Huwebes, Marso 31, 2011

Leadership and Change- A Presentation to the Professors and Students of the University of Malaya....... .March 15, 2010...

GA Business and Management Consultancy
The Real Best in Asia


In that presentation, I said, " Just when we thought we were adjusting to the rush of change, the technological revolution has been revved up and turbocharged by an information revolution- a development that confounds us at times but also opens up new doors for us... and these technological changes are plunging us heading into realms that we could only have dreamed of not long ago.

I pointed out that, " It's our responsibility as the champions of quality improvement to embrace change that lead us to new potential and achieves the vision. It's been said that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things, but as Robert Kennedy told us, " Only those who dare to fail can ever achieve greatly...."

Of course , these thoughts seem fairly tame today. Anyone who has tried to hold on to the status quo over the  past 15 years probably has been run over by change! Many of the factors we speculated would be increasingly important not to the workplace back then are not only everyday realities now, but actually were surpassed by changes we couldn't even imagine at that time.

Jean- Baptiste Alphone Karr, the French critic, journalist and novelist , wrote the epigram that usually is translated, "The more things change , the more they stay the same." You may think that leadership is a fairly constant concept, but this issue makes it clear that even leadership is not immune to the effects of changing world. In fact, the more appropriate quotation for today's world probably is, "Nothing endures but change," as Heraclitus, the Greek Philosopher noted.

The global economy and multinational work force are part of every organization's landscape today, and they require new thinking and practices from leaders. Corporate social responsibility isn't a theoretical term; it's a requirement described in an international standard and demanded by stakeholders. Lapses in ethical leadership are subject to governmental and private investigations, litigation, and fines- and they cost companies their reputations and in some cases, their survival.

One of friends recently said, "Leadership in corporate Asia is not for the fain hearted." It's difficult to argue with that perspective, yet there are still many people who aspire to leadership roles, and fortunately, there are many with the capability to succeed. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could ultimately be."

Lunes, Marso 28, 2011

On the Lighter Side::: English Quote and Endpiece written at CHANGI AIRPORT to NAIA AIRPORT...



QUOTE:
The English language is amazing -its ability to express complex ideas, perhaps to clarify them, perhaps (often) to confuse; its daft spelling and intricate grammar. yet it is today the premier means of communication in the world. Nobody, not even the Oxford English Dictionary , knows accurately how many words there are in the language. But we have found puzzle word ( to which we will give you the answer as we go along):

What fairly common English word is nine letters long, and each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word?
STARTLING                                   This is the word remove L and we get--
STARTING                                      now remove one T and we get---
STARING                                        now remove A and we get...
STRING                                           now remove R and we get..
STING                                             now remove the other T and we get...
SING                                               now we remove G and we get...
SIN                                                  now we remove S and we get...
IN                                                    finally remove N, and we are left with....
I                                                      a real important word in itself

And, of course, all the shorter words as we remove letters are real, usable dictionary words. Our starting word may not be unique: perhaps you would like to try to find a similar one?


PIECE:
Most of us have words that we find difficult to spell properly. English language spelling is a problem: English is, no doubt about it, daft. It has so many illogicalities that it almost defies rules; there are some, but they are often broken.

Unfortunately, however, correct spelling is important-especially in business. You can probably get away with schoolboy howlers in writing to a friend and, of course, texting knows no spelling rules.

But when writing we presumably intend to be understood , so an accepted formulation of letters into words is probably best. Even if your spelling is a bit erratic, it needs to make sense. For example , if you spell enough-"enuff"- it isn't OK, bit it could still be understood. Such spelling will not really bring you much credibility in a business letter. En"ough" is a sound: the same letters can be pronounced in speaking as: "off" (cough), "ow" (plough), "aw" (naught), "o" (dough); it's no wonder that we are confused sometimes.

We get irritated when we find spelling mistake in a book, or a business document; it's careless. If in doubt, look the word up in dictionary. Poor spelling creates a poor impression of the writer to the reader.

Alphabetical writing was perhaps the most significant invention of our civilization. Turning the sounds into words in formal letter patterns has gradually , over centuries, becomes codified into spelling. This has enabled us to communicate , not just face -to face- (we don't need spelling when we speak to each other), but over distances and in documents of all kinds. The fact that you are reading this piece, even though I've used a lot of long words is wonderful-I hope it is all spelled korrectly!

ENDPIECE:
I went to a debate recently; the topic was: "Is television debasing our society". A pretty broad proposition , and the discussion was lively. The upshot was that television was not absolutely debasing us, but it wasn't giving us much moral uplift either. A fairly predictable result, but it got me thinking.

While watching TV, or in the cinema for that matter, we are passive participants; we don't do much, we just watch. Maybe we have some reaction of agreement or disagreement , pleasure or perhaps disgust at something shocking-but we don't really do anything. It is this mental and physical inertia that perplexes me. Even, say playing cards , or a simple or complex board game, there is some movement, interaction, conversation. Watching TV , even in company , seems to be a solitary occupation with little or no interaction; is there also no brain action?

Another solitary occupation is reading. I don't mean reading just for study purposes , I mean reading for pleasure. So are you sitting comfortably? Then you can begin and slip into a world of your own imagination, not something manufactured for you by someone else. That's the important point about reading, you can stop where you want and use your imagination to think about the characters, or the situation. You are not pushed on by screenplay into the next shot, without having had time to digest what is going on.

