Posts Tagged 'Culture'

New Insight Article: How You Can Instill a Culture of Innovation in Your Company

Posted on January 14th, 2014 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

Everybody, you’d think, likes Innovation. What’s not to like? And yet, as I’ve observed repeatedly, many companies pay lip service to innovation, but not that many walk the talk. Even hi-tech companies that thrive on making innovative products may not foster a culture of innovation internally. My latest insight article shares some thoughts and observations derived during my many years as a change agent within a large global enterprise. It discusses some critical success factors, some pitfalls to avoid, and a number of examples of proven techniques for making your company and in particular its workforce more innovation-enabled. Enjoy! [Image:.. Read more

The Thousand Faces of Email – 2. Launch, Forget, and CYA!

Posted on July 24th, 2013 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

Continuing the series about the numerous unplanned uses to which email has been put since its humble origins in the sixties, let’s take a look at a shady pair of practices: using email to pass the buck, while covering one’s back end in case of trouble. The wrong kind of delegation That people use email to delegate tasks is hardly surprising;  many tasks need to be delegated by their nature, after all. Things become interesting when the delegation is unwarranted, but is pursued notwithstanding. It turns out that email is especially handy for this situation. Before email, you’d have to.. Read more

New Insight Article: Fostering Company Soul Through Internal Company Exhibits

Posted on June 12th, 2013 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

Creating educational exhibitions has always been a fascination of mine (in fact, since I left the cube farm and became free to choose my consulting work, I’ve been engaged in creating three exhibitions, and counting). So it was only natural that throughout my career, wherever I worked I ended up driving the creation of the local exhibit showcasing our technology and our company to visitors and employees alike. I firmly believe that the internal type of exhibition can play an important role in maintaining and fostering the organizational culture, and in this new insight article I share my reasoning –.. Read more

Rosh Gadol: How You Can Manage for Initiative and Get Away With It

Posted on March 3rd, 2013 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

What on earth is Rosh Gadol? These are terms that every Israeli knows, and like much Israeli slang they come from the army: Rosh Gadol (literally, a large head) – a person who sees the bigger picture, takes initiative, and goes beyond the immediate task at hand or the orders given to ensure that the end goal is achieved. Rosh katan (a small head) – one who obeys instructions literally and avoids any initiative beyond their exact wording, often to the detriment of the intended mission. In Israel Rosh Katan is usually used pejoratively; in a culture known for its.. Read more

How Communicating Across Company Lines Can Help Your Career

Posted on January 28th, 2013 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

Check out my guest post on the Leader Communicator blog: Why and How to Communicate Across Company Lines Have you tried to communicate with your peers in other organizations lately? In this post I consider the importance of doing so, as I’ve been doing throughout my career, and I discuss the barriers posed to this important practice by corporate culture and inertia; I then share some experience on how to overcome the barriers without coming into harm’s way. But go ahead and read it over at Leader Communicator blog!  

How to Improve Your Company Culture by the Judicious Use of Coffee

Posted on December 3rd, 2012 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

How coffee is provided and used in a workplace is intimately linked to the local company culture, and can be used to assess it and to steer it for better or for worse. Coffee is used universally by workers of every kind, and you’d think it doesn’t matter how it is consumed. But looking back over a long career in a variety of workplace scenarios, I realize just how much you can learn from observing how coffee is served in a company, and how the choices that you – as a manager – make in this matter can influence the.. Read more

Okay, You Got Workforce Diversity… Now What?

Posted on November 19th, 2012 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

Every serious company these days is committed to promote workforce diversity. Too bad not all of them know what to do with it once they have it… Missing the whole point of workforce diversity One day I bumped into an American manager  who was his corporation’s Chief Diversity Officer or some such title. My interest was immediately engaged… I’d never had occasion to chat with a CDO, and it sounded like a fascinating job that would allow one to initiate many worthwhile programs. We started talking, and he asked me what the Diversity situation in Israel was. I happily shared.. Read more

No Email Day: a Misunderstood but Promising Solution to Information Overload

Posted on September 21st, 2012 · Posted in Organizational Solutions

A sure-fire way to jolt awake an audience in a lecture about Information Overload is to mention the solution known as “No Email Day” (NED) or “Zero Email Friday”. As soon as people hear the name, there is guaranteed to be a major protest. A whole day without email? This would never work! I wouldn’t blame you if you reacted the same way. How could it possibly work? And yet it does work, quite well, if you have the courage to try it and the wisdom to do it right. The problem is possibly in the name: “Zero email day”.. Read more

The Dark Side of Information Overload

Posted on September 2nd, 2012 · Posted in Analysis and Opinion

What I find fascinating about Information Overload in organizations is that there’s so much more to it than meets the eye. There is a distinct layer of causes to this problem that I’ve been referring to collectively as “The Dark Side of Information Overload”, and they have a real presence in the murky undercurrents below the surface of the corporate culture. The formal culture, with its mission statements and values emphasizing fairness and cooperation, never acknowledges this Dark Side; but the employees can unerringly identify it and respond with defensive measures that can result in anything but cooperation. I’ve been.. Read more