Management grew out of the great thinkers such as Fayol and Clausewitz. Both working in the administration of large set piece organisations. Any organisation that is rigidly conforming to a master plan is not going to succeed. What’s the average tenue of FTSE100 CEO and how long does the company stay in the FTSE? Time to break free from the past. To be fair it is our interpretation of what we think they said that confuses us. Enjoy the video
Continue readingCategory Archives: Operational effectiveness
Performance Management
I realise that what I am about to write goes against the current orthodoxy pushed by Government, Consultancies and Software suppliers. Unfortunately, few of them have ever managed people and observed behaviour and measured performance. I’ve been doing this since 1976. Maybe, I’m a slow learner. I know I haven’t finished learning. But I know a lot of what works and what doesn’t. Rewards, in terms of incentives and bonuses, and threats, politely called in HR-speak Performance Improvement Plans, do not produce the best performance.
Continue readingThe Hidden Business Pandemic
The world has, and still is, struggled with the Covid-19 virus. And it won’t be the last. But there is another pandemic creeping up on us that few have yet realised. You may not believe that 8 billion humans are destroying the planet. You’re right of course. Planet Earth will continue to circle the Sun, but human life will be increasingly nasty, if we survive at all.
Continue readingStaff retention
One in five of your staff is expecting to change jobs in the next year. To many, the pandemic, and changes in their working regime, have been an eyeopener. Most of them want to change their manager as they love their job! They did apply to do it, after all. Replacing staff costs money. There is the obvious cost of the recruitment process, paying agencies, advertisements and the additional costs due to the workload of your selection processes. You will have to train the new recruit and accept a steady build-up of effectiveness over weeks. All causing lost performance which you may cover with premium rate additional hours. Alternatively, you may employ more people than you need so you have built in cover for your employee turnover. Good for you that I’m not your MD.
Continue readingPraise and a bonus that month!
I curate other people’s articles every week to share. Many articles don’t meet my idea of what people want from work, so I don’t share them. If the article expresses a view that is different then I may share it. If I strongly disagree then I’d be doing a disservice to publicise it! There was an article that was so nearly included!
Continue readingSteam technology, Institutional Orthodoxy and UK Productivity
Sometimes history has a resonance with events today. Historians say you can’t understand today without knowing about yesterday. I’ve always been more interested in tomorrow, perhaps I missed a trick. But I was struck by England’s amazing success in becoming the major economic power in the world, and the contrast now with decades, or a century, of our productivity nightmare. Poor productivity costs everyone, employee, employer and Government, a massive amount of money. We need to fix it to be able to afford the Welfare State to which we think we are entitled. Enjoy the video.
Continue readingThe Very Boring Subject Of Margins
Do you know your margins? The very important Gross Profit Margin = (Net Sales – Cost of Goods Sold)/ Net Sales Cash is the lifeblood of a business. It needs to be worried about. You should know your margins and a good set of management accounts will yield all the ratios you need to manage the business.
Continue readingTime for a new Manifesto!
The pen is mightier than the sword and Marx’s writings have proved to be a nuclear option. His ideas have shaped history and perhaps, in their vision, help freeze progress? But he was far-sighted and foresaw that one day, with the right conditions, the supply of labour would gain the upper hand over the suppliers of capital. Has that day arrived? Enjoy the video.
Continue readingTribal Loyalty
Do many of your employees worry about how they will get their next drink or square meal? In the developed world we take our physical sustenance for granted. “An army marches on its stomach” is usually attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. The need to keep the troops fed and watered to maintain a fighting spirit is a long-known fact. Lord Nelson ate after his sailors. The US Marines feed their Officers after the men. It’s a symbol of servant leadership.
Continue readingWhat’s your Business Culture?
How do you operate? Slow and steady, taking a well planned step at a time? Or do you dive into the unknown and hope/expect/believe you can deal with whatever you catch? There are implication for both cultures.
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