I know that there is all sorts of technology that allow you to backtrack, but with a book you can go back and re-read a sentence, a page , a chapter even -in your own time. And somehow a remote control isn't as comfortable in the hand as a good book. Go on- try it.

Biyernes, Marso 25, 2011

Learn How to Learn by Jolito ortizo Padilla


The book is available in IPad , Playbook, Sharp Galapagos-tablet reader, Sony e-book and Samsung Galaxy e-reader
 I once described training as "polishing goldfish". Training often starts with a shiny, happy participant, eager to learn-so why doesn't the shine last? The newly trained person is, at first, all shiny energy, excited about applying the new skills and knowledge. But soon the murky waters of the organization start to scuff their shininess. The person becomes disheartened. And this seems particularly the case for training in people skills such as management and leadership.

WHY DOESN'T THE SHINE LAST?
People can learn a lot about what to do, and even how to do it, through effective training. But do they learn from experiences in the real world, as they happen? Do they find out how they can make the most of life's experiences?

Few training sesions have components on:
- How to distinguish process (how to do it) from content (what it is), and how to manage each:
- How to identify and best use one's learning style: or
- How to "learn how to learn" from work and life experiences.
Are participants ever asked: "Do you know how you learn best?" or "How do you learn at work, from your successes and failures?" or what activities do you have in place to build your competence?"

I believe that one of the biggest payoffs participants can get from training is an understanding of how they"learn how to learn".

PROCESS OR CONTENT?
People need to develop a set of expert skills that they can apply across situations, contexts and functions-process skills.
They need to:
- Identify when they are using the various skills , models and theories in their actual situations at work, so that they can apply them again and again;
- Assess their level of performance in terms of these skills in current work issues;
- Learn the skills and processes that are transferable from one situation to another and those that are not;
- Most important, build their own model of leadership"-something that is unique to each person.

LEARNING STYLES
People learn in a variety of ways. Some of you reading this article will have read every word (and be starting to question some of them); others will have skipped over much of it, picking out just the main points. Some might be looking for the pictures , diagrams or models that are not here. Others will have not read this article but merely heard some of the points discussed by colleagues.

LEARNING TO LEARN-THE REAL PAYOFF
Once people understand their own learning style, the next step is to apply this knowledge. We learn from our experiences that we learn most from. We miss many of the learning points that slip under the radar when everything is going well.

A good format for the learning process is:
- Begin with the past-what did I learn and how?
- Proceed to the present- what does this mean for me now? How is it impacting on my thoughts and feelings?
- Consider the process , the subject matter and the future-what worked for me, what didn't? How will I apply this?
- Build in review -when and how will I review my learning?

There are many different outcomes, but the great thing about all these processes is that people are consciously learning where they learn best: in the real world.

 

Huwebes, Marso 24, 2011

What Jolito Ortizo say about Empowerment and Core Competencies


In this second selection in our  series " Management Ideas", we  focus on some important human resource management issues:  "Empowerment" and "Core Competencies". These are techniques that  students  employ to better understand the capacities of business environment.

Management Ideas was conceptualized during my stint in the  Middle East. These are valuable ideas that all students need to be aware and, where appropriate , act upon.

Empowerment is a feel -good idea that " an organization is most productive when all its employees are empowered to make  and take decisions on their own". Authority is devolved down to all levels of the organization ; it seems to prove what all sensitive , liberal folk believe should be the case.

The idea is most closely associated with Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a Harvard Business School professor who argued that large companies need to liberate employees from rigid hierarchies if they are going to be able to manage in the fast changing future.  She believed that "powerless people live in a different world and may use oppressive power." She left that women were particularly in need of empowerment because traditionally they had been allocated low status jobs.

Ten years after Kanter's ideas were published , another Harvard Business school professor, Chris Argyris, said, more or less: " Nice idea: shame about the results". Employees were often unprepared or unwilling to assume the new responsibilties that it entails.

To understand why it was not working. Argyris set empowerment in the context of an individual's commitment to his or her place of work. He said there are two types of commitment:
- External commitment or contractual compliance. This is the sort of commitment that employees display under the command -and-control type of structure, when they have little control ovet their own destiny and little idea of how to change things;and
- Internal commitment. This is something that occurs when employees are committed to a particular project or person for their own individual reasons. Internal commitment , said Argyris, is closely allied with empowerment.

Argyris argued that many corporate programs designed to encourage empowerment sent out mixed message, such as "do your own thing- but do it the way we tell you." The result was that employee felt little responsibility for the program, and people throughout the organization felt less empowered.

He suggested that companies should recognize that empowerment has its limits. It should not be a goal in itself but a means to the ultimate goal of superior performance. Organizations should establish working conditions that will encourage their employees' internal commitment and make clear how this differs from the external variety.

Core Competence
Core competencies are the collective learning in the organization, especially how to coordinate diverse production skills and integrate multiple streams of technologies; core competence is communication, involvement and a deep commitment to working across organizational boundaries ;core competence does not dminish with use. Unlike physical assets, which do deteriorate over time, competencies are enhanced as they are applied and shared. There are three tests to be applied to determine whether  something is a core competence:
- First , a core competence provides potential access to a wide variety of markets,
- Second, a core competence makes a significant contribution to the perceived customer benefits of the end product; and
- Third, a core competence is difficult for competitors to imitate because it is a complex harmonization of individual technologies and production skills.

The core competence idea is useful to managers for focusing on the essentials, and also for identifying those things that are not"at the core". Why, management might ask, are these non-essential things being allowed to consume valuable resources?

