Small is beautiful – and connected

Small, rich and stable countries tend to be the most globalised, at least according to an index of 72 countries by A.T. Kearney, a consultancy, and Foreign Policy magazine – to see a graphic of the 2005 index, click MORE below, or follow this link.

Their index uses 12 measures which cover economic integration, personal contact, political engagement and technological connectivity. As The Economist said, a little disparagingly, actually, “The index may be most useful for starting debates.” But, for what it what’s check it out below…

… Continue Reading

Barrie Bramley on MBA studies

Barrie Bramley, our resident creativity, talent and diversity expert, was quoted this past week in The Times, in an article entitled: “International experience is vital for MBA students”. Read it here.

Personalised genetic analysis

A report from The Economist, titled: Within spitting distance, from Nov 20th 2007 edition. Read the full story here (I think a subscription might be required), or see extracts below.

MEDICINE has long been a mysterious art. Some people are more susceptible to disease than others, and the pills and potions that may help one person leave others uncured. But the past few days have seen steps forward in personalised medicine, in which diagnosis and treatments are tailored to each individual’s genetic make-up. Two firms have unveiled products that allow the ordinary punter to get his genome decoded for about $1,000.

… Continue Reading

A moment of zen

Like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day that lifts your spirits, a comment was posted on one of our archived posts here today. It’s worth highlighting, and reading. Especially if you have had one of those days when you despair at your fellow inhabitants of this planet, and wonder where everything is headed.

A brief recap…

Last year, I bought Josh Groban’s album, “Awake”. Track 12 was a cover version of an old South African protest song, “Weeping”. I was disappointed at Groban’s interpretation of the song, and wrote a reasonably empassioned response, giving the detail and history of the song. That post has received a lot of response, but today’s response, from J. Harris is the best yet. In it, he relates her experiences growing up in a racially divided America, and looks forward to the next generation, and the one after that with hope.

It is an uplifting read, and well worth your time. Read the post here, or go directly to the comment in question.

Thanks for taking the time to share your story, and make my day!

Another award for Dr Graeme Codrington

We have just been informed that Graeme has won The Academy for Chief Executives in the United Kingdom’s Speaker of the Year award for 2007. This award will be presented to Graeme in London on 26 November 2007.

This is another in a series of awards that Graeme has won recently as a top keynote presenter. Congratulations, Graeme!!

Personal Ethics in the Corporate World

How do you confront the moral tensions inherent in corporate life and come out with your ethics intact? Elizabeth Doty writes for S+B (Strategy and Business), and has written an excellent articles on the topic, followed up by an online forum discussion and an extended Q&A article. Read these excellent articles here:

• Winning the Devil’s Bargain
• Discussion forum after the article – webinar held in October 2007
• Extended Q&A – Personal Ethics in the Corporate World

I think you need to register to read them, but it’s free and there are some brilliant articles at the site.

Talent management – no one is doing it well

The Business Performance Management (BPM) Forum’s 2007 Performance and Talent Management Trend Survey was recently released. It polled more than 725 (primarily North American) HR and performance professionals, executives and talent management experts. The basic summary: everyone, everywhere is doing pretty badly on the issue of talent management.

For example, the report highlights some interesting behaviours. Although top execs SAY that talent management is critical, only half of the respondents to the survey have formal plans to identify, grow and retain talent. Despite the need for better talent development, acquisition strategies and talent management processes, the survey found that two thirds of organisations do not have talent scorecards in place. And although effective talent optimisation relies on the ability to measure success, nearly two thirds of respondents to the survey do not know how – or even if – they measure staff performance and productivity.

The situation for small businesses is even worse. More than 80% of small businesses do not have any kind of talent management scorecard. And, 60% of small businesses do not have formal plans to grow and retain talent.

