I am often asked who my clients are and how I find them. Let me begin by describing my best client – any client who is or has been satisfied with my work.
One of my clients is one of the world’s largest hotel chains. I was the consultant who directed the development of training materials (more than 12 manuals, etc) for a new computerized reservations system. While the work was progressing well, I met important (read influential) people in other departments. Over the next two years I developed consulting business in the food & beverage, industrial engineering, and HR applications development.
In other words, social networking served a successful marketing function.
Your marketing should always prioritize current and past clients whenever you have the time – and especially if business is slow, as during a recession.
I must mention the rocks and shoals of an organization’s politics. As you make contacts you are associated with your “hero” (refer to my blog post on ‘making a hero’). If your hero is unpopular with someone you meet, that unpopularity will adhere to you. Be sure to ask your hero who the ‘problems’ in the company you might meet.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Rudiments of Organization Development
Establish a sense of urgency. The means by which you do this are the precursors for the deliverable of urgency establishment.
Form a powerful coalition . The political arrangements you make with people important to your plans provides this deliverable – the coalition.
1. Create a vision. The vision can be yours or a combination of decisions which come from a team tasked with identifying the vision and its components.
2. Communicate the vision. This vision, shared by everyone in the organization, can overcome many of the small problems threatening your plans.
3. Empower others to act on the vision. By changing the organization culture through the use of organization leaders sharing the same focus, workers at all levels of the organization can begin to feel empowered to act if they share the vision.
4. Plan for and create short-term wins. Implementing major changes is always difficult without making many people feel threatened by the changes. The momentum of your planning is increased if there are many early successes. After all, all changes do not need to be made at once.
5. Consolidate improvements and implement even more change. Success builds on itself, building even more momentum.
6. Institutionalize new approaches. The culture will gradually change and become more
like you want it to be. Changes can more easily be made and accepted as workers begin to trust your motives more.
7. As soon as a change has been implemented, be prepared to plan the next change.
8. Because an organization is never static!
To say that talent is where you find it is an admission that functions of recruiting, hiring and staffing are essentially a random exercise in futility. Hence I firmly believe that identification, assessment and constructive utilization of talent is not only worthwhile but a critical function in determining organization effectiveness and success.
Once talent is identified the whole spectrum of constructive actions begins and is accompanied by continuous organization attention and action.
Each step in the process requires attention and evaluation to determine the value not only to various participants but the organization as a whole. Talent is a potentially valuable commodity but is also a perishable commodity and must be nurtured if the HR function in the organization is to provide the benefits of organization.
Form a powerful coalition . The political arrangements you make with people important to your plans provides this deliverable – the coalition.
1. Create a vision. The vision can be yours or a combination of decisions which come from a team tasked with identifying the vision and its components.
2. Communicate the vision. This vision, shared by everyone in the organization, can overcome many of the small problems threatening your plans.
3. Empower others to act on the vision. By changing the organization culture through the use of organization leaders sharing the same focus, workers at all levels of the organization can begin to feel empowered to act if they share the vision.
4. Plan for and create short-term wins. Implementing major changes is always difficult without making many people feel threatened by the changes. The momentum of your planning is increased if there are many early successes. After all, all changes do not need to be made at once.
5. Consolidate improvements and implement even more change. Success builds on itself, building even more momentum.
6. Institutionalize new approaches. The culture will gradually change and become more
like you want it to be. Changes can more easily be made and accepted as workers begin to trust your motives more.
7. As soon as a change has been implemented, be prepared to plan the next change.
8. Because an organization is never static!
To say that talent is where you find it is an admission that functions of recruiting, hiring and staffing are essentially a random exercise in futility. Hence I firmly believe that identification, assessment and constructive utilization of talent is not only worthwhile but a critical function in determining organization effectiveness and success.
Once talent is identified the whole spectrum of constructive actions begins and is accompanied by continuous organization attention and action.
Each step in the process requires attention and evaluation to determine the value not only to various participants but the organization as a whole. Talent is a potentially valuable commodity but is also a perishable commodity and must be nurtured if the HR function in the organization is to provide the benefits of organization.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
IT And The Government - 102
In the middle 1980s I was a partner in a computer company. Following computer consulting for the Tennessee House and Senate, I felt that more business might be available with city and county governments. I was wrong. Tennessee had its act together. The state had custom software it developed and offered it to local governments at a nominal cost. There was no business there for me.
In the past month (it is now July 2009), I read that the new US Czar of Energy (or some such person) let out a contract for 18 milion dollars for a web site. There are several things wrong with this:
1. Since when did a non cabinet-level entity have such power?
2. Why does the US Government not have two or three different web site templates which can be used for any or all departments? This would cut costs dramatically.
3. All web sites for government use would need to be informational and receive comments from surfers for help, complaints, etc. – That’s All!
4. I know that until now (this administration) there has never been an overall cabinet rank IT person (even if he is in security) – are there no SMEs (subject matter experts)in IT who can advise on IT policy? Even a simple thematic analysis of a dozen government web sites would provide you with 98% of web site requirements, and a non-IT analyst could write the specifications.
We are all taxpayers, and 18 million dollarsfor a web site is a little much, don’t you think?
Dr LGG
In the past month (it is now July 2009), I read that the new US Czar of Energy (or some such person) let out a contract for 18 milion dollars for a web site. There are several things wrong with this:
1. Since when did a non cabinet-level entity have such power?
2. Why does the US Government not have two or three different web site templates which can be used for any or all departments? This would cut costs dramatically.
3. All web sites for government use would need to be informational and receive comments from surfers for help, complaints, etc. – That’s All!
4. I know that until now (this administration) there has never been an overall cabinet rank IT person (even if he is in security) – are there no SMEs (subject matter experts)in IT who can advise on IT policy? Even a simple thematic analysis of a dozen government web sites would provide you with 98% of web site requirements, and a non-IT analyst could write the specifications.
We are all taxpayers, and 18 million dollarsfor a web site is a little much, don’t you think?
Dr LGG
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Honesty Testing for Employees
A Look at the Psychology of Honesty
Some employers are very interested in hiring ‘honest’ employees. This can be easily understood when it involves hiring policemen or employees in whom much responsibility may reside. The late billionaire Howard Hughes liked to hire ‘incorruptible Mormons’ as bodyguards and attendants. In these examples the importance of honesty as a personality or character dimension can be easily understood.
Taking a positive viewpoint of human beings is always a good place to begin. Honest behavior is relative, relative to the times (zeitgeist) and the person. Honesty is also relative to the peers and groups to which one belongs. Let us assume that you are an honest employee. Are you still just as honest when your employer cancels your bonus this year (est $20,000)? If you inadvertently take a writing pen home from work, are you dishonest?
Consider the following scenario I faced as a consultant:
The client had a trophy wife, big businessman, spent time in prison for tax evasion. Wanted to swap $120K of coupons for my proposed $30K network – who will know, he said?
Another was a nationally known company. Fix our network. The server crashed. They wanted me to restore from their CDs. All bootleg software: more than 20 different vendors. Suppose they promised you they would become compliant? – would you install the bootleg software?
What would you do if you discovered child porn on a computer you were repairing? –a personal computer? –a business client’s computer? –a friend’s system? -a family member's computer? Do you look at all these the same way?
How to almost always do right:
Anticipate what might happen and know ahead of time how you should respond. Remember that a zero level of honesty is still a measure of honesty. Lies are unnecessary for the true professional. Although I have been tempted to lie to get away from a bad situation.
What should you do if you see your boss is being dishonest? Will you ‘loan’ a copy of your $1,000 software program to your brother if he asks?
If your children are really starving, would you steal food to keep them alive? Having no honesty in your heart and behaviors is still a level of honesty – zero percent!
Dr LGG
Some employers are very interested in hiring ‘honest’ employees. This can be easily understood when it involves hiring policemen or employees in whom much responsibility may reside. The late billionaire Howard Hughes liked to hire ‘incorruptible Mormons’ as bodyguards and attendants. In these examples the importance of honesty as a personality or character dimension can be easily understood.
Taking a positive viewpoint of human beings is always a good place to begin. Honest behavior is relative, relative to the times (zeitgeist) and the person. Honesty is also relative to the peers and groups to which one belongs. Let us assume that you are an honest employee. Are you still just as honest when your employer cancels your bonus this year (est $20,000)? If you inadvertently take a writing pen home from work, are you dishonest?
Consider the following scenario I faced as a consultant:
The client had a trophy wife, big businessman, spent time in prison for tax evasion. Wanted to swap $120K of coupons for my proposed $30K network – who will know, he said?
Another was a nationally known company. Fix our network. The server crashed. They wanted me to restore from their CDs. All bootleg software: more than 20 different vendors. Suppose they promised you they would become compliant? – would you install the bootleg software?
What would you do if you discovered child porn on a computer you were repairing? –a personal computer? –a business client’s computer? –a friend’s system? -a family member's computer? Do you look at all these the same way?
How to almost always do right:
Anticipate what might happen and know ahead of time how you should respond. Remember that a zero level of honesty is still a measure of honesty. Lies are unnecessary for the true professional. Although I have been tempted to lie to get away from a bad situation.
What should you do if you see your boss is being dishonest? Will you ‘loan’ a copy of your $1,000 software program to your brother if he asks?
If your children are really starving, would you steal food to keep them alive? Having no honesty in your heart and behaviors is still a level of honesty – zero percent!
Dr LGG
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Web Marketing 101 - Communities of Interest
This idea is not particularly new. Political parties, religious organizations, professional organizations, and many other organizations have been formed for reasons of shared interest or purpose. Members of such organizations might have little else in common with other members, and might not even like them or socialize with them outside the community. It is the strength of the shared interest or purpose which brings members together, and the motivation to perform shared tasks to reach a shared goal can be a real strength to the organization.