The drive to identify core competencies has moved in line with the growing popularity of outsourcing. Companies are able to outsource almost any process. But they need to know what the hard core of activities is that make no sense for them to hand over to a third party. In some cases the answer is:very few.

The idea spreads from core competencies to core processes, core business-everything that constituted the essence of what company is and does. Companies are encouraged to focus on their core as a source and untapped potential in a time of rapid change and unpredictability.

Linggo, Marso 20, 2011

Project Governance by Jolito Ortizo Padilla


Governance is the framework of processes that allows power to be employed in a way that exercises the organization's legal rights and ensure that obkigations are fulfilled. Organizations need governance in projects for three reasons.

First, modern organizations invest heavily in project- based work. This is often future focused and relates to future prospects. Corporate governance rules therefore require the organization to ensure that governance extends to their projects, so the tight projects are chosen and controlled.

Second, each project will have a business opportunity to address and good governance and delegation protocols will set the direction for the project. A business case will define the opportunity risks, benefits , resources and budget. This is supported by appropriate checks and governance reviews.

Third, the governance processes internal to the project ensure management of resources is used to address the work efficiently as possible while maximizing effectiveness. These may be supported by defined project management methods and support from associated disciplines.

Good governance will recognize the difference between projects and normal processes. To support both business and project teams there needs to be a framework of delegation, planning , risk management, reporting and review. If the organization runs many projects , efficiency can be increased and communication improved by repeating a defined project management process.

The behaviors that are seen when governance is working may seem unremarkable:
- Work to be done is well defined and carefully communicated to the team
- Roles and authority are defined.
- Budgets/accounts and risk profiles are up to date, reflected in plans and available for assurance reviews
- Progress reports are accurate and timely
- Management is actively deciding whether to continue the project at each milestone and assigning appropriate resources
- Priorities assigned to different projects in the portfolio are used in decision making.

However, when these are directly visible within normal governance structures, the organization has a governance system that is capable of controlling its portfolio of projects and has an indication of its future prospects. Few organizations have achieved this fully.

The pressure on project teams to "get it done" can often lead to short cuts that lead to issues. Some clues that this happening are the planning documents are not up to date, project reviews become meetings with little purpose, riskd and issues are identified but there are no actions taken and no changes to the plan are made, and quality actions associated with completed products are unfinished.

The recognition of the need for good governance of project management and within projects has increased in the current economic climate. The governance best project group has published two guides under the title  Directing Challenge designed for those who wish to review the robustness of their governance arrangement. Guidelines are shown in my book Strategic Management: Building Competitive Advantage, 2nd edition.

Biyernes, Marso 18, 2011

Anecdotes written with my Sony Bloogie Pocket Camcorder



Always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you.But those who  hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.


Subic, Olongapo, Philippines

Family in Distress

Fire is mostly an ordinary scenario in the Philippines-Poverty is the root cause.


Spending happy days in Subic, Olongapo  to some fortunate people

Be Healthy 
We experience moments when our eyes seem to sparkle, when we feel that even our skin seems to dazzle. There are usually moments when we are in love or appreciated and recognized. Call them Aha!, experiences are spiritual highs. Suddenly everything becomes clear, and anything seems possible. Suddenly God becomes real, faith becomes important, life looks bright and everything seems fall in place. Do not just wait for these moments. Look for them. Find your destiny . Claim your faith. Live your life.







There is time for everything.Let us reflect in our lives. Is there really joy in our hearts? Do we have peace of mind? Do we have time to thank the Lord for the flowers, the air we breath, our health, our families and for the gift of life? Do we complain every moment of our lives about everything? Or do we find enjoyment in habitually and frequently criticizing, maligning or slandering others? Let us assess the quality of our lives.






With our riches are in Christ, our relationship with loved ones become strong, we have peace in our heart, we have confidence in facing people because we are real as we can be. This is for me is what true riches are all about.


.

Miyerkules, Marso 16, 2011

Understanding What Makes Marketing Successful by Jolito Ortizo Padilla


 Strategic Management-Building Competitive Advantage is available in Kindle 3G e-book and IPad


All business want to be profitable. This means having sufficient customers buying sufficient product/service at the right time and the right price, and being satisfied and returning for more. This does not just happen. Even when product quality is high, customers have vast choice and competition is strong: few products are unique and so good that people beat a path to their provider's door unasked.

Business has to be sought out. Marketing is the process of "bringing in the business". It is not an option-it is a necessity. To achieve results means creating profitable sales and delivering planned growth; it must be well done.

In addition to the marketing mix of promotional activities (everything from advertising and sales to maintaining an effective website), marketing covers much more. Marketing is not a single activity.It includes the whole business.It affects business planning and what products or services are sold; it affects organization and how the company sets itself up to relate to its market and customers, and deliver satisfaction to them. It involves many techniques and considerations -some that affect all organizations (such as pricing policy) and others particular to specific businesses (such as merchandizing and display when selling through retail channels). It also includes associated areas such as market research, forecasting and all those aspects concerned with branding, positioning and customer relationship management (CRM). Doing what is necessary in all these areas and more, and doing it well, is vital. Other business functions are important, but marketing is essential. No marketing, no customers, or certainly fewer of them.

Marketing is clearly too important to be left to marketing people.

