligned with this behavior is a rewards system that recognizes the adapter or implementer of an idea as much as its originator. Creating this open, sharing climate magnifies the enormous and unique advantage of a multibusiness GE, as our wide diversity of service and industrial businesses exchange an endless stream of new ideas and best practices." Organisational Culture for Continuous Improvement I have been working with leading Business Improvement guru, Tim Franklin, preparing the PR for his latest book which offers an introduction to Continuous Improvement (CI) at beginner level, encompassing Lean, TQM, Six Sigma and the other related methodologies of CI. Multiple Channels, Multiple Times I've just been reading about the frustrations of a Human Resources manager. He's tired of having to answer the same questions about benefits over and over again. People Are Our Most Important Asset! How many times have you heard or uttered this phrase in the last 5 years or so. As a "reformed accountant" this phrase makes me cringe more than any other business euphemism being espoused today. How To Decrease Downtime and Increase Productivity All maintenance activities of the workforce must be documented, this includes breakdown repairs, callouts, preventive maintenance, replacement maintenance, overhauls, and Testing & Inspection work. Maintenance work by production line employees must be included, whether or not the employee is listed as in maintenance. These activities can then be mined for maintenance information "gold". Innovation Management: Radical Innovation Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. 5 Management Decision Making Lessons from a Long Shot. A Heartening Belmont Victory Like many, I watched the 134th Belmont Stakes hoping to see the first Triple Crown in 24 years. Instead, I saw the 70-1 long shot, Sarava, appear from nowhere to win. We should take heart from this unlikely victory. As small business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs, the "big shots" often see us as long shots -- worth a cursory notice, but rarely more. The Death Spiral Sometimes things just happen. Maybe we lose focus and take our eyes off the ball. Maybe we don't recognize the signs. Sometimes it happens quickly due to a loss of a major customer or loss of a major product line. Sometimes it is a slow, gradual process. Market share seems to evaporate; gross margin exhibits an extended period of decline. Morale suffers, employee turnover increases, net profit declines, costs seem to get out of control and losses become imminent. Some Owners, Presidents and CEO's who find themselves in a situation facing these warning signs may actually contribute to the creation of "The Death Spiral" if they aren't careful. Firing Someone Without Resentment Firing, sacking, letting go or terminating people is unpleasant. There are ways to minimise resentment, but why bother? Because most legal action and unpleasantness stems from dissatisfaction/resentment about the way things were handled - about how rather than what happened. Dismissal can be unfair because of the reason, or the way it was done, so you need to be extremely careful. In the law regarding employer-employee relationships, fairness is key. You must be fair, and be seen to be fair. But fairness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder - after being terminated, very few people have clear vision! How to Make a Difference Every Day Every day, everyone can make the world a better place. It's simple; it's quick and it is free. All it requires is a recipe containing you (yes, that's YOU!), awareness and a natural disposition to be brave enough to change the day of everyone you come into contact with in a positive way.Appreciating what people do for you, whenever you come into contact with them is the first step. It may not sound much, but saying a sincere 'Thank You' means much to many people - it is not what they experience normally. This can be a 'Thank You' to someone who holds a door open for you to the guy you buy your morning paper from. It can be to an employee who you manage, for something, for goodness sakes, for anything they did well - in the moment, sincerely.The next step, when it is comfortable for you, is to explain what it was they did that was great. So, as an example, it could be to an employee who you manage,'Thank you for that piece of work, your effort has made such a difference to it'.It could be a 'Well done' as you stand in front of a display of merchandise'What I especially like about it, is how you made such a great impact with the cornflakes'Outside your place of work, you buy a sandwich,'Thank you - can I just say what a great job you did putting that together for me; I truly appreciate it'.Sharing positive observations that people might not see in themselves, because there is not enough positive feedback in the world creates positivity.You can make a difference to literally dozens of people every day and makes their lives brighter. And how do you think they will respond to the next customer; and the next. Research shows that they will be buzzing for the next 5 interactions with others. Maybe they will 'Pay it Forward' as in the film. (Not seen it - do so!). This is about small things that you can do every day. And if you can't do it consistently? Just do it sometimes and that is much, much better than never at all.You may never know the positive difference you have made to someone you spend a little time, a little courtesy with - but you will have to live with that delicious 'not knowing'!Tip? Set yourself a target of doing this five times a day - and if you do, give yourself a pat on the back! This works in business and the real (:-)) world too! Driving of work trucks Each time you or one of your work crews cruises down the road, people see the vehicle. It is logo'ed and that advertising is there to be noticed. If you cut some one off, believe me they will know who did it. They'll tell their friends and you'll be sorry. If you see a lady trying to pull out into bumper-to-bumper traffic, let her cut in. If you see a mom in her minivan with kids at a traffic signal, be courteous. Signal her with a pleasant hand motion to 'please go ahead of me.' Mouth the words also and as they pass salute her and wave at the kids or flash your head lights. You are such a nice guy or gal they'll think. With every one in such a hurry, it's refreshing to know the crews in your company vehicles still care. If you work in a big city with a population of 100,000 or more, your gesture will be remembered, recognized and appreciated even more. You see in a big city, you will be outside the norm. They will think you are from a far away city where people are still friendly. The Dog That Didnt Bark A few weeks ago, after consultations with others in an association I represent, I made a partnership pitch to another organization with similar interests. If the idea comes to fruition, it will radically change our organization. What Personal Assistants Really Want What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation were away for a week? How would it affect the running of your business or department? How would it affect you?personally? People Skills: Eight Essential People Skills Being able to communicate effectively with others requires people skills, and here's eight essential ones: One Thing You Cant Hide One of the most important of all motivators at work is consideration. Employees report that the best managers they ever had were people who cared about them as people and as friends. These managers took the time to ask them questions about their lives, and to listen patiently while they talked about the dilemmas and problems and situations in their families. The more that the employees felt that the boss liked them and respected them, the more empowered and motivated they felt. Budgets! Budgets! There I've said it. For some the most hated and feared word in business. But it doesn't have to be that way. As a matter of fact, a well thought out and constructed budget can be the small business owners best friend. After all, a budget is just a laid out plan to produce profits and profits is what we are all after. Problem-Solving Success Tip: Measure the Right Things. Measure the right things. It's not enough just to measure-you have to measure the right things. Warning! Meeting In Progress; May Be Hazardous To Your Career There ought to be a sign posted on every closed office and conference room door that reads: Warning! Meeting In Progress! May Be Hazardous To Your Career. Transparency: A Key To Your Effectiveness Last month I talked about the Skilled Facilitator principle of being curious. This month I want to talk about the complementary principle transparency. Transparency has recently become a popular topic in business as organizations seek to build (or rebuild) trust with customers, shareholders, and employees. This morning as I opened the op-ed page of my Sunday New York Times, the title read, "The New Public [NY Times] Editor: Toward Greater Transparency." Whether you are a leader, consultant, facilitator or a team member, being transparent can help you build relationships and create positive results in ways you didn't think possible.
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