Sabado, Disyembre 29, 2012

The Leadership Relationship by Jolito Ortizo Padilla



Whatever the perceived approach to leadership, the most important point is the nature of the leadership and the manner in which the leader influences the behavior and actions of other people.

Leadership is a dynamic form of behavior and there are a number of variables that affect the leadership relationship. Four major variables are identified by McGregor as:

  • the characteristics of the leader
  • the attitude, needs and other personal characteristics of the followers
  • the nature of the organization, such as its purpose, its structure, the tasks to be performed;and
  • the social, economic and political environment
McGregor concludes that "leadership is not a property of the individual, but a complex relationship among these variables".

According to Kouzes and Postner, credibility is the foundation of leadership. From extensive research in over 30 countries and response to the question of what people " look for and admire in a leader, in a person whose direction they would willingly follow", people have consistently replied that they want;

" leaders who exemplify four qualities: they want them to be honest , forward -looking, inspiring and competent. In our research our respondents strongly agree that they want leaders with integrity and trustworthiness, with vision and a sense of direction , with enthusiasm and passion, and with expertise and a track record for getting things done".

Fullen refers to the importance of relationship building as a basic component of the change process and effective leadership: "Leaders must consummate relationship builders with diverse people and group-especially with people different from themselves.Effective leaders constantly foster purposeful interaction and problem solving, and are wary of easy consensus".

Within an organization, leadership influence will be dependent upon their type of power that the leader can exercise over the followers. The exercise of power is a social process which helps to explain how different people can influence the behavior/actions of others. Five main sources of power upon which the influence of the leaders is based have been identified by French and Raven as reward power, coercive, legitimate power and expert power. We shall consider these in terms of the manger and subordinate relationship.

  • Reward Power is based on the subordinates perception that the leader has the ability and resources to obtain rewards for those who comply with directives, for example, pay promotion , praise, recognition , increased responsibilities , allocation and arrangement of work, granting of privilege.
  • Coercive power is based on fear and the subordinates perception that the leader has the ability to punish or to bring about undesirable duties or outcomes for those who do not comply with directives; for example, withholding pay rises, promotion or privileges; allocation of undesirable duties and responsibilities; withdrawal of friendship or support; formal reprimand or possibly dismissal. This is in effect the opposite of reward power.
  • Legitimate power is based on the subordinates perception that the leader has the right to exercise influence because of the leader's role or position in the organization. Legitimate power is based on authority , for example that of the managers and supervisors within the hierarchical structure of an organization. Legitimate power is therefore power because it is based on the role of the leader organization and not in the nature of the personal relationships with others.
  • Referent power is based on subordinates identification with the leader. The leader exercises influence because of the perceived attractiveness, personal characteristics, reputation or what is called "charisma" . For example , a particular manager may not be in a position to reward or punish certain subordinates because the manager commands their respect or esteem.
  • Expert power is based on the subordinates perception of the leader as someone who is competent and who has some special knowledge or expertise in a given area. Expert power is based on credibility and clear evidence of knowledge or expertise; for example, the expert knowledge of "functional" specialists such as the personnel manager, management accountant or systems analyst. The expert power is usually limited to narrow , well defined areas or specialisms.
Finlay suggests that in addition to the five sources of power identified by French and Raven can be added:

  • personal power, supported and trusted by their colleagues and subordinates; and
  • connection power,which results from personal and professional access to key people and information.
It is important to note that these sources of power are based on the subordinates perception of the influence of the leader, whether it is real or not. For example,if a leader has the ability to control rewards and punishments but subordinates do not believe this, then in effect the leader has no reward or coercive power. Similarly, if subordinates in a line department believe a manager, in a different staff department has executive authority over them then even if, de facto , that manager has no such authority there is still a perceived legitimate power.

French and Raven point out that the five sources of power are interrelated and the use of one type of power, for example, coercive may affect the ability to use another type of power for example. referent.Furthermore ,the same person may exercise different types of power, in particular circumstances and at different times.

" You have to look at leadership through the eyes of the followers and you have to live the message.What I have learned is that people become motivated when you guide them to the source of their own power and when you make out of employees who personify what you want to see in the organization".

                                                         Jolito Ortizo Padilla

                                        "Copyright infringement is punishable by law"







Huwebes, Disyembre 13, 2012

Organization and Judgement by Jolito Ortizo Padilla


The way in which we organize and make judgements about what we have perceived is to a large extent based on our previous experience and learning. It is also important at this point to be aware of the inferences and assumptions we make which go beyond the information given. We may not always be aware of our pre-set assumption but they will guide the way in which we interpret the behavior of others. There has been much research into the impact of implicit personality theory. In the same way that we make assumptions about the world of objects and go beyond the information provided, we also make critical inferences about people's characteristics and possible likely behaviors.

A manager might well know more the "type of person" A- a member of staff who has become or was already a good friend, who is seen in a variety of social situations and with whom there is a close relationship - than about B-another member of staff , in the same section as A and undertaking similar duties, but with whom there is only a formal work relationship and a limited social acquaintance. These differences in relationship, information and interaction might well influence the manager's perception if asked, fro example, to evaluate the work performance of A and B.