Web Marketing – The Dark Side
There is definitely a dark, destructive side to communities of interest on the web. A decade ago this author was asked to find a technical manual for a Packard Bell computer. When I did a search for the company web site I found “hate” sites in several countries which listed complaints of poor support, poor warranty service, and no manuals or documentation for users. Chat areas on these sites detailed personal experiences which reflected very poorly on the computer company, which apparently solved its problem by becoming the eMachine company. After several years of less web strife, Gateway computers bought the company, and recently (written in 2008) Acer bought Gateway.
If you “google” Nescafe you will find similar communities of “disinterest,” brought together to share complaints about the company. There are other “dark side” examples, including Walmart.
Web marketing – The Treasure Awaits
When selling on the web, a company’s ability to succeed can be seen to improve if a relevant community of interest can be established. Tigerdirect.com, for example, sends out email ads on a regular basis to customers and former customers. Of course customers willingly give their email address in order to be told when their order has been shipped as well as to receive a copy of the invoice. The ads after that always include an “unsubscribe,” or “opt-out,” selection to stop the ads, but the offerings reveal many very low prices and some items are even “FREE.” In fact, some of my professional IT friends gossip about the prices on some of the ads when we meet. I regularly inspect the ad prices to compare with what I see in my area. This is an example of developing a community of interest for “marketing” goals. Here, the customers “opt-in” to the initial email concept, and further, remain community members for later advertising or services. Of course, the customer base expects continuing good service, good prices, and good support from the company. This is a good example of a web marketing plan which uses a community of interest specifically developed to achieve sales and marketing goals. To be minimally credible in the market place, a company must have a web site. Why not use the site to improve profit margins?
Social Networking
Of course, the community of interest idea is not new. It has been around for a long time and is generally referred to as “social networking.” What is described in this paper is a “digital” adaptation to this powerful social tool.
Dr. Lou Gamble
Web Marketing – The Dark Side
There is definitely a dark, destructive side to communities of interest on the web. A decade ago this author was asked to find a technical manual for a Packard Bell computer. When I did a search for the company web site I found “hate” sites in several countries which listed complaints of poor support, poor warranty service, and no manuals or documentation for users. Chat areas on these sites detailed personal experiences which reflected very poorly on the computer company, which apparently solved its problem by becoming the eMachine company. After several years of less web strife, Gateway computers bought the company, and recently (written in 2008) Acer bought Gateway.
If you “google” Nescafe you will find similar communities of “disinterest,” brought together to share complaints about the company. There are other “dark side” examples, including Walmart.
Web marketing – The Treasure Awaits
When selling on the web, a company’s ability to succeed can be seen to improve if a relevant community of interest can be established. Tigerdirect.com, for example, sends out email ads on a regular basis to customers and former customers. Of course customers willingly give their email address in order to be told when their order has been shipped as well as to receive a copy of the invoice. The ads after that always include an “unsubscribe,” or “opt-out,” selection to stop the ads, but the offerings reveal many very low prices and some items are even “FREE.” In fact, some of my professional IT friends gossip about the prices on some of the ads when we meet. I regularly inspect the ad prices to compare with what I see in my area. This is an example of developing a community of interest for “marketing” goals. Here, the customers “opt-in” to the initial email concept, and further, remain community members for later advertising or services. Of course, the customer base expects continuing good service, good prices, and good support from the company. This is a good example of a web marketing plan which uses a community of interest specifically developed to achieve sales and marketing goals. To be minimally credible in the market place, a company must have a web site. Why not use the site to improve profit margins?
Social Networking
Of course, the community of interest idea is not new. It has been around for a long time and is generally referred to as “social networking.” What is described in this paper is a “digital” adaptation to this powerful social tool.
Dr. Lou Gamble
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Unintended Consequences of Good Work
Before reading this opinion paper, please read the paper entitled “Avoiding Rating Errors.”
Rating errors are always present to reduce the accuracy and objectivity of performance appraisal systems. It is only natural for raters to want to help some people and not others. Because of this tendency two researchers, Blanz & Ghiselli, developed a rating scale which “hid” the weight of the actual rating from the rater, thereby eliminating much of the “bad” variance in the appraisal rating process.
The Blanz & Ghiselli system was developed and validated for the entire state of Arkansas (Bill Clinton was the governor at the time), and the appraisal system enjoyed some initial success, winning an award from one research publication. While the system remained in place for about four years, some unintended consequences revealed themselves during that time.
First, one feedback participant in management was reported to say, “I can’t tell if I am rewarding those workers who deserve high ratings.” Another said, “The person I wanted to promote did not get the highest rating!” So, minimally, the results of virtually eliminating rating errors did nothing to meet the unexpressed expectations of the raters, who appear to have lost some measure of “power” or “influence” by using the system.
In another large state department which registered complaints from the top manager, it was observed that the manager was functionally or intellectually unable to understand the rating system – but also hated it because he could not control rating outcomes. “Fairness” in this case appeared to exist only in the eye of the beholder and not in the demonstrated fairness of the new system.
So the point made here is that you can do a professionally competent, even brilliant job and still fail. Was the work not sufficiently explained to the users? We believed it was. Was the purpose of “fairness” explained? We believe it was. Was it able to circumvent the traditional “good ole boy network and expectations? Apparently it could not. The system of personal was so inculcated within the state that the system was doomed to ultimate failure – an unintended consequence.
Rating errors are always present to reduce the accuracy and objectivity of performance appraisal systems. It is only natural for raters to want to help some people and not others. Because of this tendency two researchers, Blanz & Ghiselli, developed a rating scale which “hid” the weight of the actual rating from the rater, thereby eliminating much of the “bad” variance in the appraisal rating process.
The Blanz & Ghiselli system was developed and validated for the entire state of Arkansas (Bill Clinton was the governor at the time), and the appraisal system enjoyed some initial success, winning an award from one research publication. While the system remained in place for about four years, some unintended consequences revealed themselves during that time.
First, one feedback participant in management was reported to say, “I can’t tell if I am rewarding those workers who deserve high ratings.” Another said, “The person I wanted to promote did not get the highest rating!” So, minimally, the results of virtually eliminating rating errors did nothing to meet the unexpressed expectations of the raters, who appear to have lost some measure of “power” or “influence” by using the system.
In another large state department which registered complaints from the top manager, it was observed that the manager was functionally or intellectually unable to understand the rating system – but also hated it because he could not control rating outcomes. “Fairness” in this case appeared to exist only in the eye of the beholder and not in the demonstrated fairness of the new system.
So the point made here is that you can do a professionally competent, even brilliant job and still fail. Was the work not sufficiently explained to the users? We believed it was. Was the purpose of “fairness” explained? We believe it was. Was it able to circumvent the traditional “good ole boy network and expectations? Apparently it could not. The system of personal was so inculcated within the state that the system was doomed to ultimate failure – an unintended consequence.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Consulting 103 - Social Networking
THE TRAPLINE - or The Importance of Social Networking
This document is written from the standpoint of the consultant, but anyone can use the ideas to find and get better jobs and higher pay.
Fur trappers worked their “trapline” to trap their furs. People in marketing or sales jobs can use a trapline to bolster their efforts to succeed in business. When you are marketing, a trapline friend is any person who knows you, respects you technically, has confidence in you personally, and will take you seriously when you talk about getting business.
A trapline friend can be:
1. an existing client - the most valuable!
2. a previous client - the next most valuable!
3. people you know who are qualified buyers but who have not
bought from you yet.
4. referrals by people on your trapline.
5. someone with whom you worked previously.
6. a former employer or instructor.
7. someone you interviewed, but could not or did not hire.
8. a public or private course attendee.
9. take classes at night with students who are already consulting.
and many others.
Each year that goes by improves your trapline. The size of the trapline grows. The people on your trapline acquire more clout. The elapsed time alone increases your credibility, and your own capability increases. Your acquaintances keep reappearing in different positions of authority within their own companies.
If you are looking for a new and better paying job, the trapline is a big help. Not all jobs are advertised, and all jobs require recommendations. A recommendation from the inside is always more important. If you are looking for a new hire for your own company, the trapline works in exactly the same way. Recommendations from your trusted trapline friends are more valuable than from people you do not know or trust.
“Work” your trapline. This is how politicians keep track of those they meet. If you do this bi-weekly, the names and faces will remain fresh. I once stepped into an elevator and ran into a VP from FEDEX I had met several years previously. I not only remembered his name and the names of his wife and children but I remembered our last meeting and its content.
Good Luck
Dr LGG
This document is written from the standpoint of the consultant, but anyone can use the ideas to find and get better jobs and higher pay.
Fur trappers worked their “trapline” to trap their furs. People in marketing or sales jobs can use a trapline to bolster their efforts to succeed in business. When you are marketing, a trapline friend is any person who knows you, respects you technically, has confidence in you personally, and will take you seriously when you talk about getting business.
A trapline friend can be:
1. an existing client - the most valuable!
2. a previous client - the next most valuable!
3. people you know who are qualified buyers but who have not
bought from you yet.
4. referrals by people on your trapline.
5. someone with whom you worked previously.
6. a former employer or instructor.
7. someone you interviewed, but could not or did not hire.
8. a public or private course attendee.
9. take classes at night with students who are already consulting.
and many others.
Each year that goes by improves your trapline. The size of the trapline grows. The people on your trapline acquire more clout. The elapsed time alone increases your credibility, and your own capability increases. Your acquaintances keep reappearing in different positions of authority within their own companies.
