Continuing from my previous post related to the interesting topic of Innovation - I found an interesting article on 'The Economist' titled 'Champion' - it discusses the critical role of champions in supporting and defending new ideas and talent.
Selected notes from the article:
1. The new idea either finds a champion or dies… No ordinary involvement with a new idea provides the energy required to cope with the indifference and resistance that major technological change provokes… Champions of new inventions display persistence and courage of heroic quality.
2. Championing is often applied to people as well: bright, young, talented people within an organisation are deemed to need a champion, someone higher up the corporate ladder who will support them and fight their corner. Many chief executives have risen to the top largely because they have been nurtured through their careers by people in high places.
I believe these become highly relevant during tough times. How does your company approach this and what sort of environment exists?
Main Source: http://www.economist.com/business/management/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12677035
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thoughts on 'Innovation' from IDEO CEO, Tim Brown (source: McKinsey Quarterly)
Some really interesting thoughts related to 'Innovation' from the IDEO CEO, Tim Brown (Source: McKinsey Quarterly, November 2008).
1. All we do is try to have new ideas...
2. ...focus completely and utterly on experimentation, on exploring ideas for the sake of exploring them, and on bringing unlikely people together to work.
3. ...if we spend too much time focusing on doing our projects on time and on budget - running our kind of business well - then the ideas we generate aren't as good.
4. Innovation is not a continuous activity; it's a project-based activity.
5. It's often the role of senior leadership to defend new ideas until they're actually out in the marketplace and able to stand up for themselves.
6. The biggest barrier (to innovation) is needing to know the answer before you get started.
7. It's better to have a bigger ecosystem for innovation than a smaller one. You're going to get more ideas and increase the likelihood of better ideas.
8. ...a competitive issue for nations in the future will be the ability of the general populace to generate and develop ideas.
9. Foundations and corporations are playing roles that they weren't playing before in public services...there's an opportunity both to improve the life experience of many, many people and to create quite a lot of economic benefit...
1. All we do is try to have new ideas...
2. ...focus completely and utterly on experimentation, on exploring ideas for the sake of exploring them, and on bringing unlikely people together to work.
3. ...if we spend too much time focusing on doing our projects on time and on budget - running our kind of business well - then the ideas we generate aren't as good.
4. Innovation is not a continuous activity; it's a project-based activity.
5. It's often the role of senior leadership to defend new ideas until they're actually out in the marketplace and able to stand up for themselves.
6. The biggest barrier (to innovation) is needing to know the answer before you get started.
7. It's better to have a bigger ecosystem for innovation than a smaller one. You're going to get more ideas and increase the likelihood of better ideas.
8. ...a competitive issue for nations in the future will be the ability of the general populace to generate and develop ideas.
9. Foundations and corporations are playing roles that they weren't playing before in public services...there's an opportunity both to improve the life experience of many, many people and to create quite a lot of economic benefit...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Talent Management During Tough Times
We are encountering challenging markets and business environments globally. One would not have normally expected the impact to be this big when all this started with the housing market collapse in the US.
When business environments get tough, focus on costs become the highest priority for everyone. It is really important to ensure though that the messages regarding value for talent do not get diluted.
I wanted to share my three key points for managers, leaders and HR to keep in mind while tackling difficult external environment scenarios. Many of these come from multiple sources that I've read and have thought about.
1. High clarity and increased frequency in communication
This falls on the top of my list because the level of uncertainty among employees is very high generally during tough times. Lack of high quality communication esp. with the talent population that's critical for an organisation's success could result in the loss of key talent. This in effect weakens an organisation's capability to execute when it's badly needed and there's no time to lose. Being realistic and frank about the challenges but at the same time, engaging the talent by laying out and drawing the picture of a promising future beyond the tough times will help to build commitment and trust.
2. Understanding talent priorities
Any organisation will need to clearly prioritise where to focus on with limited resources. The key here is not to forget that at the end of the day it is the right talent that helps organisations grow. Even though short term survival rightfully gets high priority, it's also important not to take away key talent investments for the future. Availability of a high quality talent pipeline could result in finding alternative success options for the business and provide a major advantage over competitors when the markets start to rebound.