A MARKETING CULTURE
Marketing is full of jargon. "Marketing culture" is one such phrase, but it has real, practical relevance. If an organization has a good marketing culture , then all non-marketing people who influence marketing are involved. Active steps are taken to ensure that things and people work well together. Consider a very simple example: waiting in a company's reception area, I heard a busy switchboard at work. Most calls were clearly from customers, and had to be directed appropriately between two separate departments:one dealing with new inquiries , another progressing orders. To allow the operator to accurately transfer call quickly; she has evolved phrase that provided instant clarity; she asked: "Are you placing an order or chasing an order?" It worked administratively , but was suggesting to hundreds of people every day that orders routinely needed chasing; it hardly projected a good image. Whose fault is that? I do not think the operator can be blamed. If she reported ( as was likely) to an administration  manager rather than to marketing, should that person have checked and taken what is essentally a marketing view? Some kind of liaison was necessary , but lacking. However things are organizaed , the net results has to be that the customer interface is well managed.

This example is not so minor. But it is surely important that people at every level work together on more major matters. Lost opportunities or errors may cause significant problems. People differ.It was a simple example. Marketers tend to view money as for investment (in advertising or a sales drive perhaps), in order to promote sales and revenue. Conversely, accountants tend to see it more as a resource to be guarded, and certainly not to be spent with, what may apear, scant consideration, on things that seem to them somewhat vague. Marketing is rightly described  as being "as much as science". Understanding is necessary if disagreement and stalemate amongst managers are not to lead to  inaction that will affect sales adversely.

KEYS TO EFFECTIVE MARKETING
Senior managers in functions other than marketing may not need to get involved in detail , but they should understand what makes marketing successful and play their part in making it so. Five factors establish what makes marketing effective. It must be:
- Customer Oriented. Every aspect of marketing -the concept, the planning through to research, communications and the application of every technique- must focus on customers. Profitability can only come from satisfying the market. Knowledge of, and respect for, the customer is essential to business success. All managers must always act in accord with this if they are to contribute to overall corporate success.
- Continuously deployed. Marketing is not a bolt-on activity, or for moments when "time allows"; it must be present continuously as a company operates. This means that planning is crucial or marketing activity will always be less effective. It also means that everyone contributing to marketing's work, even just by voting for or against its planned budget on the Board, can help ensure the necessary continuity , or disrupt it. Marketing must command understanding and support. Perhaps marketing people should ensure that this is the case, though others may want to take an initiative if they feel in the dark about it.
- Coordinated effectively. Unless the varous techniques of marketing are made to act together their effectiveness will be diluted. The different factors, sales and advertising, say are not alternatives; both are necessary. When, how and how much all the techniques interrelate and overlap depends on the skill of those involved. Marketing must logically coordinate its own activities ; also there are many matters that demand working together with other functions (and perhaps locations). Only if marketing is truly a management function, starting from senior level, and supported by the whole senior management team, can complete coordination be achieved.
- Creatively carried out. All marketing communication must be creative. In these very competitive times, doing so is a challenge; the combination of competitiveness and the need for creativity makes marketing dynamic. It is not an exact science; many of the variables that affect it are external.It is never certain , for instance , what competitors will do next. However the necessary creativity shows itself-through product innovation, clever (or, more important, persuasive and memorable) advertising or promotion , or special attention to aspects of service-it must always be there. It needs to bring something new to counter unpredictable competitive pressures or changing customer attitudes and expectations;or both. Lack of understanding by senior management of what is needed here can see even effective plans come to nothing.
- Culturally underpinned. This is the key area. Marketing is, above all, dependent on people ;not only in marketing-the researchers, marketing managers, sales managers, public relations people and more- but others at every level throughout the organization.Their work contributes to the marketing process, whatever their job title and responsibilities suggest.

If effectiveness of marketing is not being maximized, then the organization's results are likely to suffer. Those primarily involved-the marketing people-must be effective.Indeed , in any organization where all the right people are not involved in supporting and helping to drive what goes on, marketing will be handicapped to some extent. Whatever else may be necessary to make your organization's marketing successful, one factor can almost certainly strengthen it-you.

Sabado, Marso 12, 2011

Supplier Relationship Management by Jolito Ortizo Padilla


The Book is Now Available in all Turkey, Cyprus and Morocco Bookstores
There are many reasons to listen to suppliers. First, they know the product or service they sell to us better than we do. This means they are able to tell us whether we are buying in the right way or not. They can say, for example , if what we are specifying needs to be updated or is outdated. They can offer the best alternative because it is cheaper , simpler or more efficient. Suppliers can also tell us whether a purchase order provides enough information or is vague to the point of running the risk of receiving a product or service very different from what we had in mind.

Suppliers' innovation and creativity are focused on what they sell, which should be the same as what we sell. If you are a manufacturer , they will probably understand your manufacturing processes and could even suggest new products that you could develop using raw materials or parts that they supply. This would be an advantageous partnership for both parties. At a time when partnership is a keyword, having a happy supplier is very important.

Depending on whether we accept new ideas, suppliers can qualify our degree of openness and flexibility. They can  assess whether as an organization we are slow, bureaucratic or agile.They can even judge our relationship with staff. If a supplier also works with our competitors, we could gain indirect information about them. This is an important input for a competitve intelligence analysis. A supplier can also suggest potential customers for our products or services, or even give suggestions for new products  that fit within the our business , since in this way they can increase sales for their own organization.

It is important to understand whether a supplier knows enough about our company and our current and future products. It would be better still to invite him to participate in strategic planning, emphasizing integration , fairness and the transparency of relationships. Suppliers must be treated in the same way as we treat customers. We need to inform them of the improvement actions that we have decided to take so they are willing to respond to the next change. There is nothing more discouraging to a supplier than finding out that he has spent his time cooperating with us and nothing happened.

