Don’t confuse task completion with productivity
Wayne Turmel | 21 Sep 2020
People who work remotely often claim to be ‘more productive’. But productivity is a long-term measurement that means more than just getting more tasks finished in a given time period.
Managing the new era of flexible working
Fred Krieger
In the post-Covid era of flexible work, physical and remote workspaces will coexist. But the question is: how can this fragmented set-up be effectively managed?
Make your people part of the solution, even virtually
Matthew Handley
This year has presented companies with a series of seemingly insurmountable problems. But those that find ways to engage their employees in the design of solutions are likely to rise above the adversity.
The difference between a mob and a crowd
Rod Collins
How is it that sometimes when we come together in groups, we are extraordinarily brilliant, but at other times we are incredibly dumb? The answer is the difference between collective intelligence and groupthink.
The four obstacles to corporate innovation
Michael Ellenby
There are four main obstacles to corporate innovation that can stifle the potential of organisations of all sizes. Understanding how to overcome them is key to a healthy future for every business.
We’re in a crisis! Why can’t we all just get along?
David Livermore
Even faced by a global pandemic, we don't seem able to bridge our tribal divides and leverage our differences to find solutions, rather than using them to further destroy us.
Get out of the way!
Duane Dike
Barriers to productivity are many and varied, but the vast majority of them are by-products of the destructive attitudes and behaviors of leaders.
Data, information and webmeetings
Wayne Turmel
Turning raw data into meaningful information is a key part of a manager's job. And smart managers know that webinars or videoconferencing tools can help translate one into the other.
Breakthrough innovation and corporate antibodies
Rod Collins
If companies want to be on the leading edge of breakthrough innovation, they have to neutralize the corporate antibodies that try to kill any new ideas that threaten the status quo.
Boost morale with a virtual event
Craig Bulow
Even if summer away-days and team-building events are off the agenda for the moment, there are still ways you can boost your team’s wellbeing and morale with in-person events that you can do remotely.
Snip those email threads!
Wayne Turmel
if there’s one complaint everyone has about communicating with their teammates it's long email threads - you know, the ones that start as a simple request for information and grow like a virus.
That furloughed feeling
Rhys Moon
Understanding how furloughed employees feel about the situation they're in gives an insight into what employers and managers can do to help individuals and the organisation as a whole.
Beyond the disruption of COVID-19
Tim Hood
For businesses that are reliant on manual processes that require people and paper to be physically together in one space, the COVID-19 pandemic is posing some fundamental challenges.
Beyond the disruption of COVID-19
Tim Hood
For businesses that are reliant on manual processes that require people and paper to be physically together in one space, the COVID-19 pandemic is posing some fundamental challenges.
Reacting vs responding
Wayne Turmel
Do you interrupt what you're doing to read incoming emails? Do you hit “reply all” when you probably shouldn’t? Too often, we react rather than respond. And that can lead to trouble, especially for managers.
Let’s ditch self-improvement and focus on effective cooperation
Ab Banerjee
Many popular management theories focus too heavily on the cult of the individual and giving feedback at any cost. Instead, we need to think more about collective performance and adopt a cooperation mind-set.
Office politics when you're not in an office
Wayne Turmel
People who work remotely often view the absence of office politics as a real plus. But they’re wrong. Understanding organizational and inter-personal dynamics is a critical part of that thing called ‘work’.
Shut up first, talk later
Wayne Turmel
Sometimes it it can seem almost impossible to get people to contribute or share information effectively in a video conference. Here’s how you can change that.
Leadership in a networked world: from chess master to gardener
Rod Collins
Command-and-control management assumes that social systems work like machines. But they don’t. So in today’s networked world, leadership is less about playing chess and more about becoming a gardener.
Recent Podcasts
From the archive
Morale: a moving target
Duane Dike
What we think we know about morale is probably wrong, especially the black and white notion that morale is either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Like most human feelings, morale is a moving target, which is why being sensitive to its nuances is such a key skill for leaders.
Your computer - friend or foe?
Myra White
Is your computer making you more efficient and productive or is it creating so much stress in your life that your brain no longer performs at its best?
August Brainstorm
Jurgen Wolff
A team of business consultants recently wrote an article in the McKinsey Quarterly about four traps executives often fall into when a business is failing. I was struck by how often these same mistakes occur on an individual level.
Leadership in troubled times
James M. Kerr
Most management teams can identify what is needed to help their company evolve. But most are much less accomplished at the sort of active, directive leadership that is required to galvanize teams and make change happen.
Autumn brainstorm: self-discipline and anxiety
Jurgen Wolff
If you think you have an issue with self-discipline, read on. Because the real problem may be something else. And if daily annoyances see your anxiety levels shooting up, here's a simple remedy to help you regain your equilibrium.
Earlier opinion
Be prepared: planning for a return to the workplace
Joanna Strahan
Businesses can't simply re-open after the lockdown as if nothing has happened. Planning is the key to managing the back to work transition, and those plans need to address a number of fundamental questions.
Seven ways leaders can prepare for post-pandemic times
Manfred Kets De Vries
Only by avoiding knee-jerk reactions will organisations emerge from the coronavirus pandemic re-energised and prepared to face the future.
Don't use technology as an excuse for bad management
Wayne Turmel
When it comes to managing a remote team, technology is not a communication problem. So stop blaming the tools if you chose the wrong one for the wrong reason.
Getting back to the office after lockdown
Andrew Parker
How should organisations transition teams back to the office once lockdown measures are eased? Here's how one employer is approaching a return to the ‘new normal’ and the factors that need to be considered.
The COVID era calls for a brand of leadership we have seen before
Christos Tsolkas
What kind of leader do you need to be in a crisis? Just as there are different kinds of crises, so there are different kinds of leadership. So what approach to leadership is called for now with COVID-19?
Honest feedback can make you a better leader
Jim Barnett
We humans are often very poor at self-awareness. But anyone who sees themselves as a leader can’t afford to be complacent, and emerging leaders in particular need honest feedback.
Remote working in the post-pandemic world
Jan Schwarz
When the coronavirus pandemic is over, many businesses will have to decide if, when and how they will bring employees back to the office, or whether they will keep encouraging staff to work from home.
Harnessing natural intelligence
Rosie Tomkins
All change brings new opportunities. The tree that looks almost dead in the winter bursts with blossom in spring. The frozen wasteland delivers a bountiful harvest in the autumn. As business leaders, we can learn a lot from nature.
Open questions, open communication
Wayne Turmel
Working remotely, we miss the non-verbal signals we see when working face-to-face. That's why asking open questions is one of the most critical skills the manager of a remote team can possess.
Will employment litigation derail recovery?
Alan Jenkins
It’s all very well governments wanting to get people back to work. But if employers risk litigation or prosecution if staff contract COVID-19, many will conclude that it simply isn’t worth the risk of re-opening.
The importance of purpose in motivating your people
Marybeth Belka
One of the biggest lessons from the coronavirus pandemic has been that incredible feats can be accomplished when leaders share a sense of purpose.
Do you run meetings or lead them?
Wayne Turmel
Why do some online meetings get the job done, while others don't? The difference is that successful meetings need to be led - and there is a huge difference between running a meeting and leading one.
Copyright © 2000 - 2020 Management-Issues.com, except where otherwise noted. | Powered by SedaSoft