3. Clearly being aware of the key talent population and increasing the touch points.
Understanding who does and will have the highest impact on the organisation's future (in terms of competencies and strategy execution) is critical. It is equally important to increase the touch points and therefore ensure that the organisation does not lose the right talent for reasons that could be avoided.
When business environments get tough, focus on costs become the highest priority for everyone. It is really important to ensure though that the messages regarding value for talent do not get diluted.
I wanted to share my three key points for managers, leaders and HR to keep in mind while tackling difficult external environment scenarios. Many of these come from multiple sources that I've read and have thought about.
1. High clarity and increased frequency in communication
This falls on the top of my list because the level of uncertainty among employees is very high generally during tough times. Lack of high quality communication esp. with the talent population that's critical for an organisation's success could result in the loss of key talent. This in effect weakens an organisation's capability to execute when it's badly needed and there's no time to lose. Being realistic and frank about the challenges but at the same time, engaging the talent by laying out and drawing the picture of a promising future beyond the tough times will help to build commitment and trust.
2. Understanding talent priorities
Any organisation will need to clearly prioritise where to focus on with limited resources. The key here is not to forget that at the end of the day it is the right talent that helps organisations grow. Even though short term survival rightfully gets high priority, it's also important not to take away key talent investments for the future. Availability of a high quality talent pipeline could result in finding alternative success options for the business and provide a major advantage over competitors when the markets start to rebound.
3. Clearly being aware of the key talent population and increasing the touch points.
Understanding who does and will have the highest impact on the organisation's future (in terms of competencies and strategy execution) is critical. It is equally important to increase the touch points and therefore ensure that the organisation does not lose the right talent for reasons that could be avoided.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
2008 "Borderless Workforce Survey" Results from Manpower
Noticed a recent interesting article titled "Beyond brain-drain" (June 24, 2008) on economist.com based on two surveys from Manpower - "Relocating for Work," polled over 31,000 workers; and "Borderless Workforce," surveyed 28,000 employers, each in 27 countries. Manpower’s Borderless Workforce Survey was released in June 2008 and is available for download on their website.
Interesting information worth noting:
* For foreign employees, America remains workers' destination of choice, followed by Britain, Spain, Canada and Australia. The United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai, is the top emerging economy on the list, in sixth place.
* 36.9% of workers surveyed said they would consider going anywhere in the world for good work. (This percentage of global workers open to moving was slightly surprising to me. I would've guessed a lower number.)
* Educated workers are more willing to relocate. Of those surveyed who had less than a high-school education, 62.2% were open to moving for a job, and 28.4% had actually done so. Among those with an undergraduate degree, that rose to 85% and 46.5%, and for those with a masters degree, to 87.4% and 60.7%.
* Main resons for individuals to relocate:
1. Increased Pay
2. Opportunity for career advancement
3. Better employment opportunities
4. Opportunity to experience a new culture/environment
* 31 percent of employers worldwide are concerned about losing national talent to other countries.
* Top Countries for Recruiting Foreign Talent (majority possess professional or technical skills)
1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany
The only other less-than-fully-developed country on the list is Poland, in tenth place.
* Top Countries Believed to be a Competitive Threat
1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. United Kingdom
5. Japan
* Recorded remittances from foreign workers worldwide, according to the World Bank, totaled $318 billion in 2007.
* Most Money Sent Home by Foreign Workers
1. India
2. China
3. Mexico
4. Philippines
Interesting information worth noting:
* For foreign employees, America remains workers' destination of choice, followed by Britain, Spain, Canada and Australia. The United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai, is the top emerging economy on the list, in sixth place.
* 36.9% of workers surveyed said they would consider going anywhere in the world for good work. (This percentage of global workers open to moving was slightly surprising to me. I would've guessed a lower number.)
