A cadre of authors and coaches promise bulletproof methods for molding more accountable employees, while leadership articles relentlessly laud accountability's virtues. Google NGram underscores the trend. The use of the word "accountability" in books has risen dramatically since the 1960s.
Need to solve an organizational problem? Proponents respond with their rallying cry: "make employees more accountable!"
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Amazon claims to be "Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company". At least one book suggests "Employees First, Customers Second". Does an organization have to choose? Is this a zero sum game where attention to one group, subtracts from focus on the other? Is good customer service possible without high levels of job satisfaction?
Continue reading "The Not So Obvious Idea of People-Centric and Why It's Important" »
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How does your organization manage the ideas it generates and finds? The answer, more than any other factor, may contribute to an organization’s long-term viability.
The fates to which ideas most commonly fall victim are probably intimately familiar. At a minimum they’re disturbingly common:
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Performance reviews have a seductively logical appeal. There's no need to belabor the point by enumerating their obvious positives. And besides, aren't they essential as an "objective" basis for raises?
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What follows is an example of how to apply three concepts to drive innovation. It is not intended to comprehensively address the stated objective.
Reduce fuel consumption
Applying Concept #1
Attempts to reduce fuel consumption commonly focus on efficiency. While this approach will continue to be important, its application requires decades to achieve meaningful impact. What measures can be applied to complement it?
Applying the first concept, consider the "system" in which cars operate. This includes roads and traffic lights. How can these be optimized so that cars use less fuel?
Continue reading "Innovation: Three Concepts You Can Apply Now" »
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