Harvard Business Discovers Level 6 Work – The Strategy of Combining Two Models
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 26, 2008
In a former work levels post on strategy, I discussed how migrating a strategy upward by one level of complexity can give an organization a breakaway lead from its competitors operating at the lower level.? From “Or” Thinking to “And” Thinking, i.e. From Level 5 to Level 6 My historical example was that the US […]
Filed Under Corporate Values, Executive Leadership, Felt Fair Compensation, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Work Levels | 6 Comments
Organization Design – Seek and Ye Shall Find
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 24, 2008
Thanks to David Zinger of the?Employee Engagement Network who pointed?me toward a stimulating poem by architect Moshe Safdie. He who seeks truth shall find beauty He who seeks beauty shall find vanity He who seeks order shall find gratification He who seeks gratification shall be disappointed He who considers himself a servant of his fellow […]
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization | 3 Comments
The RFP Courtship Dance – A Friday Funny
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 21, 2008
We’ve been talking about RFP’s this week.??You have to admit, the RFP process is essentially a courtship ritual.? The client is busy trying not to act impressed so the consultant doesn’t inflate their prices, while the consultant?gets jazzed at the thought of “winning” more work.? The unspoken dialog goes something like this:? Client:? How much […]
Filed Under Corporate Values, High Potential, Personal Observation, Strategy | 2 Comments
Have RFPs Become yet Another Proxy for Managerial Leadership?
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 19, 2008
In a noble attempt to stem corruption and to make things objective, we have tried to take the judgment out of the RFP process and turn it into more of a calculation.? We hire people to make judgments; we have calculators for calculating. I realize there are compliance issues surrounding the need for RFPs, and […]
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Talent Management | 6 Comments
What Values Does Your RPF Process Telegraph? Why We Don’t Respond to RFPs
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 17, 2008
I had the unique opportunity to offer feedback to an organization who sent us an RFP after reading one of my articles.? The organization specifically asks consultants who decline to submit an RFP why they are choosing not to submit a proposal. I’ve said before that? despite what is written in the organization’s annual report, […]
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Organization Design, Personal Observation, Strategy | 5 Comments
Talent Management Systems Design – The Best Defense is a Good Offence
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 13, 2008
In my last post, I took a stand against annual, mandatory low performing employee cuts popularized by Jack Welch at GE.? I believe this practice is rooted in an untrue, negative belief set. Cutting the bottom 10% annually is a defensive, compensatory system for lack of understanding of work levels, human capability, and an inadequate […]
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Talent Management | 6 Comments
Where Jack Welch Got It Wrong – The Mandatory, Annual Low-Performer Cut
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 12, 2008
Don’t Hack Jack! Our underlying beliefs and values drive our behaviors.? Jack Welch believed, ?If you?ve got 16 employees, at least two are turkeys.??? From this belief flowed the talent management systems at GE.? One of the most controversial (and unfortunately?emulated) practices was that of cutting the bottom performing 10% of employees annually. Judy at […]
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership, Organization Design, Requisite Organization, Strategy, Talent Management, Work Levels | 13 Comments
CEO Pay – A Friday Not So Funny
By Michelle Malay Carter on February 7, 2008
If you’ve been reading all week about felt?fair compensation, then what I am about to say has already probably occurred to you. Not All CEO Roles Are Created Equal Not all organizations have an equal number of work levels.? As an organization becomes more complex, more work levels are necessary to carry out the strategy, […]
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Executive Leadership, Felt Fair Compensation, Requisite Organization, Work Levels | 5 Comments
Just Fix the System Please – A Friday Funny
By Michelle Malay Carter on January 31, 2008
I’ve been called irreverent.? Sometimes I use sarcasm to get a point across, but Despair, Inc. has found a way to turn cynicism into cash-flow with an entire line of products for people?interested in responding to the well-intentioned but?impotent motivational words and techniques that?organizations attempt.? Just fix the system please! Below are my personal favorites.??They […]
Filed Under Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Strategy | 2 Comments
Circumventing the Four-Year University Machine
By Michelle Malay Carter on January 29, 2008
I’m not a futurist, but my last post about Management Megatrends got?me thinking about other potential “machines” that may become either irrelevant or reinvented in my lifetime.?? So this post is mostly musing and is more about questions than answers.? I’d love to get your perspective as I go out on a limb and poke […]
Filed Under Corporate Values, Organization Design, Personal Observation, Strategy, Talent Management | 5 Comments
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