* Educated workers are more willing to relocate. Of those surveyed who had less than a high-school education, 62.2% were open to moving for a job, and 28.4% had actually done so. Among those with an undergraduate degree, that rose to 85% and 46.5%, and for those with a masters degree, to 87.4% and 60.7%.
* Main resons for individuals to relocate:
1. Increased Pay
2. Opportunity for career advancement
3. Better employment opportunities
4. Opportunity to experience a new culture/environment
* 31 percent of employers worldwide are concerned about losing national talent to other countries.
* Top Countries for Recruiting Foreign Talent (majority possess professional or technical skills)
1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany
The only other less-than-fully-developed country on the list is Poland, in tenth place.
* Top Countries Believed to be a Competitive Threat
1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. United Kingdom
5. Japan
* Recorded remittances from foreign workers worldwide, according to the World Bank, totaled $318 billion in 2007.
* Most Money Sent Home by Foreign Workers
1. India
2. China
3. Mexico
4. Philippines
Sunday, May 18, 2008
'Leading By Principles' from Lou Gerstner's "Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?"
I was recently reviewing some of my previous notes and came across these principles from Lou Gerstner's book (that describes the fascinating turnaround of IBM). The book is a must-read for anyone interested in organizational success. These principles seem to be highly relevant for any organization even today.
1. The marketplace is the driving force behind everything we do.
2. At our core, we are a technology company with an overriding commitment to quality.
3. Our primary measures of success are customer satisfaction and shareholder value.
4. We operate as an entrepreneurial organization with a minimum of bureaucracy and never ending focus on productivity.
5. We never lose sight of our strategic vision.
6. We think and act with a sense of urgency.
7. Oustanding, dedicated people (constructive impatience) make it all happen, particularly when they work as a team.
8. We are sensitive to the needs of all employees and to the communities in which we operate.
According to Lou, the FUNDAMENTALS for successful executives are:
1. They're focused.
2. They're superb at execution.
3. They abound with personal leadership.
1. The marketplace is the driving force behind everything we do.
2. At our core, we are a technology company with an overriding commitment to quality.
3. Our primary measures of success are customer satisfaction and shareholder value.
4. We operate as an entrepreneurial organization with a minimum of bureaucracy and never ending focus on productivity.
5. We never lose sight of our strategic vision.
6. We think and act with a sense of urgency.
7. Oustanding, dedicated people (constructive impatience) make it all happen, particularly when they work as a team.
8. We are sensitive to the needs of all employees and to the communities in which we operate.
According to Lou, the FUNDAMENTALS for successful executives are:
1. They're focused.
2. They're superb at execution.
3. They abound with personal leadership.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Knowledge management and our daily experiences
All of us receive a tremendous amount of information in multiple forms through various channels every day. How can we understand the context better?
I first started seriously thinking about this while reading the book, 'Working Knowledge' by Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak. The "Knowledge Vs. Wisdom" discussion is very interesting for me due to its relevance to decision making and assessing various types/sources of information.
An article titled "Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom" by Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro, Anthony Mills on the www.systems-thinking.org website has useful information on the topic. Here're some selected notes.
"According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist and professor of organizational change, the content of the human mind can be classified into five categories:
1. Data: symbols
2. Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions
3. Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions
4. Understanding: appreciation of "why"
5. Wisdom: evaluated understanding.
The first four categories relate to the past; they deal with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates vision and design. With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp the present and past. But achieving wisdom isn't easy; people must move successively through the other categories.
Knowledge is the appropriate collection of information, such that it's intent is to be useful. When someone "memorizes" information (as less-aspiring test-bound students often do), then they have amassed knowledge.
Understanding is cognitive and analytical. It is the process by which I can take knowledge and synthesize new knowledge from the previously held knowledge. The difference between understanding and knowledge is the difference between "learning" and "memorizing". People who have understanding can undertake useful actions because they can synthesize new knowledge, or in some cases, at least new information, from what is previously known (and understood).