… Continue Reading

Intuitive Leadership: Embracing a Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor, and Chaos

I met Tim Keel in Uganda last year, where he and I attended a conference. It was about reconciliation, learning leadership lessons from Africa and about postmodern communities of faith. I spent some time with Tim, and really enjoyed his approach to life. At that point, he was just finishing up his latest book. It has now been released, to some acclaim.

Tim is a pastor of a church in the US. So, he writes from a faith community perspective. But his insights about leadership are universal and timely. I highly recommend his book. I have just got it, and am reading through it, so here is a review I received about his book.

Intuitive Leadership: Embracing a Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor, and Chaos
Buy it at Amazon.com

Book Review By Nanette Sawyer

I’ve been hungry for a book like Tim Keel’s Intuitive Leadership . It’s the newest book just out through the emersion books line. Once I opened the book, I ate it up. Like a wonderful feast, I had to force myself to stop eating and set it aside to digest for awhile. And digestible it is. Written with beauty, nuance and a personable style, Keel makes you feel you’re sitting at table with him deeply engaged in a hopeful, passionate conversation about the activity of God in the world and our lives. His insightful accounts of biblical stories shine bright lights into the texts we think we know, but he sees more. As he tells the stories, they shine floodlights into our contemporary situation.

… Continue Reading

50 Ways to Green Your Business

Fast Company is a brilliant magazine. Their website is equally superb.

They recently had a massive feature article on ways to make your business more environmentally friendly. From: Issue 120 | November 2007 | Page 90 | By: Mark Borden, Jeff Chu, Charles Fishman, Michael A. Prospero, and Danielle Sacks

You can find the online version here. Or scroll down.

Imagine asking today how the Internet affects business. It’s an absurd question, like asking how electricity changed business. Asking the same about sustainability, it turns out, is equally absurd. Like the Internet, sustainability spurs innovation in everything, from how you see your business model to whether you see your employees (why not let them work at home more?). Here are our favorite ways companies today are greening up–and saving money and making better widgets in the process.

… Continue Reading

Face the facts… about ageing workforces

One of the issues we are tracking closely at TomorrowToday is the ageing Boomer generation, and the impact they are likely to have on the workplace, on retirement (we prefer to call it retyrement) and society as a whole. Here is a great piece I saw recently in an online mag called S+B (Strategy and Business). Read the original here, or scroll down.

How to Be a Demographic Realist
by Lord Andrew Turnbull
 
11/08/07

To prepare for the implications of aging populations, individuals, organizations, and society as a whole must confront assumptions that are no longer valid.

Across the developed world, the demographic profile is changing. According to United Nations projections, the proportion of the global population over 65 years old will triple between now and 2100, from 7 percent to 21 percent. The population is aging more rapidly in some countries, such as Italy and Japan, and less rapidly in others, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. But in all countries, this demographic shift raises challenging new questions, not just for retirement and how it is to be financed, but also for the world of work — and the transition between the two.

Although most people understand that this change is taking place, they do not realize how large it will be and what its implications are for our working lives, for how we provide in advance for retirement, and for how support and care will be provided and funded in the future.

… Continue Reading

Boomers Turning 60 – coming into their branding prime

Boomers are variously defined as those people born from the mid 1940s to the mid 1960s around the world. Most researchers use the end of the Second World War as a reference point, which means that as of 2006, this group of people has started to turn 60. They are not old, though. Don’t be confused about that. This demographic tidal wave will have a greater effect on institutions and businesses than the aging of any previous generation. Because of the size and spending power of the boomers, mature values and trends will dominate marketplace realities.

The Chief Marketer recently put out a list of 5 ways in which the Boomers will continue to shape the marketing and branding landscape. Here is what they said (from author, Brent Green):

… Continue Reading

Graeme & Hannah’s Rules featured on SusBiz podcast

If you’re interested in that sort of thing, then I was recently interviewed in the UK by Anthony Day – a long time sustainable business advocate. You can hear the podcast of three interviews he did on the day by going to his website.

It’s also a nice summary of my latest presentation, Hannah’s Rules.

