When success traps us in the past It might seem counterintuitive to warn people about the dangers of success but that is exactly what Donald Sull did when he developed the concept of ‘active inertia’ – where people repeat the strategies and activities that have worked well in the past. A reliance on previous thinking …
Managing the vital link between people and profit The service profit chain highlights how employee engagement drives improvements in company performance. When employees are able to see the impact of their actions, it changes their approach and improves results. The idea The service profit chain is based on the premise that market leadership requires an …
A bold way to create the right working conditions. This rule is about limiting the number of people at any one location to 150. Overview The rule is based on the idea that 150 is the largest group size that people can deal with – beyond that number, it is increasingly difficult to form bonds …
Assessing business performance The 7S model is a framework for assessing the performance of a company. It views all seven elements as equally important because they impact on each other – with failure in one area undermining the others. By appreciating how they are related, and assessing performance from this perspective, companies and teams can …
Walking the battlefield before battle commences Scenario thinking is a tool for exploring possible futures. It is used to stimulate debate, develop resilient strategies and test business plans against possible futures. It enables us to think innovatively and to develop strategy that is not constrained by the past. It provides the insight needed to manage …
A valuable decision-making technique SWOT analysis can work at many different levels: from the overall operation of the organization as a whole to the separate and independent issues affecting a department or a single product. • Strengths • Opportunities • Weaknesses • Threats Internal sources of strength and weakness These are typically found within an …
Who, what, how: succeeding with business strategy Developing a distinctive, successful business strategy is often over-elaborate and over-complicated. Strategy is simply about understanding where you are now, where you are heading and – crucially – how you will get there. The idea Strategy has three essential elements: development, implementation and selling (meaning, obtaining commitment and …
What we look for when choosing to trust someone The drivers of trust are the attributes that lead to effective relationships. The cycle of trust is the process through which trust can be developed and maintained. Overview Trust matters because success can be achieved only by working through others. By inspiring trust, you will encourage …
Achieving employee engagement during times of transition What is the goal of employee engagement? Quite simply: to maximize performance and profit. These will not happen if leaders don’t have their people’s commitment. Gone are the times when leaders simply informed others; nowadays a dialogue needs to take place. People need to feel valued and listened …
Achieving progress and getting the right things done in the best way possible The eight-stage process of creating major change was first outlined by John Kotter in his bestselling book Leading Change; it describes what the leader needs to do to ensure that beneficial change is achieved. 1. Establish a sense of urgency As a …