Wisdom calls upon all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.). It beckons to give us understanding about which there has previously been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence of philosophical probing. Unlike the previous four levels, it asks questions to which there is no (easily-achievable) answer. Wisdom is therefore, the process by which we also discern, or judge, between right and wrong, good and bad."
How do we perceive individuals we consult with, articles or books that we read?
I think this note from a Fast Company expert blog (by Donna Karlin) has food for thought - "If we listen to all the knowledge that we’re bombarded with, we will close down and start ignoring it. There is way too much information to remember coming at us at the speed of light (thanks to technology). We can’t possibly retain it all. We can however look for guidance from those who have a wealth of wisdom because they see context, relevance and how it impacts us."
I first started seriously thinking about this while reading the book, 'Working Knowledge' by Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak. The "Knowledge Vs. Wisdom" discussion is very interesting for me due to its relevance to decision making and assessing various types/sources of information.
An article titled "Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom" by Gene Bellinger, Durval Castro, Anthony Mills on the www.systems-thinking.org website has useful information on the topic. Here're some selected notes.
"According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist and professor of organizational change, the content of the human mind can be classified into five categories:
1. Data: symbols
2. Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions
3. Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions
4. Understanding: appreciation of "why"
5. Wisdom: evaluated understanding.
The first four categories relate to the past; they deal with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates vision and design. With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp the present and past. But achieving wisdom isn't easy; people must move successively through the other categories.
Knowledge is the appropriate collection of information, such that it's intent is to be useful. When someone "memorizes" information (as less-aspiring test-bound students often do), then they have amassed knowledge.
Understanding is cognitive and analytical. It is the process by which I can take knowledge and synthesize new knowledge from the previously held knowledge. The difference between understanding and knowledge is the difference between "learning" and "memorizing". People who have understanding can undertake useful actions because they can synthesize new knowledge, or in some cases, at least new information, from what is previously known (and understood).
Wisdom calls upon all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.). It beckons to give us understanding about which there has previously been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence of philosophical probing. Unlike the previous four levels, it asks questions to which there is no (easily-achievable) answer. Wisdom is therefore, the process by which we also discern, or judge, between right and wrong, good and bad."
How do we perceive individuals we consult with, articles or books that we read?
I think this note from a Fast Company expert blog (by Donna Karlin) has food for thought - "If we listen to all the knowledge that we’re bombarded with, we will close down and start ignoring it. There is way too much information to remember coming at us at the speed of light (thanks to technology). We can’t possibly retain it all. We can however look for guidance from those who have a wealth of wisdom because they see context, relevance and how it impacts us."
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Rethinking Work In A Flat World (from "The World is Flat")
I recently finished reading "The World Is Flat" and found the following thoughts from Tom Friedman to be extremely interesting.
* The key to thriving, as an individual, in a flat world is figuring out how to make yourself an "untouchable". "Untouchables" are people whose jobs cannot be outsourced, digitized, or automated.
Couple of key categories that untouchables in a flat world will fall into:
a. People who are really "special or specialized".
b. People who are really "localized" and "anchored" (jobs must be done in a specific location either because they involve some specific local knowledge or because they require face-to-face, personalized contact or interaction with a customer).
* Key Roles in a Flat World
1. Great Collaborators and Orchestrators - Collaborating with others or orchestrating collaboration within and between companies.
2. Great Synthesizers - Creating value by synthesizing disparate parts together.
3. Great Explainers - Seeing the complexity but explaining it with simplicity.
4. Great Leveragers - Leveraging technology, designing programs that enable others to work smarter and faster.
5. Great Adapters - Applying depth of skill to a progressively widening scope of situations and experiences, gaining new competencies, building relationships, and assuming new roles. Capable of not only constantly adapting but also of constantly learning & growing.
6. Passionate Personalizers - Giving personal, special touch and real passion to a normal task.
The most important ability you can develop in a flat world is the ability to "learn how to learn" - to constantly absorb, and teach yourself, new ways of doing old things or new ways of doing new things.