Generation Y – the Millennials are coming

A survey of more than 2,500 employers and managers by recruitment website CareerBuilder.com has identified huge generational differences between Generation Y and their managers. This isn’t anything new to readers of this blog site, but ongoing research is now validating what we have been saying for many years. A lot of generational differences relate simply to expectations and perceptions.

The survey found that there was a particular gulf when it came job expectations, between Gen Y and older generations.

Nearly 90% of hiring managers and HR professionals said some or most Generation Y workers felt “entitled” to demand greater compensation, benefits and promotion than older generations.

Nearly 75% said younger generation workers expect to be paid more, with 60% demanding more flexible working hours and structures. More than 50% of employers believed Generation Y workers had a more difficult time taking direction or responding to authority than other generations of workers.

“Generation Y workers are an important segment of the workforce and literally the future of companies and organisations,” pointed out Rosemary Haefner, vice president of HR for CareerBuilder.com. “They grew up in a technology-driven world where standards and norms have changed and often operate under different perspectives than older co-workers.â€?

Having said this, I think that a lot of these comments reflect what managers perceive, rather than reality. Gen Y workers are likely to be as committed and prepared to work for a good work-value exchange as older generations. But they are generally misunderstood. The key here is not only to make some adjusts in the workplace, job descriptions, conditions of employment and remuneration packages of younger workers, but to also help older managers adjust their mindsets, management styles and attitudes.

Probably the best one article introduction to the Millennial generation was written by Fortune magazine earlier this year. Get it here.

The world’s worst products

The world’s worst products, as voted for by Consumers International.

• Coca-Cola – for continuing the international marketing of its bottled water, Dasani, despite admitting it comes from the same sources as local tap water.
• Kellogg’s – for the worldwide use of cartoon-type characters and product tie-ins aimed at children, despite high levels of sugar and salt in their food products.
• Mattel – for stonewalling US congressional investigations and avoiding overall responsibility for the global recall of 21 million products.
• With the overall prize going to: Takeda Pharmaceuticals – for taking advantage of poor US regulation and advertising sleeping pills to children, despite health warnings about pediatric use.

Richard Lloyd, Director General of Consumers International, said:

“These multi-billion dollar companies are global brands with a responsibility to be honest, accountable and responsible. In highlighting their short-comings Consumers International and its 220 member organisations are holding corporations to account and demanding businesses take social responsibility seriously.”

See a newspaper report with some details and commentary here.

The 22 major factors that will shape the future of customer loyalty

I picked this up recently. I think it is a year old, but still good info.

My reference says it is by Peter Clark (co-author, The Loyalty Guide) and was sourced from The Wise Marketer

While we must look into the past to find out why customers defect, stay loyal, or advocate a brand, we also need to see changes coming. Here we detail the 22 major factors that are set to shape the future of customer loyalty programmes around the world…

In this article, we’ve drawn guidance and data from the 36 chapters of The Loyalty Guide Volume II (May 2006, Wise Research), to offer practical insights into the technological developments, market trends, business strategies, and behavioural shifts that will define and shape successful loyalty initiatives up to 2010. We have purposely kept our focus on practical developments rather than merely expounding theory.

Paradigm shifts have a nasty habit of turning up just when they’re least expected… The most obvious way of predicting future trends is to examine what has happened so far and then make projections from that. But that is fraught with danger because paradigm shifts have a nasty habit of turning up just when they’re least expected. Who would have predicted even ten years ago that the mail and the fax would have been relegated to the extent that they have by e-mail? And with the rapid growth of spam and online fraud, e-mail is already getting much harder to use for reliable customer contact. Another shift is already overdue.

Some of these factors we discuss here are already known to loyalty marketers, but their importance in shaping the industry means they shouldn’t be dismissed from our attention when planning ahead. But others are new and perhaps even surprising, and are likely to become the key points of differentiation between loyalty programmes that succeed and those that don’t.

… Continue Reading