2011

Six Disciplines

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Literary magazine published exclusively in audio form

Six Disciplines

Last fall we featured Underwood: Stories in Sound, a magazine that's produced twice a year on vinyl LPs, so we were particularly interested when we recently came across The Drum , a literary magazine that's also published exclusively in audio form. Featuring short fiction, essays, novel excerpts and interviews, The Drum is a Boston-based nonprofit that publishes 10 issues each year.

Magazine 194
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The Difference Between Strategy and Tactics

Six Disciplines

For many organizations, strategy (the " why we're going to do what we're doing") is one of those mysterious, behind-closed-doors activities conducted annually by a small group of senior leaders. It's often viewed as a superior mental and managerial activity. In contrast, tactics (the " how we're going to do what we're supposed to do" - or the execution element) is typically thought of as the grunt work, relegated to and performed by the rest of the organization.

Tactics 148
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Identifying Root Problems - Asking WHY Seven Times

Six Disciplines

In his Thinking Faster blog, Jeffrey Phillips advocates the "ask why three times" approach as a method to gain deeper understanding of problems or challenges before you start working. Phillips adds: " As you confront a challenge or a problem in which you lack expertise, gain understanding by a systematic evaluation and deconstruction of the challenge, the root causes and potential solutions.

Software 148
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How The World Of Work Will Change In The Next 10 Years

Six Disciplines

According to analyst firm Gartner , the nature of work will witness 10 key changes through 2020. Key predictions include: Organizations will need to plan for increasingly chaotic environments that are out of their direct control, and adaptation must involve adjusting to all 10 of the trends. Work will become less routine, characterized by increased volatility, hyper-connectedness, 'swarming' and by 2015, 40 percent or more of an organization's work will be "non-routine," up from 25 percent in 20

Agility 146
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The Research On ROI Of Employee Engagement

Six Disciplines

Several studies over the past few years reiterate the return on investment (ROI) of strategy-driven employee engagement programs, confirming the importance of an engaged workforce on bottom-line results. The 2009/2010 Towers Watson (formerly Watson Wyatt) communications study found that companies that are highly effective communicators had 47% higher total returns to shareholders over the last five years compared with firms that are the least effective communicators.

ROI 141
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20 Quotes From The Daily Drucker

Six Disciplines

Harry Joiner over at Marketing Headhunter , posted his favorite Top 20 quotes from the Daily Drucker , with respect being paid to management thought-leader, Peter Drucker. Worth reading!! The critical question is not "How can I achieve?" but "What can I contribute?". There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. He alone gives employment.

Drucker 136
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The Top 10 Reasons To Measure Results

Six Disciplines

The need for measurement may seem obvious, however, more often than not, it's overlooked as being unnecessary by many leaders of small and mid-sized organizations. Let's look at the top 10 reasons why your organization needs to measure its results: Measurement clarifies expectations. Measures are a the most transparent and clear means to communicate expectations to employees.

Deming 135