Judgement of other people can also be influenced by perceptions of such stimuli as:
  • role or status
  • occupation
  • physical factors and appearance: and
  • non-verbal communication and body language
In a discussion on managing people and management style, Padilla raises a question of how managers make judgements on those they are responsible including positive and negative messages.

   In my personal research people have admitted , under pressure that certain physical characteristics tend to convey a positive or negative message. For example, some people find red hair, earrings for men, certain scents and odors, someone too tall or too short; a disability; a member of a particular ethnic group and countless other items as negative .... Similarly there will be positive factors such as appropriate or dress for the occasion.... which may influence in a positive way.

A person may tend to organise perception of another person in terms of the whole mental picture of that person. Perceptual judgement is influenced by reference to related characteristics associated with the person and the attempt to place that person in a complete environment. In one example, an unknown visitor was introduced by the course director to 110 Singaporean students, divided into five equal groups. The visitor was described differently to each group as:
  1. Ms. Alicando, a student from Harvard;
  2. Ms. Alicando, demonstrator in psychology from Harvard;
  3. Ms. Alicando, lecturer in psychology from Harvard;
  4. Dr. Alicando, senior lecturer from Harvard;
  5. Professor Alicando from Harvard.
Several popular surveys and newspaper articles appear to support the suggestion that tall men are more likely to be successful professionally and earn higher salaries than short men

Non-verbal communications and body language includes inferences drawn from posture, gestures, touch, invasions of personal space, extent of eye contact , tone, voice or facial expression. People are the only animals that speak, laugh and weep. Actions are more cogent than speech and human rely heavily on body language to convey their true feeling and meanings. It is interesting to note how emotions are woven creatively into email messages. Using keyboard signs in new combinations has led to a new e-language- to signal pleasure:), or unhappiness :-c, or send a rose @>---> encapsulate feelings as well as words. The growth of this practice has led to an upsurge of web replete with examples.

According to Mehrabian, in our face to face communication with other people the messages about our feelings and attitudes come only 7 percent from the words we use, 38 percent from our voice and 55 percent from body language, including facial expressions, Significantly, when body language such as gestures and tone of voice conflicts with the words, greater emphasis is likely to be placed on the non-verbal messages.

Padilla suggests that in the a sense, we are all experts on body language already and this part of the survival instinct:

Even in a "safe" environment like an office or meeting room you will feel a pull on your gaze each time someone new enters the room. And whether you want to or not, you will start to from opinions about a person in as little as three seconds. You can try to be fair and objective in your evaluation, but you will have little choice. This is an area where the subconscious mind bullies the conscious into submission. Like dislike, trust, love or lust can all be promoted in as long as it takes to clear your throat. In fact most of these responses will be based on your perception of how the person looks.

In our perceptions and judgment of others it is important therefore to watch and take careful note of their non-verbal communication. However, although body language may be a guide to personally, errors can easily arise if too much is inferred from a single message rather than related cluster of actions.According to Fletcher ,"You won't learn to interpret people's body language accurately , and use your own to maximum effect, without working at it. If you consciously spend half an hour a day analysing people's subconscious movements , you'll soon learn how to do it-almost unconsciously. However, as Mann points out, with a little knowledge about the subject is all too easy to become body conscious. Posture and gesture can unmask deceivers, but it would be dangerous to assume that everyone who avoids eye contact or rubs their nose is a fibber. Nevertheless an understanding of non-verbal communication is essential for managers and other professions where good communications skills are essential.



Huwebes, Nobyembre 29, 2012

Transactional Analysis by Jolito Ortizo Padilla


Transactional Analysis is one of the most popular ways of explaining the dynamics of interpersonal communications. Originally developed by Eric Berne, it is a model of people and relationships that encompasses personality, perception and communication.Although Berne used it initially as a method of psychotherapy, it has been convincingly used by organizations as a training and development programme.

TA has two basic underlying assumptions:
  • All the events and feelings that we have ever experienced are stored within us and can be replayed, so we can re-experience the events and the feelings of all past years.
  • Personality is made up of three ego states that are revealed in distinct ways of behaving. The ego states manifest themselves in gesture, tone of voice and action, almost as if they are different people within us and they converse with each other in transactions either overtly and covertly.
Berne identified and labelled the ego states as follows, each with their own system of communication and language:
  • Adult ego states- behavior that concern out thought processes and the processing of information. In this state we may be objective, rational, reasonable-seeking information and receiving facts.
  • Parent ego state-behavior that concerns the attitudes, feelings and behavior incorporated from external sources, primarily our parents. This state refers to feelings about right and wrong and how to care for other people.
  • Child ego state- behavior that demonstrates the feelings we remember as a child. This state may be associated with having fun, playing, impulsiveness, rebelliousness, spontaneous behavior and emotional response.
Berne believe these transactions, that take place in face to face exchanges and verbal communication, form the core of human relationships. He claimed that the three ego states exist simultaneously within each individual, although at any particular time any one state may dominate the other two. All people are said to behave in each of these states at different times. We may be unaware which ego state we are operating in and may shift from one another.