If you are looking for a new and better paying job, the trapline is a big help. Not all jobs are advertised, and all jobs require recommendations. A recommendation from the inside is always more important. If you are looking for a new hire for your own company, the trapline works in exactly the same way. Recommendations from your trusted trapline friends are more valuable than from people you do not know or trust.
“Work” your trapline. This is how politicians keep track of those they meet. If you do this bi-weekly, the names and faces will remain fresh. I once stepped into an elevator and ran into a VP from FEDEX I had met several years previously. I not only remembered his name and the names of his wife and children but I remembered our last meeting and its content.
Good Luck
Dr LGG
Friday, June 19, 2009
Leadership 101 - New College Presidents
A Question of Leadership – The Newly Hired College President
This topic has been floating around in my mind since my recent conversation with a college president.
He had been involved in a meeting with the college’s upper administration. The school was facing a complex problem, and he asked for advice or input from the executive committee – and no one said a word! Absolute silence answered his question. Soon afterwards the non-productive meeting broke up, and the president approached a personal friend on the committee. He asked, “Why was it so quiet – even you had nothing to say – and I do not believe that!” The response was “The provost said before the meeting to all participants that if anyone said anything they would lose their job!”
How had the situation gotten so bad? I believe it was a question of leadership.
The courting of a new college president is often a quite formal affair, but within that hiring structure exists the opportunity for much political infighting. The selection committee is immediately fragmented into factions representing one or more candidates, and it would not be surprising to see members of those factions offering advice to their personal choices.
If you are selected, these advisors may find it quite easy to transfer their loyalty and support to you. This is the beginning of your leadership development strategy.
You might want to read my post on MBWA at this point. By really meeting workers at the many levels of the organization hierarchy (helped by keeping lengthy and thorough notes on these meetings and discussions for recall later), you can begin to get a feel for the culture of your new domain. A small portion of each day must be dedicated to this MBWA activity.
Next, you must identify the members of your advisory teams, or committees. In my experience I have found there are two different kinds of teams. The first kind of team has informally assigned members. There is no special reason for their assignment – perhaps these were all that were available. The second team is comprised of proven thinkers and doers who themselves are flexible in their approach to solving problems, blue ribbon team members. Only a leader or a manager in charge can choose these committee members. The larger a company gets the more likely you are to find these kinds of people and the greater the necessity to identify them. Quite often these people are recognized as brainstormers, a trait not found in every person. Two brainstormers, working together, can produce ideas and plans neither was likely capable of providing alone. If you want to see something exciting, put three brainstormers together – it is sometimes impossible for anyone to get in a word edgewise.
So the immediate step for the new college president – to find capable advisors whom you can trust. The next post on this topic will discuss procedures to achieve the organization’s goals.
Dr LGG
This topic has been floating around in my mind since my recent conversation with a college president.
He had been involved in a meeting with the college’s upper administration. The school was facing a complex problem, and he asked for advice or input from the executive committee – and no one said a word! Absolute silence answered his question. Soon afterwards the non-productive meeting broke up, and the president approached a personal friend on the committee. He asked, “Why was it so quiet – even you had nothing to say – and I do not believe that!” The response was “The provost said before the meeting to all participants that if anyone said anything they would lose their job!”
How had the situation gotten so bad? I believe it was a question of leadership.
The courting of a new college president is often a quite formal affair, but within that hiring structure exists the opportunity for much political infighting. The selection committee is immediately fragmented into factions representing one or more candidates, and it would not be surprising to see members of those factions offering advice to their personal choices.
If you are selected, these advisors may find it quite easy to transfer their loyalty and support to you. This is the beginning of your leadership development strategy.
You might want to read my post on MBWA at this point. By really meeting workers at the many levels of the organization hierarchy (helped by keeping lengthy and thorough notes on these meetings and discussions for recall later), you can begin to get a feel for the culture of your new domain. A small portion of each day must be dedicated to this MBWA activity.
Next, you must identify the members of your advisory teams, or committees. In my experience I have found there are two different kinds of teams. The first kind of team has informally assigned members. There is no special reason for their assignment – perhaps these were all that were available. The second team is comprised of proven thinkers and doers who themselves are flexible in their approach to solving problems, blue ribbon team members. Only a leader or a manager in charge can choose these committee members. The larger a company gets the more likely you are to find these kinds of people and the greater the necessity to identify them. Quite often these people are recognized as brainstormers, a trait not found in every person. Two brainstormers, working together, can produce ideas and plans neither was likely capable of providing alone. If you want to see something exciting, put three brainstormers together – it is sometimes impossible for anyone to get in a word edgewise.
So the immediate step for the new college president – to find capable advisors whom you can trust. The next post on this topic will discuss procedures to achieve the organization’s goals.
Dr LGG
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Entrepreneur and Marketing
This handout can also be useful if you direct a profit center for your company.
Social Networking and Marketing
I have often heard people say that “Knowledge is Power!” I prefer to say it differently: “Power is the application of knowledge at the right time.” We have become an information society, and we have become more dependent upon information. One very important knowledge component is our personal knowledge and how we manage it. Psychology looks at relationships when considering the contacts in a personal knowledge matrix, for example those personal contacts you can use to solve problems. Again, the different matrices you have can be viewed as separate, according to use or function. However, there are points of contact between different matrices, say, between a “friends” matrix and a workplace matrix – perhaps you have a close friend at work. This person may appear on more than one of your personal matrices. When you accept a position at another company, your friend will still be in the friends matrix and in the professional contact matrix but will disappear from the workplace matrix.
Marketing and Sales
Successful marketing and sales personnel instinctively use their contacts to aid in improving job performance, and this helps both the individual and the organization. It is for this reason that proper management of marketing and sales PKM (personal knowledge matrix) contacts is important. Sales and marketing people employ tried and true methods for reaching buyers, but everyone enjoys innovative or outside-the-box advertisements on TV. Ideas are where you find them, mostly by being aware of those around you in every thing you do, by talking to others, and by getting ideas from dependable contacts who are always useful in idea formation. Sales and marketing efforts are not just about uncovering possible purchasers of a product, but are also about finding “qualified” buyers. While our most important buyer is a satisfied buyer, a qualified buyer (next in importance) has the money to use our service or buy our products, so a qualified buyer is our most valuable discovery. The next most valuable is any one who can advise a qualified buyer to purchase our product.
You will need a web site for your business, if only to establish your credibility. Most people do not know much about the web and the requirements of business web sites. You will need to develop your own contacts in this area if you do not already have some. Look at the web sites in your local area, especially those websites of your competition. If you like something, check out the web designers of those sites. In doing your research in this area you will develop many contacts which will prove useful in helping you make your decision. It is best to start off in a small, inexpensive way – but your decision must accommodate the growth you may quickly achieve.
Beware of social networking, however, because it fails regularly when applied by the organization as a company internal strategy.
Dr. Lou Gamble
Social Networking and Marketing
I have often heard people say that “Knowledge is Power!” I prefer to say it differently: “Power is the application of knowledge at the right time.” We have become an information society, and we have become more dependent upon information. One very important knowledge component is our personal knowledge and how we manage it. Psychology looks at relationships when considering the contacts in a personal knowledge matrix, for example those personal contacts you can use to solve problems. Again, the different matrices you have can be viewed as separate, according to use or function. However, there are points of contact between different matrices, say, between a “friends” matrix and a workplace matrix – perhaps you have a close friend at work. This person may appear on more than one of your personal matrices. When you accept a position at another company, your friend will still be in the friends matrix and in the professional contact matrix but will disappear from the workplace matrix.
Marketing and Sales
Successful marketing and sales personnel instinctively use their contacts to aid in improving job performance, and this helps both the individual and the organization. It is for this reason that proper management of marketing and sales PKM (personal knowledge matrix) contacts is important. Sales and marketing people employ tried and true methods for reaching buyers, but everyone enjoys innovative or outside-the-box advertisements on TV. Ideas are where you find them, mostly by being aware of those around you in every thing you do, by talking to others, and by getting ideas from dependable contacts who are always useful in idea formation. Sales and marketing efforts are not just about uncovering possible purchasers of a product, but are also about finding “qualified” buyers. While our most important buyer is a satisfied buyer, a qualified buyer (next in importance) has the money to use our service or buy our products, so a qualified buyer is our most valuable discovery. The next most valuable is any one who can advise a qualified buyer to purchase our product.
You will need a web site for your business, if only to establish your credibility. Most people do not know much about the web and the requirements of business web sites. You will need to develop your own contacts in this area if you do not already have some. Look at the web sites in your local area, especially those websites of your competition. If you like something, check out the web designers of those sites. In doing your research in this area you will develop many contacts which will prove useful in helping you make your decision. It is best to start off in a small, inexpensive way – but your decision must accommodate the growth you may quickly achieve.
Beware of social networking, however, because it fails regularly when applied by the organization as a company internal strategy.
Dr. Lou Gamble
Friday, June 12, 2009
IT And The Government 101 - National Health Care and IT
I am not averse to national health care – I am averse to poor planning, minimal oversight, and wasted expenditures for a system which will so greatly impact all Americans (and non-Americans we are told). I would also like to be told where nationalized health care has ever worked before.
Experience has shown me quite clearly that non-trivial computer systems cannot be installed and be expected to work properly without proper planning and testing.
When Clinton was governor in Arkansas I was working on a statewide performance appraisal system. We needed to computerize the results, but the state was switching over to an IBM mainframe computer at that time. They prepared the IBM and completely disconnected the previous computer. And it was several weeks before the state’s employees were able to receive their paychecks!