* The key to thriving, as an individual, in a flat world is figuring out how to make yourself an "untouchable". "Untouchables" are people whose jobs cannot be outsourced, digitized, or automated.
Couple of key categories that untouchables in a flat world will fall into:
a. People who are really "special or specialized".
b. People who are really "localized" and "anchored" (jobs must be done in a specific location either because they involve some specific local knowledge or because they require face-to-face, personalized contact or interaction with a customer).
* Key Roles in a Flat World
1. Great Collaborators and Orchestrators - Collaborating with others or orchestrating collaboration within and between companies.
2. Great Synthesizers - Creating value by synthesizing disparate parts together.
3. Great Explainers - Seeing the complexity but explaining it with simplicity.
4. Great Leveragers - Leveraging technology, designing programs that enable others to work smarter and faster.
5. Great Adapters - Applying depth of skill to a progressively widening scope of situations and experiences, gaining new competencies, building relationships, and assuming new roles. Capable of not only constantly adapting but also of constantly learning & growing.
6. Passionate Personalizers - Giving personal, special touch and real passion to a normal task.
The most important ability you can develop in a flat world is the ability to "learn how to learn" - to constantly absorb, and teach yourself, new ways of doing old things or new ways of doing new things.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Some thoughts for recruiters and talent acquistion managers
These observations and thoughts for the recruiting funtion seem to be obvious but work pressure and multiple demands prevent these from happening consistently. I believe they could seriously affect a company's image and be a differentiator in today's competitive global talent market.
1. First impressions - Recruiters are the first points of contact for most candidates. Candidates form strong first opinions about the culture, work environment, professionalism etc. of an organization based on their initial interactions and conversations with the recruiters. The behaviors exhibited by the recruiters are critical in defining those impressions. The ability to build trust by being authentic is also an important factor. Recruiters therefore play a critical role in managing a candidate's decisions about an organization and determine the quality of talent entering an organization.
2. Responsiveness - Setting expectations regarding timeframes for responses and being consistent about them are really important. Many times, this could be dependent on hiring managers. It would still be important for a candidate to be consistently updated.
3. Closure - Closing a recruiting process for a candidate by treating him/her with respect, even when he/she is not found to be a fit for the job is a huge step in the process. This can be ensured through consistent behaviors and actions from start to end, irrespective of the final decision. At the end of the day, any candidate can be an existing or potential future employee, customer, investor or community member. They could also communicate with and influence decisions of other talented candidates.
4. Respecting diversity and cultural sensitivity - Recruiters can become increasingly involved with a global workforce. This could only become more common as the labor pools in the US and Europe fall. Cultural sensitivity and respecting diversity is an extremely important topic to be aware of while interacting with candidates from different cultures. This can be clearly portrayed through actions that make a candidate feel welcome.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Why Is The Knowledge Landscape Changing Quickly
The internet has changed the world completely.
Access to information and knowledge in any part of the world today provide great opportunities for anyone with the curiosity, interest and drive to learn. It also enables the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge among all levels of the 'knowledge society'.
'Knowledge power' is not the special privilege for a select few anymore.
Individuals and organizations would have to be very careful not to be arrogant about their past successes, about what they know or where they are currently. Openness to ideas and feedback from individuals or groups from any part of the world could be highly critical to success in the internet world.
This also means higher levels of transperency. Insensitivity to or negative feedback from the customers, markets or communities can quickly be communicated and shared across the world.
Access to information and knowledge in any part of the world today provide great opportunities for anyone with the curiosity, interest and drive to learn. It also enables the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge among all levels of the 'knowledge society'.
'Knowledge power' is not the special privilege for a select few anymore.
Individuals and organizations would have to be very careful not to be arrogant about their past successes, about what they know or where they are currently. Openness to ideas and feedback from individuals or groups from any part of the world could be highly critical to success in the internet world.
This also means higher levels of transperency. Insensitivity to or negative feedback from the customers, markets or communities can quickly be communicated and shared across the world.
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