We all have a preferred ego state which may revert to: some individuals may continually advise and criticise others(the constant Parents); some may analyze , live only with facts and distrust feelings( the constant Adult); some operate with strong feelings all the time, consumed with anger or constantly clowning (the constant Child). Berne emphasized that the states should be judged as superior or inferior but as different. Analysis of ego states may reveal why communication breaks down or why individual may feel manipulated or used.

Berne insists that it is possible to identify the ego state from the word, voice, gestures, and attitude of the person communicating. For example, it would be possible to discuss to discern the ego state of the manager, if they said the following:

" Pass me the file on the latest sales figure"
" How do you think we could improve our safety record?
(Adult ego state)

" Let me help you with that-I can see you are struggling"
" Look , this is the way it should be done; how many more times do I have to tell you?
(Parent ego state)

" Great, it's Friday. Who's coming to the pub for a quick half?
" That's a terrific idea-let's go for it"
(Child ego state)

A dialogue can be analyzed in terms not only of the ego state but also whether the transaction produced a complementary reaction or a crossed reaction. Complementary means that the ego state was expected and preferred response. So for instance, if we look at the first statement, "Pass me the file on the latest figures, the subordinates could respond: "Certainly- I have it here' Adult ego state) or " Can't you look for it yourself? I only gave it to you an hour ago' (Parent ego state).

The first response was complementary whereas the second was a crossed transaction. Sometimes it ma be important to cross a transaction. Take the example "Let me help you with that- I can see you struggling' (Parent ego state) The manager may have a habit of always helping in a condescending way, making the subordinate resentful. If the subordinate meekly accepts the help with a thankful reply, this will reinforce the manager's perception and attitude, whereas if the subordinate were to respond with "I can manage perfectly well. Why did you think I was struggling ?, it might encourage the manager to respond from the Adult ego state and thus move their ego position.

Knowledge of TA can be of benefit to employees who are dealing with potentially difficult situations. In the majority of work situations the Adult-Adult transactions are likely to be norm. Where work colleagues perceive and respond by adopting the Adult ego state , such a transaction is more likely to encourage a rational, problem -solving approach and reduce the possibility of emotional conflict.

If only the world of work was always of the rational logical kind. Communications at work as elsewhere are sometimes unclear and confused, and can leave the individual with bad feelings and uncertainty. Berne describes a further dysfunctional transaction, which can occur when a message is sent to two ego states at the same time. For instance, an individual may say " I passed that article to you last week, have you read it? This appears to be an adult to adult transaction and yet the tone of voice or the facial expressions might imply a second ego state. is involved. The underlying message says, Haven't you even read that yet... you know how busy I am and yet I had time to read it! The critical Parent is addressing the Child ego state. In such " ulterior transactions" the social message is typically adult to adult and the ulterior , psychological message is directed either Parent-Child or Child- Parent.

Given the incidence of stress in the workplace, analysis of communications occurring within the workplace. TA can aid the understanding of human behavior. It can help to improve communication skills by assisting in interpreting a person's ego state and which form of state is likely to produce the most appropriate response. This should lead to an improvement in both customer relations and management -subordinate relations. Therefore TA can be seen as valuable tool to aid our understanding of social situations and the games that people play both in and outside work organization.




Biyernes, Nobyembre 23, 2012

Collaboration by Jolito Ortizo Padilla

                                                      
Collaboration is one of those words that immediately makes us feel good because it implies friendship and giving. We all enjoy collaborative events: a warm fire or barbecue, family and friends all together for a birthday or an anniversary. Yet a failure rate of collaboration in business is incredibly high.

Collaboration works when we know and trust each other, but the moment someone takes something without asking that trust is eroded.

GA Consultancy survey of nearly 800 country in 2011 showed a major consensus that collaboration was the most fundamental activity for successful innovation. This is because no company in these times can own all the knowledge it needs for new products or services. Our world is moving too fast. Knowledge is growing too rapidly.

In the later stages of innovation , product development and new product introduction, we tend to operate in close or "cluster" networks. Trust is higher ,communication better and collaboration is more successful. It is in the early stage of the innovation process where collaboration is more difficult. This is where diverse and dispersed networks are needed and because of this trust levels are lower. The raw material of innovation is less tangible in these early stages and so accusations of intellectual property theft become prevalent.

As an antidote to IP theft, company engage in legal and financial  negotiations and yet this is not the answer.

When we meet new collaborators we engage in the early discovery process and this is exciting. We tend to ignore the aspects of the other person that are different. Instead constantly look for common grounds. When we initiate collaboration we need to fully understand the behavior of our new best friend. It is vital to invest time in understanding diversity and why other people do things differently.