Now, Let us jump to 2009. Earlier this year I was speaking to a college president in the Georgia system of colleges and universities. Initially all colleges in the University of Georgia System ran largely by themselves, except for small software programs (i.e., elearning software, etc.). Then the Chancellor of the system decided to standardize on Banner, an Oracle-based software package which would handle virtually all of the data needs of a college or university.
The shortcoming to this decision lay in the complexity of Banner. A printout of the data dictionary (a roadmap, if you will, of the data configuration within the large program) is 18 inches high! The learning curve was not a short one, and because the Chancellor required all the colleges to install it immediately, the same mistakes were repeated – probably in every college.
Instead of installing it at one college and documenting problems faithfully, all colleges dove in separately. One of Banner’s strengths touted by the vendor is the ease a non technical user has in producing required reports. In a discussion with the president of one Georgia college I was told, “I received several reports for a meeting, and the same report from two different sources had different figures!” One report writer used was Crystal Reports, a well known third party report writer which works with the Oracle data base. The other report came from a Banner report writer.
You see the problem.
The last example I want to tell you about I call An “Excellent” Failure. A Fortune 500 company for whom I had consulted hired an IT firm to write a new software program for the accounting department.
I had an opportunity to see the software before delivery – and it was really Neat! In addition it was written brilliantly, if I may say so, from a programmer’s standpoint. Clients could be accessed with a minimal number of keystrokes – meaning fewer misspellings and greater possible worker productivity. The software was delivered and a quiet revolution among the workers grew to the point that they refused to use it. Management could not understand why.
I prefer to use one of my favorite sayings, “You can do a professionally competent, even a brilliant job, and you can still fail.”
The major reason for success in any project is the result of meeting the expectations of the project stakeholders – management, the end-users, the consultants, etc. In this case it is easy to see something was missing for the end-users. I asked some questions of the end-users and received several common responses:
“There was nothing wrong with the old program.”
“No one bothered to ask me what I thought.”
“This program was rammed down our throats.”
“Management does not care about the workers.”
“The old program was easier to use, and there was nothing wrong with it.”
“Who is responsible for this garbage?” (referring to the new software)
And so on.
So, Figure the odds that the proposed Health System software will be even be close to useful?
I recently spoke to a doctor whose practice was spread across several counties and three offices. “I spent more than $100K for a paperless system, and it costs me half that each year to keep it running. Now the federal government says I have to trash the system and do it their way when their system comes online. I will sell out and retire before I let the government tell me how to run my business!”
Apparently the government will not assess the impact on professionals and patients. I believe this to be so – their track record on national projects is shoddy at best. The odds that the proposed computerized system will work sufficiently is slim – according to the administration implementation will be as soon as possible – the computer system will not be that flexible – Buyer Beware!
Dr LGG
Experience has shown me quite clearly that non-trivial computer systems cannot be installed and be expected to work properly without proper planning and testing.
When Clinton was governor in Arkansas I was working on a statewide performance appraisal system. We needed to computerize the results, but the state was switching over to an IBM mainframe computer at that time. They prepared the IBM and completely disconnected the previous computer. And it was several weeks before the state’s employees were able to receive their paychecks!
Now, Let us jump to 2009. Earlier this year I was speaking to a college president in the Georgia system of colleges and universities. Initially all colleges in the University of Georgia System ran largely by themselves, except for small software programs (i.e., elearning software, etc.). Then the Chancellor of the system decided to standardize on Banner, an Oracle-based software package which would handle virtually all of the data needs of a college or university.
The shortcoming to this decision lay in the complexity of Banner. A printout of the data dictionary (a roadmap, if you will, of the data configuration within the large program) is 18 inches high! The learning curve was not a short one, and because the Chancellor required all the colleges to install it immediately, the same mistakes were repeated – probably in every college.
Instead of installing it at one college and documenting problems faithfully, all colleges dove in separately. One of Banner’s strengths touted by the vendor is the ease a non technical user has in producing required reports. In a discussion with the president of one Georgia college I was told, “I received several reports for a meeting, and the same report from two different sources had different figures!” One report writer used was Crystal Reports, a well known third party report writer which works with the Oracle data base. The other report came from a Banner report writer.
You see the problem.
The last example I want to tell you about I call An “Excellent” Failure. A Fortune 500 company for whom I had consulted hired an IT firm to write a new software program for the accounting department.
I had an opportunity to see the software before delivery – and it was really Neat! In addition it was written brilliantly, if I may say so, from a programmer’s standpoint. Clients could be accessed with a minimal number of keystrokes – meaning fewer misspellings and greater possible worker productivity. The software was delivered and a quiet revolution among the workers grew to the point that they refused to use it. Management could not understand why.
I prefer to use one of my favorite sayings, “You can do a professionally competent, even a brilliant job, and you can still fail.”
The major reason for success in any project is the result of meeting the expectations of the project stakeholders – management, the end-users, the consultants, etc. In this case it is easy to see something was missing for the end-users. I asked some questions of the end-users and received several common responses:
“There was nothing wrong with the old program.”
“No one bothered to ask me what I thought.”
“This program was rammed down our throats.”
“Management does not care about the workers.”
“The old program was easier to use, and there was nothing wrong with it.”
“Who is responsible for this garbage?” (referring to the new software)
And so on.
So, Figure the odds that the proposed Health System software will be even be close to useful?
I recently spoke to a doctor whose practice was spread across several counties and three offices. “I spent more than $100K for a paperless system, and it costs me half that each year to keep it running. Now the federal government says I have to trash the system and do it their way when their system comes online. I will sell out and retire before I let the government tell me how to run my business!”
Apparently the government will not assess the impact on professionals and patients. I believe this to be so – their track record on national projects is shoddy at best. The odds that the proposed computerized system will work sufficiently is slim – according to the administration implementation will be as soon as possible – the computer system will not be that flexible – Buyer Beware!
Dr LGG
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Avoiding Rating Errors
Humans are always making difference judgments between and among those they know, meet, interview, and evaluate. We usually try to be fair in these judgments, but it is not often possible because of the tunnel vision we each bring to these judgments. We always remember when our judgments were “right on,” and we sometimes admit to instances when we were “so” wrong about someone.
Past practice in evaluating interviewer judgment ratings or any form assessment ratings indicates the possibility of a variety of errors. The sources of error are associated with rater tendencies when making judgments. Judgment errors are revealed when raters view multiple target candidates, focus on first impressions or their own preferences and over generalize on single personal characteristics. These errors can be attributed to inexperience and can be remediated through rater training. Another source of error is linked to assessor judgment too critical or too lenient or simply favoring personal bias or conviction.
The seven most common person-judgment errors are described below:
1. Content errors attributed to observing several persons in close sequence. Immediate
contrasts between two evaluations can be striking to the rater.
2. First impression errors which occur when observing an individual who looks “good,”
like a winner” or is singularly attractive. This is often referred to as “glitter.” Which
wears off quickly when you get to know the person better.
3. Halo errors are just as implicit when a person’s impression overrides any conflicting
information. This is somewhat like “glitter,” but personal attraction for any reason is
complexly intertwined in the judgment.
4. Stereotyping errors are attributed to generalizations of types of individuals. Types may
reflect any type of characterization including race, gender, age, or background.
5. Similar-to-Me errors arise out of an assessor’s common background and are attributed
to the common typology. Of course, we look positively at anyone like us.
6. Central tendency errors are just that, and occur when observers fail to differentiate
according to established standards – “All cats are grey in the light of the moon!”
7. Negative or positive assessor errors are attributed to error, bias, or discrimination.
While we assume that education and work experience are related to how a person will
perform in the future, it is essential that interpretations be made cautiously. There are
several reasons for being cautious. First, depending on how specific the information is,
predictions are based on the assumption that education or work experience item X invariably
leads to, or is an infallible sign of, individual characteristic Y. For example: completion of four
years of high school invariably leads to or is an infallible sign of the ability to read and write.
If you accept the statement above, you will be correct more often than incorrect. However, infallible means 100% of the time and, unfortunately, completion of high school today does not invariably lead to, nor is it an infallible sign of, the ability to read and write at a level above minimum standard of literacy.
Dr LGG
Past practice in evaluating interviewer judgment ratings or any form assessment ratings indicates the possibility of a variety of errors. The sources of error are associated with rater tendencies when making judgments. Judgment errors are revealed when raters view multiple target candidates, focus on first impressions or their own preferences and over generalize on single personal characteristics. These errors can be attributed to inexperience and can be remediated through rater training. Another source of error is linked to assessor judgment too critical or too lenient or simply favoring personal bias or conviction.
The seven most common person-judgment errors are described below:
1. Content errors attributed to observing several persons in close sequence. Immediate
contrasts between two evaluations can be striking to the rater.
2. First impression errors which occur when observing an individual who looks “good,”
like a winner” or is singularly attractive. This is often referred to as “glitter.” Which
wears off quickly when you get to know the person better.
3. Halo errors are just as implicit when a person’s impression overrides any conflicting
information. This is somewhat like “glitter,” but personal attraction for any reason is
complexly intertwined in the judgment.
4. Stereotyping errors are attributed to generalizations of types of individuals. Types may
reflect any type of characterization including race, gender, age, or background.
5. Similar-to-Me errors arise out of an assessor’s common background and are attributed
to the common typology. Of course, we look positively at anyone like us.
6. Central tendency errors are just that, and occur when observers fail to differentiate
according to established standards – “All cats are grey in the light of the moon!”