When developing a relationship with suppliers, a good idea is for someone independent from the purchasing process to carry out a satisfaction survey. A personal interview or a telephone call is the most efficient method because it allows a larger range of information to be collected. Questionnaires are restrictive and the answering rate can be very low. Furthermore, you don't know who is answering-the director may forward it to the manager, who in turns sends it to somebody else.

If a questionnaire is decided upon then it should not be too long, containing a maximum of 12 closed questions with grades to be assigned from 1 to 10. Add a handful of open questions, the last one for comments criticisms and suggestions.  I once saw a very direct question in a people satisfaction survey , "Do you think that we are actually using the results of this survey for improvement actions"? This of course would not be an appropriate question to ask a supplier.

When carrying out a survey , we must present the reasons behind it in order to motivate suppliers to contribute. A letter from a director or a manager should emphasize its importance, thank them in advance for their collaboration and let them know that they will be kept informed of the actions arising from the analysis of results.

So for many reasons it is important to listen to suppliers as well as to our customers. The concepts of customer relationship management can be easily translated to supplier relationship management .  Even better , it is worth listening to all interested parties such as employees, governenment agencies, opinion formers, communities and society. In short , we must listen to everybody that can, directly or indirectly, influence the success of our business. From here we can develop stakeholder relationship management, a much encompassing practice, to support continual improvement.

Biyernes, Marso 11, 2011

The Heroism of the Egyptians... being Admired by the Whole World...

                              YA HABEBTI YAMASESR YAMASESR...
                                LONG LIVE  EGYPT.

Taken during the EFMD-EQUIS (MBA) accreditation of Cairo University

OMG
PHOTO TAKEN WITH MY NIKON CAMERA

WITH MY NIKON CAMERA

EGYPT-EGYPT-during the EFMD -EQUIS (MBA) accreditation of Cairo University


Women's Right
AT TAHRIR SQUARE
YA HABEBTI YAMASESR YAMASESR

MORE OF EGYPT  PEOPLE'S POWER PHOTOS  IN JOP MEMOIRS AT SHARP GALAPAGOS E-BOOK

     To Mr. Aurelio Macaraeg Jr, Mr. Alfonso Ramos Jr and Family, Mr. Sundaram Sagaran, Sir Robert Cenidoza , Sir Rey Domingo and Family , Mr. Ronilo Santos and Sir Orly.. .. My Prayer for your safety and good health  there in KSA.. God Bless..

Huwebes, Marso 10, 2011

What Jolito Ortizo Padilla say about "Business Planning"

This is the approach of putting in writing the hoped-for the future financial performance of a new business. It is not just a matter of qualitative fantasizing of asserting " we intend to be innovative market leaders at the forefront of internet technology", for example. It is also a matter of quantitative fantasizing: "And we will make a loss of Sing$ 1.64m in year one, and a profit of  Sing$ 350,000 in year two.

The launching of business idea requires its patron to attribute precise financial numbers to the future cash flow of the business , in the shape of a business plan -number needless to say that rarely bear any relationship to subsequent reality.

So what is the point? There are usually two:
> To obtain funds. Every investor and venture capitalist wants to read a business plan that will help them to assess the likely risk and reward of a project. For the infant business that is selecting finance, the presentation of the plan is a bit like an actor's audition. There are notoriously bad ones and a good one is certainly no guarantee of a part. But with a bad one, you are almost sure never to see the footlights.
> To help the business's promoters focus on some of the fundamental operational issues. For example, what is the  likely size of the market they are entering? Who is likely to be their major competitor. To some extent the setting of operational targets is self fulfilling. If the venture is successful , the targets set are the target reached. They may not be the optimal performance of the organization of course, but merely a satisfactory one.

Business plans are required not only by new business ventures, but also by old businesses trying something new. Proposed mergers and acquisitions require a detailed plan of the future of the merged entity , a venture into a new market requires a business plan and so too does the winding down or even the turning around of an old and tired business.

Sabado, Marso 5, 2011

Managing Quality by Jolito Ortizo Padilla

JOP with Philipp Kotler
The Book is now available in all Turkey and Cyprus Bookstores
The Quality can be a tender and fragile things. It relies on the commitment of people and people by nature are changeable and subject to cultural and economic influence. Quality is vulnerable when people are busy or are working in fear of redundancy. If morale or confidence goes down, so might quality. This vicious circle , if not broken , may cause irreparable damage as tainted corporate reputation spreads like virus.

But here's the thing: quality , although a serious business needs to have a playful element. Attempting to engage organizations with seriousness is not easy. Quality should be instinctive. some people have the mindset of " I don't like procedures: and yet each of us carries a set of internal procedures that ensures we lead a good quality of life. Whether its rinsing a plate before it goes in the dishwasher or checking the message in a birthday card before sealing the envelope.

In order to have a meaningful conversation about quality with staff, it can be helpful to hook attention with anecdotes and imagery as well as engaging the intellect with logic about the consequences of not  following procedure. No one wants a blocked dishwasher or an unhappy friend any more than they want a report littered with mistakes or an unhappy client. The type of organization makes no difference: retail outlets will think about customers, universities and colleges think about students, hospitals about patients.

So how do organization manage quality? Adhering to quality standard is certainly one way. Others use a traffic light system where red means non-compliant, immediate action required. Others take an improvement journey with training consultants or independent assessment bodies. For a skeptical staff not partial to audits, how can we get them on board? And what of those departments who will sacrifice quality rather than negotiate cost or timings?