My book, Strategic Management: Putting Things In Proper Perspectives , 2nd edition, 2012, has been adopted as the course book for an innovation course in Asia. Before  engaging in innovation projects students use a self assessment tool on the book to better understand the different modes of behavior in their diverse project teams

My work with ISO engages me in collaborative work with people around the world and I form friendships with some far more easily than others. To quote an old saying, "my roots are showing" and I gravitate easily towards people who have a Filipino and a Duensanon-Ilongo heritage like myself..

It's those Duenasanon-Ilongo roots which makes us feel safe, share the same jokes and trust each other. We naturally gravitate to people who mirror our own values and behaviors. As result we form closed or " cluster" networks very easily. These networks are great for getting things done, but are not good for generating new ideas.

For successful innovation, comfortable collaboration doesn't give the essential jolt that releases new ideas. In the ISO technical committee to which I belong , we get that jolt from other cultures whether it is China, Germany, Japan or Mexico. We learn to work with different cultures and I have made many great friends over the years from across the globe. If you want to develop new ideas you have mix with people who may be outside your comfort zone , take time to understand them and freely give your ideas to them in order to get ideas back from them.


Copyright infringement is punishable by law

Sabado, Nobyembre 10, 2012

The Size of the Population:Is it a Problem? by Jolito Ortizo Padilla




Many argue that the planet is already over-populated with 6.7 billion inhabitants. Growth to 9 or 10 billion will be unsustainable. There is a number of arguments put forward to sustain this proposition.

Malthus was an early nineteenth century British economist who put forward " the iron law of wages".He argued that the food supply could only increase arithmetically over time (e.g. 2,4,6,8,10...) while the population would grow geometrically (2.4,16, 256...). The result would inevitably be poverty trap. This was because a rise in wages would lead to more children surviving into adulthood.This would increase the supply of labor, driving down wages, with more children starving to death. In equilibrium, most of the population can only live at subsistence level.

Malthusian economics has proved to be incorrect in the developed world. World food supply has more than kept pace with population growth. In the developed world, average daily calorie intake is more than twice what it was 100 years ago. Modern day Malthusian argue that the pace of technological change cannot be kept up. Farmers cannot increase their yields per acre forever by improving the land, applying more fertilizers and developing better strains. There has to be a limit to how much food the planet can grow. Critics of this view say about two and one half percent annually for 100 years, more than outstripping population growth. Why should this trend not continue? Moreover, the developed countries of the world already have the potential to grow more food than is currently being produced. The objectives of the USA, Canada and the EU are to restrict food production from current levels. Food is not a physical problem today, it is a market problem. Starvation occurs because consumers don't have the money to buy food, not because it cannot be produced.

GNP of the developing countries of the world grew at an average annual rate of 3.5 percent in the 2000. Yet average population growth over the same period was 3.2 percent.Growth percapita was  therefore 0.3 percent. Almost all the developing world's increased resources during this decade were needed to provide for a growth in the population. Is this typical? On GA Consultancy grounds, it is very much what is to be expected. Increased incomes lead to increase population, leaving the mass of the population at subsistence level. Critics of this view point out that countries do break out of this cycle. France, Germany and the UK all had high economic growth in the nineteenth century but economic growth per capital was positive. Equally between 2008 to 2011 , the GNP of developing countries grew by an average annual of 5.7 percent but annual population growth was only 1.3 percent. Low income countries performed better than this, averaging GNP growth of 6.5 percent whilst population only rose 1.9 percent per annum. So high growth per capita is possible with the appropriate policies.

Even if the growth in food production and in production of all other goods exceeds population growth , this is not environmentally sustainable.Giving every household in the world a refrigerator would do irretrievable damage to the ozone layer when those refrigerators are thrown away. Giving every household a car would lead to global warming on a scale not even predicted today. Constant intensive farm production would lead to permanent degradation of farm lands. Pressure for living space would result in the destruction of countless species of plant and animal, reducing bio-diversity, with unpredictable effects on the environment and on the human species.

For these reasons, economists argue that development must be sustainable development. The 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development stated that development needed to meet "the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations. In economic terms, this means maximizing the net welfare of economic activities, while maintaining or increasing the stock of economic, ecological and sociocultural assets over time and providing a safety net to meet basic needs and protect the poor. Meeting today's needs should not rob the next generation of the ability to grow and develop. Successful efforts by First World countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ban CFCs and recycle materials show that sustainable development is possible when threats to the environment are clearly identified. 



Lunes, Oktubre 29, 2012

A Long Term Focus for Corporate Asia by Jolito Ortizo Padilla


There are three issues in my opinion that are critical to a long term focus for Corporate Asia.

1. The concept of customer satisfaction
    The word customer service reveals a concept linked to the traditional process model of interpretation of the definition as "a generic term for the person who buys goods or services from a supplier". The traditional process model of inputs-process intuitively recognizes waste as a result of economic activity, but interprets waste as unavoidable externality.