7. Negative or positive assessor errors are attributed to error, bias, or discrimination.
While we assume that education and work experience are related to how a person will
perform in the future, it is essential that interpretations be made cautiously. There are
several reasons for being cautious. First, depending on how specific the information is,
predictions are based on the assumption that education or work experience item X invariably
leads to, or is an infallible sign of, individual characteristic Y. For example: completion of four
years of high school invariably leads to or is an infallible sign of the ability to read and write.
If you accept the statement above, you will be correct more often than incorrect. However, infallible means 100% of the time and, unfortunately, completion of high school today does not invariably lead to, nor is it an infallible sign of, the ability to read and write at a level above minimum standard of literacy.
Dr LGG
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Competition, Combat & Planning
Future decisions ought to be based on proactive planning. Some leaders are just that. Others can plan but not really lead. Still others can “brainstorm” the innovative ideas of others and springboard to yet another level of planning or performance. What follows is an attempt on my part to impart some knowledge I have of how the universe works.
The first step:
The first stepping stone to success is to accurately assess your strengths - and your limitations. In your heart-of-hearts you recognize some of these faults or character flaws. It is hoped that your friends or allies can augment that personal assessment with insights of their own.
The second step:
Knowledge is the second stepping stone. Real power is the control of data or information. The more important the data, the more power you wield. Since no one can know everything about everything, it is necessary to develop a “trapline” of contacts whose skills and knowledge can augment your own. As time passes, this list of contacts will increase in number and value. Capable people will advance within their own companies or will accept more powerful positions in different companies. In either case these contacts will become ever more valuable to you. If specific technical information is what you seek, an appropriate subject-matter expert from the “trapline” can be very useful. If you need an introduction to a normally inaccessible person, contacts on your trapline ( and even their own contacts ) might make a meeting possible.
The third step:
The third stepping stone is to develop the ability to recognize “real” people. A real person is a true WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). Their self esteem is strong and they can communicate on a more personal level at all times than can others. You marry real people. Real people are the result of a combination of common sense, stable emotional relationships, mature role models, and maybe even the proper genes.
Many people who are educated, or religious, are not real people. Often religiosity comes from a need to feel a self esteem which is not present in that person. An oncologist once told me his biggest “whiners” during cancer treatment were ministers. Religion had always been their strength and their solace. Cancer is an unfair antagonist. God could not possible have condoned that “I” should suffer in this way! When I was a clinical psychologist, two of my patients were fundamentalist ministers. They would come to therapy, announcing to those in the waiting room that they had to discuss one of their “flock” with the “doc”. Their problem was that they were expected to be perfect in all ways. They weren’t, but they knew how difficult it was to toe the line of perfection. They did a lot of weeping in my presence.
A real person is like a general’s trusted adjutant; a surgeon’s faithful nurse; your children’s pediatrician when needed -- you get the point! You can begin to become a real person if you choose appropriate role models. Proper models for morality and honesty, ambition and work ethic, humility and helpfullness can be found if you look around you.
The really competent people appear to be bragging when they describe some of the things they have accomplished. A simple statement of fact can appear to be bragadoccio. Let what sounds like boasting pique your interest. It should not take long to learn the truth about a such a person. And what a find it would be for you, that is, knowing either way.
The first step:
The first stepping stone to success is to accurately assess your strengths - and your limitations. In your heart-of-hearts you recognize some of these faults or character flaws. It is hoped that your friends or allies can augment that personal assessment with insights of their own.
The second step:
Knowledge is the second stepping stone. Real power is the control of data or information. The more important the data, the more power you wield. Since no one can know everything about everything, it is necessary to develop a “trapline” of contacts whose skills and knowledge can augment your own. As time passes, this list of contacts will increase in number and value. Capable people will advance within their own companies or will accept more powerful positions in different companies. In either case these contacts will become ever more valuable to you. If specific technical information is what you seek, an appropriate subject-matter expert from the “trapline” can be very useful. If you need an introduction to a normally inaccessible person, contacts on your trapline ( and even their own contacts ) might make a meeting possible.
The third step:
The third stepping stone is to develop the ability to recognize “real” people. A real person is a true WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). Their self esteem is strong and they can communicate on a more personal level at all times than can others. You marry real people. Real people are the result of a combination of common sense, stable emotional relationships, mature role models, and maybe even the proper genes.
Many people who are educated, or religious, are not real people. Often religiosity comes from a need to feel a self esteem which is not present in that person. An oncologist once told me his biggest “whiners” during cancer treatment were ministers. Religion had always been their strength and their solace. Cancer is an unfair antagonist. God could not possible have condoned that “I” should suffer in this way! When I was a clinical psychologist, two of my patients were fundamentalist ministers. They would come to therapy, announcing to those in the waiting room that they had to discuss one of their “flock” with the “doc”. Their problem was that they were expected to be perfect in all ways. They weren’t, but they knew how difficult it was to toe the line of perfection. They did a lot of weeping in my presence.
A real person is like a general’s trusted adjutant; a surgeon’s faithful nurse; your children’s pediatrician when needed -- you get the point! You can begin to become a real person if you choose appropriate role models. Proper models for morality and honesty, ambition and work ethic, humility and helpfullness can be found if you look around you.
The really competent people appear to be bragging when they describe some of the things they have accomplished. A simple statement of fact can appear to be bragadoccio. Let what sounds like boasting pique your interest. It should not take long to learn the truth about a such a person. And what a find it would be for you, that is, knowing either way.
My Great Woman Theory of Education
My “Great Man Theory of Education” has a “Great Woman” analog. While our female college student can certainly align herself with a male instructor who can be a viable role model, it can also be very useful to find a female instructor with much the same skills as the male instructor. Women professors can be just as brilliant academically as their male counterparts, however, there are fewer female professors who have bridged the academic and business worlds as consultants. But these women are out there, and you will have to do a little work to learn who they are.
Tips on finding such a woman instructor:
1. Of course, she will be working in an academic area in which you have some interest.
2. Of course, her consulting work will be well known by her graduate students. Talk to
as many graduate students in your chosen discipline as you can find. Learn who the
available women professors are and what skills they possess. Remember that a PhD
in marketing does not exclude expertise in other collateral subject areas.
3. Information from the graduate students will help you pin down your interests and a
focus for your goals.
4. Meet the targeted professors and discuss your interests and goals. Take courses from
those professors you like or want to learn from. Very hard work in their classes WILL
get you noticed! Perhaps you, like me, will get assigned tasks of ever greater
responsibility.
With the exciting and important experience you will record on your resume, you will get a head start on the men in competition with you in your chosen work place. In college they do not teach basic management skills. You will learn these skills on the job, and job experience is what you will receive working closely with a successful consultant.
If you are not in school the information above is of little value. But there are real similarities in the world of work. A woman must have a sponsor, a role model, if you will. Since most managers are men, this sponsor will usually be male. That is not necessarily bad. First you must be able to distinguish between the “normal” man and that manager who is truly unbothered by working closely with women. This man is usually happily married and is a “real” person. He looks at you like a person and not a woman. He has no sexual hangups or shortcomings and easily converses with the opposite gender. Unfortunately, most managers do not fit this category. Their experiences with women in the workplace have been bad ones.
Once you find a sponsor you will see advancement opportunities the way men do: your sponsor will advance your interests in other jobs with more importance and responsibilities. If you cannot find a sponsor, you will have to resort to the Trapline as your path to advancement and happiness.
Tips on finding such a woman instructor:
1. Of course, she will be working in an academic area in which you have some interest.
2. Of course, her consulting work will be well known by her graduate students. Talk to
as many graduate students in your chosen discipline as you can find. Learn who the
available women professors are and what skills they possess. Remember that a PhD
in marketing does not exclude expertise in other collateral subject areas.
3. Information from the graduate students will help you pin down your interests and a
focus for your goals.
4. Meet the targeted professors and discuss your interests and goals. Take courses from
those professors you like or want to learn from. Very hard work in their classes WILL
get you noticed! Perhaps you, like me, will get assigned tasks of ever greater
responsibility.
With the exciting and important experience you will record on your resume, you will get a head start on the men in competition with you in your chosen work place. In college they do not teach basic management skills. You will learn these skills on the job, and job experience is what you will receive working closely with a successful consultant.
If you are not in school the information above is of little value. But there are real similarities in the world of work. A woman must have a sponsor, a role model, if you will. Since most managers are men, this sponsor will usually be male. That is not necessarily bad. First you must be able to distinguish between the “normal” man and that manager who is truly unbothered by working closely with women. This man is usually happily married and is a “real” person. He looks at you like a person and not a woman. He has no sexual hangups or shortcomings and easily converses with the opposite gender. Unfortunately, most managers do not fit this category. Their experiences with women in the workplace have been bad ones.
Once you find a sponsor you will see advancement opportunities the way men do: your sponsor will advance your interests in other jobs with more importance and responsibilities. If you cannot find a sponsor, you will have to resort to the Trapline as your path to advancement and happiness.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Thoughts and Some Evidence on Nuclear Power Plants
For some reason the average person resists the idea of nuclear power in the US. When hurricanes or other disasters cause power outages in the SE United States, electrical linemen from areas unharmed by storms converge on the afflicted area to help restore power.
Unfortunately, a disaster hitting a nuclear power station is different. All power stations were built through a “low bidder” contracting system. This means not all plants are alike in design, construction, or safety standards.
In fact, when thorough job analyses were performed at the Salt River project in Arizona, more than 2500 different jobs were identified. At a different plant, using different construction methods and a different reactor design, another job analysis found great differences in the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to operate the plant.
In other words, THERE WAS NO REQUIRED STANDARDIZATION BETWEEN NUCLEAR SITES!