Quality must be shrink-wrapped, laminated and on display every minute of every day not just as a certificate in reception but as identifiable and protected office behavior. When there is uncertainty there must be one constant quality. Here are 15 ways to raise the profile of quality:
  - Engagement: tell a story, paint a picture or invite staff to a workshop and share a box of Quality Street.
  - Inquiry : ask good questions-some standards such as, "When you are not in the office , how can your neighbor find your files?". and some more incisive, such as : "What is the one thing you can do tomorrow to improve quality in your department?"
 - Involve: don't just tell , really make people feel part of the quality system and reward sensible suggestions with changes.
 - Coach: empower quality representations to take on initiatives and coach them through the change process.
 - Re-lunch: imagine a quality standard is being established for the first time and sell its benefits, keep it fresh.
 - Link : link the quality system to other areas such as data protection or copyright laws.
 - Continual improvement create a culture of continual improvement through quality forums.
 - PR for examples, " we are talented organization so let's not dilute what we do by losing our quality disciplines". The quality department must of course be ambassadors of quality . Publicizing great initiatives is priceless.
 - Concepts: provide intellectually stimulating concepts of what quality means. show models or relate it to things that means something.
 - Advocates: ambassadors, champions, call them what you will but have them in each department.
 - Back to basic: keep everything simple
 - Measure, act, publish : ensure measurements are in place , produce action plans based on them, publish the data across the company.
 - All inclusive:  everything is quality: everyone is responsible
 - Marketing: get the  marketing team to support quality and market cleverly with campaign and adverts. Treat staff as if they were prospects  who needed attracting and convincing.

Biyernes, Marso 4, 2011

Managing Culture by Jolito Ortizo Padilla




Emerging  evidence indicates that socially responsible businesses continue to financially outperform those that make no special effort to manage their social and environmental impacts.

In particular, the international investment community has recognized that corporate, environmental and social governance issues can  affect  the  performance  of their portfolios and are looking to minimize risks. Although only lunched in 2006, the joint UN Global Compact and UN Environmental Programme financial initiative scheme ,     the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, already has 560 signatories actively developing policies that embed sustainability into maistream decision-making and ownership practices.

Such development are not simply the result of the spread of corporate responsibility among financial institutions. There is a clear economic argument due to the increasing value of the company's intangible assets. Consequently, investors are having to pay more attention to  intangibles including the quality of management , brand strength, intellectual capital and even a sustainability profile.

Corporate culture is obviously a key intangible. It is a blend of company values, taboos, symbol and myths that have developed overtime into a deep -  rooted , tacit code that defines behavioral expectations and shapes performance. Taking their cue from science of management , many organizations have been   trying to leverage their organizational cultures for business improvement.

At one extreme, business have engaged in a form of social engineering in which they define personal attributes and competencies they want in their employees. They then hire, train, promote and reward on the basis of those criteria.

Other strategies used to manipulate corporate culture have included re-branding , attempts at blatant propaganda and a widespread outbreak of the "vision-mission-values" phenomenon. But how successful are businesses at managing culture? Certainly all organizations had unique culture long ago. Moreover, the modern workplace with its increasingly diverse composition makes it more difficult to define, measure or change corporate culture.

Although management does usually have the best of intentions, initiatives that meddle with prevailing culture rarely fulfill  their expectations. To begin with, some programmes are "tick -in the-box" exercises in which vision-mission -values are assembled without any deep appreciation of the existing culture. Others, simply fail to communicate the message effectively-the vision-mission -values appear in the intranet without explanation.

Alternatively, lack of progress  might be due to ever increasing complexity of modern business and widening range of issues competing for management attention in these difficult times. Policy trade-offs , compromises and conflicts present daily challenges to management.

Should this disappoint us? When viewed as super-organisms, businesses have much in common with tribal societies. They often reflect the complex mixture of altruism and selfishness that characterize human nature. Although not designed to be all-singing social unit that defined our ancestral tribes , a great deal of our personal satisfaction and well-being is derived from our working lives.

For many people, the work-life balance is fundamentally flawed -work is an important part of life, a place of social interaction from which we derived self esteem and gain recognition. This is especially true where we can easily buy into the prevailing corporate culture and its tacit moral code.

Conversely, if the organization focuses too heavily on one of its strategic objectives, it will have a damaging effect on its culture and business. For example, concentration on the single minded pursuit of profit has been a contributory factor in the recent international banking crisis.

So, who do we blame when corporate culture is dysfunctional? Naturally, we tend to point our finger at political or business leadership. We put out trust in leaders, acquiescing or tacitly condoning their excesses, but turning on them with the tide. We rely on them to do the right thing, but recent revelations about politicians and their expenses indicates that a substantial proportion of our leaders are a little better than self-serving crooks. The same can apply to corporate mandarins where governance structure are generally powerless to rein in excesses. Is there a better way or do we have to live with the leaders we deserve?

Martes, Marso 1, 2011

Chairing the meeting by Jolito Ortizo Padilla.. an excerpts from my book "How to Manage Effective Meetings": Middle East Edition

Cover of my book: How To Manage Effective Meetings: Middle East Edition
Soon in Jarir Bookstores and Virgin Megastores
Chairing a meeting is a leadership task. The Chair's task is to release the talents of the group. You should provide:
 - vision: what the meeting is aiming for;
 - direction: indicating where to go;
 - security: developing the group's well being and sense of purpose

How you do this will depend very much on the style of chairing that you find congenial. The best Chairs wear their authority lightly. Lao-tsu, the writer of the Tao Te Ching recognized this over 2,000 years ago.
    The best soldier is not soldiery
    The best fighter is not ferocious
    The best conqueror does not take part in the war
    The best employer of men keeps himself below them
    This is called the virtue of not contending
    This is called the ability of using people
" The best conqueror does not take part in the war" This sums up good chairing. Direct the process of the meeting; delegate task leadership to participants. Lead the operation; but don't take part.