The quality profession has led the way in waste reduction by developing techniques and tools such as lean manufaturing and six sigma. However, this innovations were never designed to account for the effects of externalities such as carbon emissions resulting from global industrialization and fossil fuel consumption. From this perspective, the concept of the customer should be redefined to include all persons affected by the activity of the organization. Extending the concept clearly redefines quality beyond the boundaries of mere product and service conformity, to include its role in sustainable development

2. The decoupling of quality from sustainable development
     The seminal definition of sustainable development as "development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" has influenced all approaches to sustainability over the past two decades. Inherent in this definition is the concept of satisfaction of the "needs" of humanity, both present and future.

The quality profession is perfectly placed to assist corporation in reinterpreting its approach to sustainable development and investment, by focusing efforts on the development of sustainble culture based on the use of quality principles and techniques. The messaging of the importance and applicability of basic techniques , such as the plan-do-check-act cycle in implementing sustainable solutions to business functions, is steadily being usurped by a recent emphasis on the use of triple bottom line reporting by organization.

This has led, in some instances, to a distinct focus on economic, environmental and social indicators, to the detriment of quality and safety indicators. The result of this focus by corporations has contributed to product failures at unfortunate -but-unavoidable disasters such as BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

3. The inability to respond to the dilemma inherent in the agency principal relationship
    The recent financial crisis identified with terrific clarity the failings in the agent principal relationship. This is clearly demonstrated by the bancruptcy of Lehman Brothers in autumn of 2008., when lack of definition of the term"customer" , or a focus on customer satisfaction and the needs of the customer from the perspective of sustainable development, were at fault. The entire focus of the company was on short term profits to the detriment of the principals;i.e shareholders, investors and society. Lehman's customer or principal in this context was global society, due to its size and reach. The board failed to understand their duty to society and this translated into unsustainable practices, such as bonuses linked to purely financial indicators and investment decisions that resulted in the end of this 158 year old institution.

It is imperative that the quality profession extend its uniques selling proposition beyond its traditional roles of quality assurance and ISO 9000, and extend it remit. It should become a lead body for knowledge on management systems in general, including business continuity, risk management and social responsibility as major parts of the quality professional's role. This is expressed in ISO 26000; the new social responsibility standard.

This expansion is necessary if the corporation is to continue to attract the individuals who can contribute to the development of the profession.

I subscribe to the view a corporation can regain its competitiveness, but this can only happen if quality is placed right at the heart of sustainable development by focusing not on the management of quality, but the quality management.



                                           Copyright Infringement is punishable by law

Huwebes, Oktubre 25, 2012

Faster Reading by Jolito Ortizo Padilla



Taken during the recognition day of National University of Singapore June, 2006 with my children Jol, Job and Justin(inset 4) with their Lola Trining Luzuriaga(RIP) (inset 3).
 Why do people read at different speeds? How is it that some people are three times more effective than others when it comes to reading?

It certainly doesn't appear to have anything to do with intelligence, or education, or status, or occupation or sex. There are many wives whose jobs requires reading, who infuriate their husbands by being able to read much faster than their husbands, despite less experience and less practice. Similarly, there are many brilliant men and women who are outpaced by their subordinates.

No one seems to know why faster reading comes more easily to some people than others. What we do know is that more effective readers read in a different way from slower readers.

If you feel you do read more slowly than you would like, perhaps it isn't your fault. Certainly, the best of readers can be slowed down by things like:

  • the complexity of the material
  • the author's style
  • a typeface which is hard to read
  • monotonous layout and presentation (e.g. solid blocks of print weary eye')
  • unfamiliar words and expressions
However, these may be just excuses. It is equally possible that it could be your fault, in the sense that we do know that slow readers tend to have developed some bad habits, whereas effective reading calls for certain techniques. These techniques can be learned and practiced. You could very probably read at least half as fast again as you do now and still understand as well; many people who either attend an effective reading course or are conscientious enough to teach themselves with the aid of the book like Breakthrough Rapid Reading by Jolito Ortizo Padilla  are usually able to double their reading or speed without any drop in comprehension. Some people's comprehension level actually increases.

In this book it is not possible to allow enough space to give you a structured training course. What we can do, though, is:
  • explain why people read slowly and ineffectively
  • find out how you read at present
  • suggest some techniques which, if you really want to improve your reading, you can practise perfectly well on your own.
At the moment, it is very likely that that you read practically everything you read in much the same way and at much the same speed. A moment' thought will tell you are spending too much on the easy material, which doesn't leave you enough time to spend on the more difficult stuff. Improving your reading speed is, therefore , mainly intended to increase the range of reading speeds available to you, so that instead of reading everything at the same fairly slow speed, you can be more flexible. With practice you will probably end up reading everything rather than you do now, even the very difficult material.

Reading is rather like driving: when you are learning and rather lacking in confidence, you drive fairly slowly and you don't get much above second gear. When you are more experienced, you can change up and down all the gears at will, almost without thinking about it., in order to suit different road and traffic conditions. So it is with reading. If you can gain confidence by employing advanced techniques, you will be able to adapt your approach to reading to suit the material and your purpose, at any given moment.