In France, all nuclear power standards are set by the state. This means that emergency personnel need only the same training throughout the country to maintain the plants.
In America, separate training for all jobs is required when a different power plant design is used. The waste in money is appalling, but in the event of a disaster, only those personnel trained on a specific type of nuclear power plant are useful.
Dr LG Gamble
Unfortunately, a disaster hitting a nuclear power station is different. All power stations were built through a “low bidder” contracting system. This means not all plants are alike in design, construction, or safety standards.
In fact, when thorough job analyses were performed at the Salt River project in Arizona, more than 2500 different jobs were identified. At a different plant, using different construction methods and a different reactor design, another job analysis found great differences in the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to operate the plant.
In other words, THERE WAS NO REQUIRED STANDARDIZATION BETWEEN NUCLEAR SITES!
In France, all nuclear power standards are set by the state. This means that emergency personnel need only the same training throughout the country to maintain the plants.
In America, separate training for all jobs is required when a different power plant design is used. The waste in money is appalling, but in the event of a disaster, only those personnel trained on a specific type of nuclear power plant are useful.
Dr LG Gamble
Consulting 102 - Making a Hero
The consulting effort (as opposed to the marketing effort) can be described as creating and maintaining a strong relationship with manager(s) at the client organization. The consultant will become a valuable component of the organization if the ties with it are strong. The phrase, “making a hero” refers to the process of developing support person(s) (usually the manager with whom you directly interface) within the client organization who will help you slay the dragons which are always present to thwart successful completion of your client projects.
Managers want to advance within their own organizations. The consultant can be a valuable ally in this ambition. The consultant’s job is to make a “hero” of his management contact. Let the manager have all the credit he can handle. After all, everyone knows when the consultant is successful with his contract work. A happy manager will desire additional contracts in the future with a proven, supportive consultant.
Managers do not ordinarily know how to handle a consultant properly. Therefore, the consultant must help to train his client’s manager(s). When communications are good, levels of expectation for consultant performance are set. Ensure that these expectations are always met! Ensure that billings are explained completely and are understood in the client organization. Finally, schedule meetings frequently so as to establish or re-establish expectations and deliverables. When too long an interval exists between meetings, projects have a way of becoming “undone” by company politics and other things.
In summary:
1. Find a candidate to become a “hero.”
2. Give him all the credit for your success.
3. Teach him to handle you and your project properly.
4. Set the levels of expectation for your project as often as possible.
5. Communicate VERY frequently with your hero.
6. Explain all billings completely.
7. Meet frequently with the client.
8. Slay the dragons that threaten successful completion of the project.
9. Remember deliverables may consist of only a report of progress.
Managers want to advance within their own organizations. The consultant can be a valuable ally in this ambition. The consultant’s job is to make a “hero” of his management contact. Let the manager have all the credit he can handle. After all, everyone knows when the consultant is successful with his contract work. A happy manager will desire additional contracts in the future with a proven, supportive consultant.
Managers do not ordinarily know how to handle a consultant properly. Therefore, the consultant must help to train his client’s manager(s). When communications are good, levels of expectation for consultant performance are set. Ensure that these expectations are always met! Ensure that billings are explained completely and are understood in the client organization. Finally, schedule meetings frequently so as to establish or re-establish expectations and deliverables. When too long an interval exists between meetings, projects have a way of becoming “undone” by company politics and other things.
In summary:
1. Find a candidate to become a “hero.”
2. Give him all the credit for your success.
3. Teach him to handle you and your project properly.
4. Set the levels of expectation for your project as often as possible.
5. Communicate VERY frequently with your hero.
6. Explain all billings completely.
7. Meet frequently with the client.
8. Slay the dragons that threaten successful completion of the project.
9. Remember deliverables may consist of only a report of progress.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Case Study - MBA Techno Failures
During the early 1980s I applied for a job at a local company, Federal Express. The newspaper advertisement described quite vaguely a position entitled “Manager, Market Research.” I believed I was qualified and applied. Several weeks later I was informed I was one of the finalists and that I would have to submit written answers to twenty questions about how I would solve specific marketing and research problems and scenarios. Soon, I was informed that I was one of three finalists and would have a formal interview with several corporate directors.
I arrived at the appointed place and met the people. After the introductions I asked, “What’s the job about – why all the secrecy?”
The response was “ZapMail!”
It seemed that Federal Express had a large vendor account with NEC and could buy their computer equipment at a 60-65% discount. The ZapMail group would springboard this discount into a business, offering instant fax services to large companies. In a service agreement much like overnight delivery of packages, the ZapMail group would offer the fax service on a per-fax rate between any parties desiring the service.
I was greatly troubled by this revelation. When I was a cryptographer in the Navy, my crypto equipment was used to “fax” weather maps to Navy weather offices worldwide. The scanning equipment was not classified and could be purchased off-the-shelf, and the communications equipment which was used following encryption was likewise publicly available to the technically informed.
I responded, “You fellows all have MBAs, right?”
They all answered affirmatively.
I said, “Don’t you remember that course in which they taught you about businesses built around technology?”
Again, they responded affirmatively.
I said, “If I recall it correctly, they said you must own or lease technology patent rights to protect your business investment. What is to prevent some proactive corporate customer manager from trying to reduce his Fedex fax bill by discussing the problem with a sharp company engineer? They could easily come up with a solution to eliminate your service. How will ZapMail survive under those circumstances?”
The response was, “We will make it happen.”
I had not been out of the Navy very long, and there was a six year moratorium on discussing with anyone the work I performed. I did not mention how easy it would be for me to do what they proposed. I informed them I did not believe their plan was viable, and we were all pleased when I withdrew from the selection process. I was a subject matter expert in how easy it was in those early days to fax information from one place to another (I saw weather maps being faxed daily with equipment right off the shelf). The corporate types were not technical and had either ignored or not received expert advice.
ZapMail failed completely soon afterwards – after losing $350 million!
I arrived at the appointed place and met the people. After the introductions I asked, “What’s the job about – why all the secrecy?”
The response was “ZapMail!”
It seemed that Federal Express had a large vendor account with NEC and could buy their computer equipment at a 60-65% discount. The ZapMail group would springboard this discount into a business, offering instant fax services to large companies. In a service agreement much like overnight delivery of packages, the ZapMail group would offer the fax service on a per-fax rate between any parties desiring the service.
I was greatly troubled by this revelation. When I was a cryptographer in the Navy, my crypto equipment was used to “fax” weather maps to Navy weather offices worldwide. The scanning equipment was not classified and could be purchased off-the-shelf, and the communications equipment which was used following encryption was likewise publicly available to the technically informed.
I responded, “You fellows all have MBAs, right?”
They all answered affirmatively.
I said, “Don’t you remember that course in which they taught you about businesses built around technology?”
Again, they responded affirmatively.
I said, “If I recall it correctly, they said you must own or lease technology patent rights to protect your business investment. What is to prevent some proactive corporate customer manager from trying to reduce his Fedex fax bill by discussing the problem with a sharp company engineer? They could easily come up with a solution to eliminate your service. How will ZapMail survive under those circumstances?”
The response was, “We will make it happen.”
I had not been out of the Navy very long, and there was a six year moratorium on discussing with anyone the work I performed. I did not mention how easy it would be for me to do what they proposed. I informed them I did not believe their plan was viable, and we were all pleased when I withdrew from the selection process. I was a subject matter expert in how easy it was in those early days to fax information from one place to another (I saw weather maps being faxed daily with equipment right off the shelf). The corporate types were not technical and had either ignored or not received expert advice.
ZapMail failed completely soon afterwards – after losing $350 million!
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Entrepreneur and “Teams”
In the beginning was the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur was alone to face the world and to establish the business. Perhaps the entrepreneur had a friend, perhaps an advisor, perhaps a spouse – perhaps all three were the spouse – or perhaps not. At any rate the entrepreneur sought advice from someone who was trusted to offer the best advice. In the beginning the advisor may or may not have been an actual participant in the business – it does not matter.
The entrepreneur and the advisor were a pair, and perhaps another advisor – formal or informal – was added to the “brainstorming” necessary for the business to chart a proper course (read ‘strategy’ if you have an MBA). This formal or informal association was the beginning of a “team.” As the business grew, more people seemed to become involved – but this time the new additions were more specialized: financial, legal, etc. So the “teams” became more fragmented as specific requirements for the business were met. But there always seemed to be a “main team” which plotted and planned the strategy or course the business would follow.
As the number of employees grew, the team was more likely to grow, with everyone available to provide information and advice needed for the survival of the company. In most businesses “team membership” is comprised of team members, numbering from 2 to no more than 19. An association of from 20 to 150 members is called a “tribe,” but that is another story and has little bearing on the startup entrepreneur.
In my experience I have found there are two different kinds of teams. The first kind of team has informally assigned members. There is no special reason for their assignment – perhaps these were all that were available. The second team is comprised of proven thinkers and doers who themselves are flexible in their approach to solving problems, blue ribbon team members. The larger a company gets the more likely you are to find these kinds of people and the greater the necessity to identify them. Quite often these people are recognized as brainstormers, a trait not found in every person. Two brainstormers, working together, can produce ideas and plans neither was likely capable of providing alone. If you want to see something exciting, put three brainstormers together – it is sometimes impossible for anyone to get in a word edgewise.
So, the entrepreneur must bear the main brunt of EVERYTHING in the business until he/she can identify others on whom can be offloaded more responsibility. Putting on the hat of a manager, the entrepreneur must recognize people who are blue ribbon thinkers and/or brainstormers.
