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Posts from the ‘Business’ Category

Jul 29

Babe-Ruth-at-bat
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Don’t Be Bashful

The larger the company the less agile they are. This is a basic truism of business. In fact, companies often spend millions of dollars trying to improve processes, streamline workflows, and reduce unnecessary staff – all with the aim of becoming more agile, more competitive. Smaller companies can react more quickly to market changes. What is the tipping point though? There are plenty of large companies doing very well. Some companies are reporting earnings completely off the charts. These sorts of earnings can evoke disgusted reactions from even the greediest of greedy. So, what is the secret?
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Dec 17

Businesspeople with their hands together as symbol of their part

Unspoken Business Rules

I was going to write about some recent consulting experiences, but remembered that I’ve already written about this. I think these rules may be timeless. Like viruses that have been on the earth since the beginning of time, these rules (and many others) have infected business since the industrial revolution. Here is a roundup of the 5 unspoken business rules:

I said 5, right? Rule 5: No project (especially IT) is ever completed. Until I get around to writing a 5th rule, here’s another old, eternal truism: Are Consultants Evil?

Jun 25

Collaboration First, Then Knowledge Management

Matthew returns to CMS Watch to argue that you should endeavor first to support the practical needs of distributed workers for completing projects. Read more…

Jun 20

finding-nemo-2

Consultants: A Necessary Evil?

I’ve read several books on how to negotiate in business. They all pretty much say the thing. Of course, the grand-daddy of all of these is “What Color is Your Parachute?” I read this way back when I was negotiating for my first job. Usually negotiating isn’t high on your priorities when you’re first entering the job market. At that time, you’re just happy to be getting some phone calls – I know I was. However, I didn’t enter the job market at just any old-time. I entered during that mythic period called “the bubble.” Anyone that made it through and is still doing today what they did then, can count themselves as extremely lucky – or just really brilliant. I think I fall into the former category.
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Jan 21

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Rule 4: Never Question Anything

A friend of mine recently recounted a story at her work that sums up Unspoken Business Rule #4 very well: never question anything.

She works at a large format printing company. They do things like bus banners and big signs for trade shows. Stuff like that. So, their biggest expenses are paper and ink. Her company received a file from one of their biggest clients. The client wanted them to run 500 large format prints. However, the client accidentally sent them the wrong file – it was a much lower resolution than you would use for a large format print. My friend walked by the high-tech machine that spits these things out and noticed that the prints were extremely pixilated and didn’t look high quality at all. She asked the manager if he was sure the client had given them the correct file. Read more

Jan 13

Dollars funnel.

Rule 1: Use It Or Lose It

In the middle of just about every conference room where budget decisions are made sits a big, fat elephant. People sometimes glance at it or whisper to their peers about it but it gets little airtime. The elephant is named, “Use It Or Lose It.” This is an unspoken business law that drives more business decisions than the grandest of strategies. What is it that everyone knows but no one talks about? If you don’t spend all of your budget this year, it will be cut next year.
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Jan 11

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Rule 3: Advantage Business

One of the reasons that the corporation is generally opposed to collective bargaining is because it empowers workers and balances the power equation. Unspoken Business Rule #3 maintains that the business must maintain power over its workers.

Employee Salary – A great illustration is the fact that though the company knows what each employee’s salary is, employees must never know this information. In fact, there is a kind of established taboo against this because of the havoc it would create. This taboo serves to keep the power equation balanced in favor of the corporation. If employees began speaking to one another about their salaries and this knowledge became transparent, there would be considerable discontent over the fact that the guy sitting next to you is making more money that you for doing the same job. This would also quickly illuminate any racial or sexual discrimination in the workplace. Business has a great interest in keeping these discussions taboo.
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Jan 11

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Rule 2: Mediocrity Is Rewarded

It’s been eight years since I began my life as a professional in the American workplace. Most of my time (95%) has been spent as a management consultant. Management consulting just means providing advice to those in charge of running a business. So, that’s what I do. As a consultant, it is usually my job to deliver difficult messages and provide advice on how to improve business processes. The obesity epidemic in America serves as an excellent metaphor for American business – where business has gotten fat, lazy, and soft. I grew up in the 80′s and remember my Dad telling me horror stories about what happened to the unproductive and inefficient – they were canned without a second thought. Boy, have things changed. What happened to survival of the fittest and the great American meritocracy? Meritocracy has become mediocrity. Read more