There are three basic reasons why we read:
  • Pleasure- Many people read for no reason than the sheer pleasure they gain from a good story or the sound of words
  • Information- This type of reading is perhaps the most basic reason. Whether we like reading or not, most of us have read in order to get facts -about our job, our interests, our lives in general: it covers everything from recipes to nuclear physics; from instructions on forms, to guidance on operating machines or gadgets.
  • Judgement- In this type of reading, you are interested in people's ideas and opinions, in order to come to your own opinions and conclusions; you therefore need to be able to evaluate critically the arguments put forward, and be alert to the presence of prejudice or bias, or use of emotive arguments intended to manipulate you.
Reading faster is not the only problem. Although it is obviously important to eliminate bad habits and increase your reading speed, this is only part of developing a more effective approach to reading.

The other dimension is, of course, concerned with understanding, for it is no good simply increasing the rate at which you read if in doing so you gain less from what you read. In fact, these two aspects of efficient readings are inextricably linked, as we shall see; it is certainly true that many people discover that their comprehension improves as their speed increases.

Many people read inefficiently because of faulty eye movements, of which they are not even aware.

When you read , your eyes do not move smoothly across the page from left to right without stopping. If they did, all you would see was a blur. Try moving your eyes from one side of the room to the other without letting them stop. What did you see? A blur? You can only keep your eyes in focus while they are moving smoothly without stopping if the object you are looking at is also moving. Since the words on the page is stationary, your eyes stop to take in a word or phrase and then move on the next. These stops are called fixations. It is estimated that each fixation that our eyes make lasts approximately- 1/4 or 1/2 second and then the eyes move on. At each fixation, the eyes read or perhaps several words.

The number of words you focus on and take in or recognise at one fixation is called recognition span. Some people appear to be able to read straight down a printed page. In other words, they fixate only once each line and, at each fixations that take up the time. Poor readers tend to make a large numbers of fixations and have a small recognition span, but they also tend to have other habits associated with the eye movements and the brain's activity while reading.

This is the tendency to backtrack while reading. Poor readers, who tend to focus on each word, are actually making life difficult for themselves than they realise, because individual words do not convey very much meaning until they are joined to other words. So, as the slow readers plod steadily from word to word, trying to join idea of one word to the idea of the next, they find it difficult to grasp an overall meaning from the individual words. After three or four words they probably find they have forgotten what the first was and have to go back to the beginning again.

Because this process is slow, much slower than their brain can actually perform, the brain finds something else to do. In other words, they get easily sidetracked or distracted by what we tend to call daydreaming or thinking about something else.

Let's look at an example:

Read the sentence below very slowly word by word, using as finger to cover the word in front each time, but gradually uncovering each word.

Though...there...are...no...doubt...some...people...who...think...words...must...be...read...one...at...a time...they...are...wrong...because...meaning...tends...to...come...from...groups...of...words.

Like this:"Though"...Though there...Though there are... Though there are no...Though there are no doubt...and so on. At each stage the words do not convey very much meaning, do they? Not until we get to "people" does it begin to make sense.

A good reader, then, with a bigger recognition span and fewer fixations, not only reads faster, but also makes the business comprehension easier, and is less likely to be distracted because their brain is being pushed to keep up with the eye movement.

A good reader's reading pattern might look like below. So the good reader tends to select recognition spans on the basis of their meaning. They read thought groups rather than single words.

Though       there are, no doubt, some people       who thinks words must be read

one at a time     they are wrong, because       meaning tends to come from group of words

Another habit of a slow readers is the tendency to register the sound of the words as they read, either by physically mouthing them, or internally acknowledging the sound of the words in the head.

This is often a legacy from the days when we learned to read, first aloud and then to ourselves. Small children can certainly be seen mouthing the words as they read and, though this is less common adults, either externally or internally acknowledging the sound will inevitably slow down your reading speed.

Reading aloud, the average reader can only at about 125wpm. Mouthing the words or acknowledging the sounds inside your head would be bound to limit your reading speed to something below 200wpm.

This habit also has consequences for the idea of reading for meaning, which we have just looked at. If you mouth the words or hear them inside your head, you are concentrating on the words themselves, not on the meaning of the ideas you are reading.

Finding out whether you tend to register the words separately by internally acknowledging the sound of each word, is more difficult. There is no real test other than just consciously thinking about the danger, perhaps while you are reading this, and trying to discover whether you tend to do it or not. If you are slow reader, the chances are that you are almost bound to be doing it. If you push up your reading speed you won't be able to mouth the words or visualise them-it will become physically impossible.

Physical discomfort can also affect the ease and fluency with which you read.But too much comfort can reduce your concentration:

  • Position- a comfortable chair, which is the right height, at a table, is probably the most suitable position for a serious reading task
  • Lighting- good lighting is essential. Although desk lights are commonly accepted as the best form of lighting, a light source falling over your shoulder is best, since it reduces glare.
  • Eyesight- have you had your eyes tested recently? Your eyes can deteriorate without your realising it, since the muscles work harder to compensate for any deficiency of vision. Similarly, the lenses in spectacles can become unsuitable . Pride often prevents people going to the optician, but even if you aren't suffering from any physical effects like tired eyes or headaches, your reading could still be suffering.