Dr Lou Gamble
The entrepreneur and the advisor were a pair, and perhaps another advisor – formal or informal – was added to the “brainstorming” necessary for the business to chart a proper course (read ‘strategy’ if you have an MBA). This formal or informal association was the beginning of a “team.” As the business grew, more people seemed to become involved – but this time the new additions were more specialized: financial, legal, etc. So the “teams” became more fragmented as specific requirements for the business were met. But there always seemed to be a “main team” which plotted and planned the strategy or course the business would follow.
As the number of employees grew, the team was more likely to grow, with everyone available to provide information and advice needed for the survival of the company. In most businesses “team membership” is comprised of team members, numbering from 2 to no more than 19. An association of from 20 to 150 members is called a “tribe,” but that is another story and has little bearing on the startup entrepreneur.
In my experience I have found there are two different kinds of teams. The first kind of team has informally assigned members. There is no special reason for their assignment – perhaps these were all that were available. The second team is comprised of proven thinkers and doers who themselves are flexible in their approach to solving problems, blue ribbon team members. The larger a company gets the more likely you are to find these kinds of people and the greater the necessity to identify them. Quite often these people are recognized as brainstormers, a trait not found in every person. Two brainstormers, working together, can produce ideas and plans neither was likely capable of providing alone. If you want to see something exciting, put three brainstormers together – it is sometimes impossible for anyone to get in a word edgewise.
So, the entrepreneur must bear the main brunt of EVERYTHING in the business until he/she can identify others on whom can be offloaded more responsibility. Putting on the hat of a manager, the entrepreneur must recognize people who are blue ribbon thinkers and/or brainstormers.
Dr Lou Gamble
MBWA and Departmental Infrastructure for Managers
Any newly assigned manager must get a grip on the responsibilities of the new position. This is especially true if few of the workers under his/her purview are known to him/her. A “browsing inventory” of each worker’s workspace is a way to start. The use of bulletin boards, both organizational, departmental, or personal, and the kind of information on them can be a source of background information for the manager. Cubical decorations can also provide the new manager an unspoken, informative system of data impossible to acquire any other way. Other information can show the degree of control the organization/department has over each worker’s cubical design – and the worker’s degree of compliance to these “rules.”
Another tool of the manager is MBWA, or “Managing by Walking Around,” a technique favored by the late Sam Walton, CEO and founder of WalMart Stores. Sam would walk around all parts of a store, meeting and speaking with everyone he saw. In this way he would obtain a very good picture of the store’s organizational climate and culture, and he would learn personal things the workers volunteered about their lives, families, and jobs. When he would return to the store, his MBWA activity would be easier to use for gathering information from those who had already met him. Sam was not a micro manager, but he did contrast the information he obtained from workers with the information from his managers. Any deviations resulted in a greater level of scrutiny.
These two socialization techniques are the first steps in a manager “relating” to those working for him/her. This kind of “social networking” is not an attempt to blame supervisors and other managers, rather it is an attempt to pass the organization and department vision to the workers who contribute to its success. In this way the goals and expectations of the manager can be understood and be commented upon by all interested enough to do so.
Sometimes these techniques are not easy for the manager to perform because of personal limitations or management style conflict considerations. This personal shortcoming in managerial style can be overcome by developing the loyalty of the supervisors or decision makers directly under him/her – in effect using a very small but dedicated social network to do the work explained to them.
Dr LGG
Another tool of the manager is MBWA, or “Managing by Walking Around,” a technique favored by the late Sam Walton, CEO and founder of WalMart Stores. Sam would walk around all parts of a store, meeting and speaking with everyone he saw. In this way he would obtain a very good picture of the store’s organizational climate and culture, and he would learn personal things the workers volunteered about their lives, families, and jobs. When he would return to the store, his MBWA activity would be easier to use for gathering information from those who had already met him. Sam was not a micro manager, but he did contrast the information he obtained from workers with the information from his managers. Any deviations resulted in a greater level of scrutiny.
These two socialization techniques are the first steps in a manager “relating” to those working for him/her. This kind of “social networking” is not an attempt to blame supervisors and other managers, rather it is an attempt to pass the organization and department vision to the workers who contribute to its success. In this way the goals and expectations of the manager can be understood and be commented upon by all interested enough to do so.
Sometimes these techniques are not easy for the manager to perform because of personal limitations or management style conflict considerations. This personal shortcoming in managerial style can be overcome by developing the loyalty of the supervisors or decision makers directly under him/her – in effect using a very small but dedicated social network to do the work explained to them.
Dr LGG
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Thoughts on Job Qualifications
When considering someone to hire, much is made of an applicant’s qualifications. As is seen in performance differences, there are differences in qualifications.
First, is the applicant who is certified or holds a certificate of qualification. Let us consider a recent story I was told. A large company in town hired a newly certified Microsoft engineer (MCSE certification). Upon reporting to work, the new hire was taken to a room with more than a dozen new computers in it. He was told to get the operating systems and software all loaded on the blank hard disks that afternoon using Microsoft’s unattended installation procedure. An hour later when the supervisor returned, he found the technician gone – he quit! The new hire had apparently undergone a quickie, concentrated learning course to get qualified but had neither the experience nor the journeyman background for the work.
Let us move up a level to the college graduate, either baccalaureate or graduate. A degree means only that the candidate is acceptably bright and can pass the required written and/or oral tests. No other interpretation is possible. A bright, shiny, new MBA means the same thing. The degree supplemented by experience is the next level up, but the warning here is: “What kind of experience?”; “Under what circumstances?” The only way an interviewer can answer these questions is through behaviorally-oriented questions. “What did you determine the problem was?” “What did you do and why?” “What did you learn during each phase of what occurred?” Behaviorally oriented questions reveal much more than you can get from “yes” of “no” answers.
When someone touts him/herself, they may say “I’m an expert.” It is easy to claim this possessing only a professional degree, but experience can be claimed – and explained, to improve this statement. Of course only behavioral questions of this applicant or his/her references are useful. Next in the hierarchy is an expert with successful experience – what more could a company desire in a new hire? But there is a another, better level. An expert who is a proven success at what he/she has attempted is in a strata by him/herself and is the most desirable candidate. More importantly, such a candidate who also demonstrates maximal intellectual flexibility and problem solving insight when responding to behavioral interview questions is clearly a superior candidate. Only such questions can provide the interviewer(s) with insight into the analytical and problem solving abilities of the candidate.
So, just being qualified does not guarantee successful job performance, and behavioral interviews can be risk management tools for decision makers with hiring responsibility.
This discourse reminds one of a marketing plan – when you are trying to sell yourself, explain that you are an expert-level professional of proven successful experience and accomplishment.
Dr LGG
First, is the applicant who is certified or holds a certificate of qualification. Let us consider a recent story I was told. A large company in town hired a newly certified Microsoft engineer (MCSE certification). Upon reporting to work, the new hire was taken to a room with more than a dozen new computers in it. He was told to get the operating systems and software all loaded on the blank hard disks that afternoon using Microsoft’s unattended installation procedure. An hour later when the supervisor returned, he found the technician gone – he quit! The new hire had apparently undergone a quickie, concentrated learning course to get qualified but had neither the experience nor the journeyman background for the work.
Let us move up a level to the college graduate, either baccalaureate or graduate. A degree means only that the candidate is acceptably bright and can pass the required written and/or oral tests. No other interpretation is possible. A bright, shiny, new MBA means the same thing. The degree supplemented by experience is the next level up, but the warning here is: “What kind of experience?”; “Under what circumstances?” The only way an interviewer can answer these questions is through behaviorally-oriented questions. “What did you determine the problem was?” “What did you do and why?” “What did you learn during each phase of what occurred?” Behaviorally oriented questions reveal much more than you can get from “yes” of “no” answers.
When someone touts him/herself, they may say “I’m an expert.” It is easy to claim this possessing only a professional degree, but experience can be claimed – and explained, to improve this statement. Of course only behavioral questions of this applicant or his/her references are useful. Next in the hierarchy is an expert with successful experience – what more could a company desire in a new hire? But there is a another, better level. An expert who is a proven success at what he/she has attempted is in a strata by him/herself and is the most desirable candidate. More importantly, such a candidate who also demonstrates maximal intellectual flexibility and problem solving insight when responding to behavioral interview questions is clearly a superior candidate. Only such questions can provide the interviewer(s) with insight into the analytical and problem solving abilities of the candidate.
So, just being qualified does not guarantee successful job performance, and behavioral interviews can be risk management tools for decision makers with hiring responsibility.
This discourse reminds one of a marketing plan – when you are trying to sell yourself, explain that you are an expert-level professional of proven successful experience and accomplishment.
Dr LGG
Consulting 101
Perhaps the most important consideration when seeking a consulting contract concerns the point at which you enter the organization.
If the CEO supports and wants your consulting effort, there will be far fewer obstacles from the organization placed in your path. If, however, a manager or director is the mover behind your hire, the politics of the organization could become a real impediment to your success. Your management advocate automatically competes with his/her peers for promotion to the next management level. If your contract effort were to fail, your advocate might suffer loss of face, at best, and, at worst, promotion stagnation or termination.
Criticism of your advocate may only appear as a “word to the wise.” For example, a management peer might say something negative to your boss or your boss’s boss. “I don’t think ‘enter your advocate’s name here’ really knows what he is doing. That consultant he hired is not making any friends here with what he is doing for us.” Small personal digs will not mean anything if the project succeeds, but the possibility of project failure could increase if organizational resistance occurs. Not everyone wants you to succeed.
So, the consultant rids himself of many possible problems if the CEO is his advocate, or the support of a senior vice president might be acceptable. Regardless of your organization entry point, remember that a consultant can perform competently, even brilliantly – and still fail! Sometimes just meeting client expectations is all it takes to demonstrate success.