Leadership in meetings
What sort of leader do you intend to be? Try to be clear how you will conduct the meeting before you begin. What type of meeting is it? Does it have regulations or legal requirements governing the way it is run? How do you expect participants to contribute? How will you control procedure? Will everybody address their remarks formally through the Chair? Perhaps you will opt for a strategy of minimal control: announcing each item, summarizing discussion, calling for a formal decision-and keeping to time.

One of the most common criticism of Chairs is that they fail to control the meeting. Another is that they are autocratic! Strict control must be exercised at the start of the meeting, when a group is newly formed, or when the meeting is large and a high degree of procedural discipline must be invoked. "Strong" control is useful in a crisis, or to get through the routine items quickly. Otherwise a democratic style is preferable. Groups work best when they feel ownership of the tasks to be undertaken, and empowered to act. They will also work more efficiently if they feel secure: that somebody is in overall control.

Opening the  meeting
A meeting that starts badly will take time to recover. It is a good idea to work out an opening in some detail: it will steady the nerves and put everybody at ease. You should:
  - Start on time. If you do not, you will have late arrivals for the next meeting. Lateness will become chronic problem if not dealt with immediately. Anybody who arrives late at a meeting that started promptly should soon get the message.
  - State the purpose or objective of the meeting. Refer to the agenda, and indicate the common ground that exists within the group to reach this goal.
 - Make all suitable introductions. Check that everybody knows each other. Attend in particular to new members.
 - Announce procedures and the timetable of the meeting. Tell people how long the meeting will last, and time of breaks. Indicate how you expect them to contribute and how discussion will be controlled.
- If you are chairing a new group:
   - identify and agree the group's purpose;
   - give information on everybody's attending: their expertise and relevance to the task;
   - invite everybody to introduce themselves.
- If the group is well established:
   - identify the purpose of this meeting;
   - note any changes in circumstances since the last meeting;
   - remind the group of its identity;
   - introduce new members or guests;
   - praise achievements of the group or individuals since the last meeting;
   - acknowledge new difficulties;
   - reaffirm the determination of the meeting to meet the challenge.

Managing agenda items
Lead by example. Keep the ground focused on your vision of the meeting: not only what we want to achieve , but how we want to behave. Manage the conversation by asking questions, listening, energizing, praising, accepting and, occasionally disciplining. Check that the task leader is satisfied with the outcome: that decisions and actions , and the responsibilities and deadlines associated with them , are clear.

Take each item separately, and in order. Clarify which item the meeting is addressing, and redirect participants when they stray into other items:
    - Refer to the agenda.
    - Do not start an item before concluding the previous one.
    - Clarify the purpose of the item.
    - Start the discussion positively.
    - Remind the group how much time is allocated.
    - Give any relevant background information
    - Try to change your approach from item to item.
Ensure that the meeting does not waste time. Be ready to check whether the discussion is useful to the task leader, or even necessary. Challenge gossip, in particular. Remind participants of their responsibilities to use time well. You might record the time taken for each item against the task leader's name: this can work wonders for group discipline.

Encouraging contributions
Most of us sometimes need to be encourage to speak  out. An important idea may never emerge because somebody is too reticent or overawed to volunteer it. Meetings can easily become" tennis matches" dominated by a few personalities while everybody else looks on helplessly. The Chair can encourage democracy in two ways- by task behavior: initiating discussion, building on it, making suggestions; and by process behavior:gate-keeping to allow everyone to contribute; time-keeping to concentrate people's minds; and summarizing the group's feelings.

Everybody should feel relaxed about contributing , and that their contribution is valued. Distinguish contributions from people making them. Praise useful ideas and remarks rather than according gushing adoration; be critical , if you must , of a comment without condemning the speaker. Be open, honest and specific:
- Always ask for different points of view.
- Note which people are not talking and make space for them to contribute.
- Discipline more dominant group members.
- Separate different stages of the conversation-and keep the distinction clear.
- Separate creative contributions from critical ones.

Using questions and statements
At the next meeting you attend, count the number of questions. Compare it to the number of assertions made. What conclusion can you draw?

Managers are often dismayed at the lack of questions in meetings they chair. Perhaps they have forgotten how politically charges questions-or being seen to question can be. In many organizations, to question is simply " not done". " Questioning," wrote Samuel Johnson with typically heavy irony , " is not the mode of conversation among gentlemen." As a result, many managers become much more skilled in advocating their own ideas that in inquiring into those of others- or into their own.

We ask question to:
  - find out;
  - check our understanding;
  - help others improve their understanding;
  - invite others to question our thinking;
  - make requests for action or information.


Of course, we also use questions for many other reasons , such as to:
  - accentuate the difference between our ideas and those of others;
  - ridicule or make somebody look foolish;
  - criticize;
  - find fault or flaws;
  - make us look clever;
  - express our position "politically": in relation to an alliance, to subgroup or to the group as a whole;
  - trip somebody up;
  - force the speaker into a corner;
  - disguise a statement of opinion;
  - create an adversarial situation.
If we are not getting the answers we want, we have not asked the right questions.