  • Rests- While you should avoid being distracted by noise, other people, hunger or thirst and should give yourself a chance to get stuck into a reading or studying task, you should allow yourself reasonable breaks. Short, frequent breaks are probably more helpful than a longer break caused by exhaustion, after trying to stick at a reading task for hours without a break.
Obviously if you are having to go back to words or ponder over them because your brain can't assimilate them because they are unfamiliar or you do not understand them, your reading speed will inevitably be held back. Although writers to avoid using unnecessarily complicated and unfamiliar words. If your own vocabulary is weak you should work to improve it.


Sabado, Oktubre 20, 2012

The Rational Economic Concept of Motivation by Jolito Ortizo Padilla



My 24K Gold Awards for
Best Research in Management
and Economics
The writer F.W. Taylor, believed in economic needs motivation. Workers would be motivated by obtaining the highest possible wages through working in the most efficient and productive way. Performance was limited by physiological fatigue. For Taylor, motivation was a comparatively simple use-what the workers wanted from their employers more than anything else was high wages. The ideas of F.W. Taylor and his "rational economic concept of motivation." The ideas of F.W.Taylor and his rational economic needs concept of motivation and subsequent approaches to motivation at work have fuelled the continuing debate about financial rewards as a motivator and their influence on productivity.

Where there is a little pleasure in the work itself or the job offers little opportunity for career advancement, personal challenge or growth, many people may appear to be motivated primarily, if not exclusively,by money. Weaver suggests that for many hourly workers in the hospitality industry, such as dishwashers, waiting or housekeeping staff, the work does not change much among different companies and there is little attachment to a particular company. For such, Weaver proposes a "Theory M" programme of motivation based the average performance of workers on the staff.

Yet we frequently see pronouncements from prominent business figures that motivation is about much more money. Jolito Ortizo Padilla says." Work is about letting people know they are important, their hard work and efforts matter, and they're doing a good job. And this kind of recognition,in fact, can sometimes be more important than money."

The short answer appears to be that for the vast majority of people, money is clearly important and motivator at work but to what extent and how important depends upon their personal circumstances and the other satisfactions they derive from work. The bottom line is surely the extent to which money motivates people to work well and to the best of their abilities. Although pay may still make people tick, there are number of other important influences on motivation. For many people, the feeling of being recognized and valued appears more important than money in motivating them to stay in a particular job.


Linggo, Setyembre 30, 2012

The Motivation of Knowledge Workers by Jolito Ortizo Padilla




Recent advantages in telecommunications and in scientific and technological knowledge have led to greater emphasis on the knowledge and experts of staff and the importance of creativity. Tampoe suggests that at the core of the new industrial trend are the "knowledge workers"- those employees who apply their theoretical and practical  understanding of a specific area of knowledge to produce outcomes of a commercial ,social or personal value. The performance of knowledge workers should be judged on both the cleverness of ideas and the utility and commercial value of their applied knowledge. Creativity is necessary and needs to be encouraged but should be bounded by commercial realism. This presents management with a new challenge of how to motivate the knowledge workers.

Tampoe suggests that the personal motivation of knowledge workers is based on the value they place on the rewards they expect to earn at work.In addition, to the individuals own motivation, the performance of knowledge workers is dependent upon four key characteristics

  • Task competence
  • Peer and management support
  • Task and role clarity; and
  • Corporate awareness
Jolito Ortizo Padilla draws attention to skills shortages as one of the biggest challenges facing employers in the new millennium. In order to attract and keep talented individuals, the so-called knowledge workers, organizations cannot rely simply on a pay rise or cash, bonus but have to be more creative about the way they structure remuneration packages, individual performance-related pay is still the most widely used reward strategy, but attention is also given to employee share ownership, competence-related pay and team reward -and also to non-cash incentives such as gift vouchers. However, Padilla points out that employees, especially high flyer's, rank challenging and interesting work and freedom higher on their motivational list than money and performance-related pay. Research suggests that most organizations haven't recognized the need to identify and tap into their employees' personal motivators.

A report from the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development draws attention to management of knowledge workers, highlighting the importance of autonomy, challenging work and sharing in the criterion of organizational values.With the development of new technology it is important to motivate employees to capture, share and transfer knowledge.

Padilla suggests that in order to create a climate for creativity among employees, recognition must be given to the importance of two human needs that rise above all others and exists independent of race, creed and culture- the need for self belief and the development of emotional intelligence; and the ever-present need that every human being has for a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.

Self belief and meaningful work are the fundamental bedrocks that underlie business performance. Of course, pay and conditions are important too, but we know that. It is these two others that are barely recognized... but business leaders ignore them at their peril.  