Dr Lou Gamble
If the CEO supports and wants your consulting effort, there will be far fewer obstacles from the organization placed in your path. If, however, a manager or director is the mover behind your hire, the politics of the organization could become a real impediment to your success. Your management advocate automatically competes with his/her peers for promotion to the next management level. If your contract effort were to fail, your advocate might suffer loss of face, at best, and, at worst, promotion stagnation or termination.
Criticism of your advocate may only appear as a “word to the wise.” For example, a management peer might say something negative to your boss or your boss’s boss. “I don’t think ‘enter your advocate’s name here’ really knows what he is doing. That consultant he hired is not making any friends here with what he is doing for us.” Small personal digs will not mean anything if the project succeeds, but the possibility of project failure could increase if organizational resistance occurs. Not everyone wants you to succeed.
So, the consultant rids himself of many possible problems if the CEO is his advocate, or the support of a senior vice president might be acceptable. Regardless of your organization entry point, remember that a consultant can perform competently, even brilliantly – and still fail! Sometimes just meeting client expectations is all it takes to demonstrate success.
Dr Lou Gamble
The Quantum Computer - Old News
The Quantum Computer
Once upon a time the Internet began to flourish, and sharp programmers invented PGP (pretty good privacy) and other encryption software for free or for a very low cost. Because both good guys and bad guys send emails, many of which are sensitive enough to use encryption, the National Security Agency – which has always monitored ALL airborne and Internet communications – found it did not have the computer horsepower to decrypt millions of encrypted emails in real time. The answer was to develop even faster computers. Enter the first Quantum Computer developed to decrypt messages in real time.
In 1999 ( a long time ago in computer development terms) IBM was given a contract by NSA to develop the first practical quantum computer for message decryption. You do not have to be a religious person to recognize when a miracle has occurred.
For example:
Miracle #1: The CPU of the computer was comprised of five Freon atoms, and the RAM, or memory, was composed of the electrons in orbit around the atom. Freon is an inert gas and has a very stable atom, so doing anything unusual to the electrons would appear to be very odd, indeed. It also makes one wonder how you remove or extract just five atoms of any element from a body of more atoms.
Miracle #2+: How do you connect human interface devices, i.e., keyboard, a mouse, a printer and a video monitor? Of course I did not even mention how to program the computer.
Miracle #3: The quantum computer was not a binary computer, operating with logic zeroes and ones. This computer operated on the basis of the qubit. A qubit is a data bit which is somewhat of a miracle by itself. The qubit has the ability to be a logic 0, a logic 1, or both at the same time. Basic electronic data bit detection would see no data if a logic one were to be combined with a logic zero.
Miracle #4: We can be sure the NSA provided a competent code to break, and on the first effective clock cycle the code was broken!
Miracle #5: The quantum computer edscribed here had a clock speed estimated at several PetaFLOPS, or several billion trillion floating point operations per second. In 2004 newspapers touted the fastest commercial computer in the world – it was a billion times slower than the NSA computer mentioned here.
Miracle #6: We do not know exactly what this miracle is, but we do know that ten years following the development of the computer described here - what NSA is using now is another set of miracles.
Do you believe in magic?
Dr Lou Gamble
Once upon a time the Internet began to flourish, and sharp programmers invented PGP (pretty good privacy) and other encryption software for free or for a very low cost. Because both good guys and bad guys send emails, many of which are sensitive enough to use encryption, the National Security Agency – which has always monitored ALL airborne and Internet communications – found it did not have the computer horsepower to decrypt millions of encrypted emails in real time. The answer was to develop even faster computers. Enter the first Quantum Computer developed to decrypt messages in real time.
In 1999 ( a long time ago in computer development terms) IBM was given a contract by NSA to develop the first practical quantum computer for message decryption. You do not have to be a religious person to recognize when a miracle has occurred.
For example:
Miracle #1: The CPU of the computer was comprised of five Freon atoms, and the RAM, or memory, was composed of the electrons in orbit around the atom. Freon is an inert gas and has a very stable atom, so doing anything unusual to the electrons would appear to be very odd, indeed. It also makes one wonder how you remove or extract just five atoms of any element from a body of more atoms.
Miracle #2+: How do you connect human interface devices, i.e., keyboard, a mouse, a printer and a video monitor? Of course I did not even mention how to program the computer.
Miracle #3: The quantum computer was not a binary computer, operating with logic zeroes and ones. This computer operated on the basis of the qubit. A qubit is a data bit which is somewhat of a miracle by itself. The qubit has the ability to be a logic 0, a logic 1, or both at the same time. Basic electronic data bit detection would see no data if a logic one were to be combined with a logic zero.
Miracle #4: We can be sure the NSA provided a competent code to break, and on the first effective clock cycle the code was broken!
Miracle #5: The quantum computer edscribed here had a clock speed estimated at several PetaFLOPS, or several billion trillion floating point operations per second. In 2004 newspapers touted the fastest commercial computer in the world – it was a billion times slower than the NSA computer mentioned here.
Miracle #6: We do not know exactly what this miracle is, but we do know that ten years following the development of the computer described here - what NSA is using now is another set of miracles.
Do you believe in magic?
Dr Lou Gamble
Implementing Organizational Change
Implementing Organizational Change
Everyone acknowledges that communication within the organization is important. Sometimes a manager can communicate by fiat when that person founded the company and there is universal trust among the workers that proper decisions will be made and that they (the workers) are important to the organization. In all other organizations of a size exceeding the span of control of one manager, the situation is more complicated. This handout describes an actual process of implementing multi-level communication. Let’s look at such communication in project management.
The Linking Pin and Project Success
When your project directly impacts a specific department or specific workers, you can perform quite competently and professionally – and the project can still fail! Reasons for failure are rife: poor communications with the department or end-users, failure to meet the expectations within the department, organizational politics, etc. Successful project managers often employ a time-tested technique called the “linking pin” (Likert, 1961). This person, known as a linking pin,” is respected by many within the targeted department. The linking pin is invited and encouraged to attend meetings in which project development and planning occur, and this person may provide valuable advice during these meetings. Because of internal politics or because of ever-present misunderstandings or miscomunications, project stakeholders may disapprove of the project results. The linking pin can see all sides of any controversy and can keep emotions of the stakeholders under control by filling in any communications gaps which may have occurred. The linking pin ensures that end-user expectations are communicated and are appropriately set .
Organizational Change and Development
When higher management introduces changes, three things can happen: the results can be positive, they can be negative, or the results can be neutral. More often, as in political elections, all three results exist simultaneously. Once again, enterprise change can be implemented with the help of the linking pins from all relevant or interactive departments and groups. But remember, the linking pins cannot be just any employee from the target groups. Perhaps certain promising workers can be trained to understand the procedures I am explaining, but more often the linking pin has already been identified as a respected person within a work group. Organizational meeting and communications are “properly politicized” within the target work groups, and results, as represented by linking pin feedback to upper management, provide management with an indication of the “pulse” or worker feelings and attitudes.
Another avenue for organizational communication can be the intranet, an internal computer server which can be used for blogging within the organization. Feedback to upper management can also be produced here. Unfortunately, it takes a manager savvy in organization development (OD) and information technology to explain his/her needs to the technoids who will provide the computer infrastructure.
This handout has briefly introduced you to what is always a very complex procedure: multi-level communication, and this handout does not even consider internal politics!
Dr. Lou Gamble
Everyone acknowledges that communication within the organization is important. Sometimes a manager can communicate by fiat when that person founded the company and there is universal trust among the workers that proper decisions will be made and that they (the workers) are important to the organization. In all other organizations of a size exceeding the span of control of one manager, the situation is more complicated. This handout describes an actual process of implementing multi-level communication. Let’s look at such communication in project management.
The Linking Pin and Project Success
When your project directly impacts a specific department or specific workers, you can perform quite competently and professionally – and the project can still fail! Reasons for failure are rife: poor communications with the department or end-users, failure to meet the expectations within the department, organizational politics, etc. Successful project managers often employ a time-tested technique called the “linking pin” (Likert, 1961). This person, known as a linking pin,” is respected by many within the targeted department. The linking pin is invited and encouraged to attend meetings in which project development and planning occur, and this person may provide valuable advice during these meetings. Because of internal politics or because of ever-present misunderstandings or miscomunications, project stakeholders may disapprove of the project results. The linking pin can see all sides of any controversy and can keep emotions of the stakeholders under control by filling in any communications gaps which may have occurred. The linking pin ensures that end-user expectations are communicated and are appropriately set .
Organizational Change and Development
When higher management introduces changes, three things can happen: the results can be positive, they can be negative, or the results can be neutral. More often, as in political elections, all three results exist simultaneously. Once again, enterprise change can be implemented with the help of the linking pins from all relevant or interactive departments and groups. But remember, the linking pins cannot be just any employee from the target groups. Perhaps certain promising workers can be trained to understand the procedures I am explaining, but more often the linking pin has already been identified as a respected person within a work group. Organizational meeting and communications are “properly politicized” within the target work groups, and results, as represented by linking pin feedback to upper management, provide management with an indication of the “pulse” or worker feelings and attitudes.
Another avenue for organizational communication can be the intranet, an internal computer server which can be used for blogging within the organization. Feedback to upper management can also be produced here. Unfortunately, it takes a manager savvy in organization development (OD) and information technology to explain his/her needs to the technoids who will provide the computer infrastructure.
This handout has briefly introduced you to what is always a very complex procedure: multi-level communication, and this handout does not even consider internal politics!
Dr. Lou Gamble
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