Become aware of the repertoire of questions available to you. Use them to help you pilot the conversation: to open it, keep it alive , take it in new directions, steer it away from dangerous waters or shallows where it might get stuck, and bring it to a close.

Ask genuine questions, truly seeking information , encouraging people to speak from their experience and expertise, rather than "putting answers into their mouth".

Statements are useful at the beginning of a meeting, to define the purpose, objectives and scope of conversation. Be sure to make any opening statement positive. Statements during items of a meeting can be used to:
    - introduce it: " We're all aware of the problems in this area. They include....."
    - give information: " This is a new venture for the company. Briefly it works like this... ",
    - temper conflict or confusion with fact: " Perhaps I can make a few points clear at this stage..... ".
    - gauge the mood of the group: I can see that there's a good deal of frustration about this....", " I think we're
      all satisfied with that decision.... " , It seems to me that we're getting confused .....",
    - provoke, to energize or stimulate discussion: "Our jobs all depends on this!"

Types of Question

Closed (can only be answered "yes" or "no")              Gets a " yes" or "no"
"Can you.."?" Will you...."? "Is it....."? "Do you..."?      Establishes matters of fact
                                                                                   Focuses the discussion
                                                                                   Stops rambling
                                                                                   Checks understanding

 Open (cannot be answered "yes" or " no"                  Avoid "yes"or "no"
"why/What/who/where/when/how?                            Opens up discussion
                                                                                  Encourages up discussion
                                                               Gains information in a non-directive way
                                                                                 Gets ideas

Specific                                                   
"at what point....?"                                    Directs the discussion
" Where exactly....?"                                     Prevents rambling
                                                                    Engages expertise
                                                                    Brings people into the conversation
                                                                    Speeds up and focuses attention

Overhead                                          Addresses the group
"What do we all think?"                      Help to avoid embarrassment
                                                          Stimulates answers from newcomers
                                                 Can help to make a point without sacrificing
                                                            impartiality

Relay
" Thanks Abdulrahman.
Anas , what do you think?"               From one speaker to another
                                                        Comparing ideas
                                                        Keeping the conversation moving

  Reverse
Well: What do you think?"                Reflects a question back to questioner
                                                       Encourage a speaker to expand or qualify

Summarizing
All meetings go through periods of relative calm, between or within items. The group is uncertain of the next move : the conversation dries up , begins to go circles pr degenerates into chat. At times like this, the Chair should intervene with a summary.

Good timing is essential. Don't try to summarize when the discussion is in full swing: take notes to prepare yourself for the moment  when the group stop generating ideas. There are three main points in any meeting when summarizing becomes useful tool to guide the conversation:
1. Summarizing within items. Control contributions by summarizing them: when they ramble, repeat themselves or become anecdotal. Mark the end of one phase of the conversation with a summary before inviting further comments . Summarize to bring together the strands of a discussion, or when it goes slack. Sometimes a summary can be used to check how much agreement you have achieved and to reopen the discussion.
2. Summarizing at the end of items. This will seal an agreement or clarify exactly what has been agreed. This is a task that can carefully be given to the administrator, to help clarify what put in the minutes.
3. Summarizing at the end of the meeting. A brief summary will remind the group of its achievement and point the way forward to the actions that will be taken.
Problem People
Every meeting has them. A group member becomes a problem if his or her individual interests come into conflict with those of the group. A basic rule is to treat problem people as members of the group, and not as troublesome individuals. This may be easier than done.

Problem People and how to deal with them


The Bulldog
Aggressive, inflexible,
Looking for a fight                           Give him a bone to chew.
Out to score points,
Liable to attack without               Separate his words from his manner
warning                                                    Keep cool

The Horse
 Keen bit boring,
Goes by the book                       Lead them to water; give them a job to do
Intelligent
Could plod on forever                Harness their remarks by summarizing and                                                        restating

The Fox                                           Force them to make their views public
Crafty,                                               Look for the hidden agenda
Undermines the meeting                      Set the bulldog on them
A potential hijacker

The Monkey
Know-it -all                                         Keep control of procedure
Point-of -order expert                          Ask closed questions
Chatters incessantly                              Give them something to do
Swings them "tree to tree"
Volunteers a lot

The Hedgedog
Prickly                                                    Tickle their bellies
Whines and Whinges                               Respect their expertise
Despises everybody else:
May have been                                        Ask them to help
squashed once or twice                           Give them status
Skeptical, unhelpful,
defensive (curls into a ball)

The Gazelle
Timid and retiring                                     Ask direct questions
May be young                                          Encourage
Liable to run away                                    Praise
A silent worrier                                        Seduce into conversation
Unwilling to stand their ground                 Protect from Bulldogs


The Frog
Blabbermouth                                       Keep to the point                      
Leaps in unthinkingly                             Appeal to the clock
"Read it, Read it"                                   Ignore their gaffes
Ill-informed                                           Ask them to do the minutes
Puts his foot
in- potential victim of the fox

The Hippo
Wallows                                    Try to heave them out of the mud
Half asleep                                        Pick on them suddenly
Likes mud, and not much else              Challenge them
Will agree to anything
Likely to say:" Why me?"


The Giraffe
Easily distracted                              Bring them down to earth
Dreams in the treetops                     Show respect
Rather sensitive                                Don't trip them up
Will do anything not to fall over       Seduce into the conversation
A silent water                                  Protect from Bulldogs
Unwilling to stand their ground