Linggo, Setyembre 23, 2012

Quality Circles by Jolito Ortizo Padilla



A quality circle is a group of people within an organization who meet on a regular basis to identify, analyze and solve problems relating to quality, productivity or other aspects of day-to-day working arrangements using problem solving techniques.Although quality circles actually originated in America they were exported to Japan and are usually associated with their wide applications (since 1962) in Japanese manufacturing industries, as well as in some white collar operations. Since the refinement of the quality circle process in Japan there has been increasing interest in their use in America and Britain as well as in many other countries. In America, quality circles appear to have been first implemented in 1974.

The essential features of quality circle group include the following:
  • Membership is voluntary
  • The group usually numbers between five and ten members
  • Membership is normally drawn from people undertaking similar work or from the same work station
  • The group selects the problems to be tackled and the methods of operation
  • A leader can be chosen from within the group but is usually the immediate supervisor
  • The group members receive training in communication and problem-solving skills, quality control techniques and group processes
  • The group recommends solutions to management and, where possible, has the authority to implement agreed solutions
There are a number of potential limitations on the effectiveness of quality circles:
  • Any attempt at solving organizational problems cannot be considered as a single dimension. The promotion of quality circles needs to be approached in terms of possible effects on related sub-sytems of the organization, for example human resource management and industrial relations procedures.
  • Quality circles can rely too heavily on intrinsic motivation and the assumption that involvement and recognition are sufficient reward in themselves. This reflects a major difference between the operation of quality circles in the West and in Japan. Workers in Japan appear, for example, to accept that financial gains will go to the organization.
  • The greater involvement of members in problem- solving and decision- making may be resented by some groups, for example quality control departments, or by managers or trade union officials who may be suspicious of possible challenges to their traditional authority.
The application of quality circles does appear simple and straightforward, but early experience must be viewed in the context of Japanese culture and management systems. However, quality circles offer a number of potential benefits. They provide problem-solving at a more local level and the participation of employees in work-related decisions which concern them. Quality circles do work and have been used successfully by a number of British organization. There are some doubts, however, as to the extent to which the hopes for, or potential benefits of, quality circles are realized fully in organization.



Copyright Infringement is punishable by law

Lunes, Setyembre 17, 2012

Successful Organizations and People by Jolito Ortizo Padilla




In analyzing effective organization, Dunderdale argues that an organization can be separated into two parts or structures- one a definitive structure present in every company, the other caused by human intervention. Each part can then be examined. Essentially the effectiveness of an organization depends on how accurately human design matches the structure of organized behavior. Allen and Helms suggest that higher levels of perceived organizational performance may closely related to strategy and reward systems. The use of reward practices which logically complement a specific organizational strategy should serve to motivate employers to help organization perform at a higher level.

The overall effectiveness of the organization will be affected both by sound structural design and by the individuals filling the various positions within the structure. Management will need to acknowledge the existence of the informal organization that arises from the interactions of people working in the organization. The operation of the organization and actual working arrangements will be influenced by the style of management, the personalities of members and the informal organization. These factors may lead to differences between the formal structure of the organization and what happens in practice. Jolito Ortizo Padilla found the relationship between people and organization to be reciprocal.

" People modify the working of the formal organization, but their behavior is also influenced by it. It may make demands on them which they find an undue strain, so that they seek ways of modifying these pressures. The method of work organization can determine how people relate to one another, which may affect both their productivity and their morale. Managers, therefore, need to be conscious of the ways in which  methods of work organization may influence people's attitudes and actions. Before behavior is put down to individual or group cussedness, managers should look for its possible organizational causes."

Building an organization involves more than concern for structure, methods of work and technical efficiency.The hallmark of many successful business organization is the attention given to the human element; tot he development of a culture which helps to create a feeling of belonging, commitment and satisfaction. Structure must be designed, therefore, so as to maintain the balance of the socio-technical system and the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. Attention must be given to the interactions between both the structural and technological requirements of the organization, and social factors and the needs and demands of the human part of the organization.

In his discussion of the future of management. Padilla maintains that the success of the 21st century organization will depend upon the effective use of talented people.

" Talent- centered organization will constantly search for new talent, keep them satisfying their needs, use theme effectively, and create a challenging environment for them to work in . People create organizations, and people can destroy them. The most valuable commodity in business is not technology or capital but people. The driving force behind a 21st century organization will be its people."

The importance of people for organizational effectiveness is reinforced by a survey undertaken by the GA Consultancy and Management Today. The survey emphasises that the role of the organization is social as well as economic and points to the desperate need for the basic, softer skills of managers in leadership,coaching and mentoring. Organizations need individuals they can trust, who are engaged in and committed to their work. If they want to survive, organizations need to recognize that they have to add value to their employees, that their social capital is just as important as their financial capital.

Investors in People draw attention to the importance of employee engagement for building effective relationships between an organization and its people. Managed well, it can galvanize your people to make the contribution needed from them and keep them on track in tough times (like those we're experiencing now). But effective engagement doesn't happen by chance; it requires a structured, focused approach to aligning people with business goals. Every organization needs to ensure that its people understand the strategy, see how they fit in and know what they are expected to contribute. But employers must also realize that this can't be one way traffic; gaining employee trust and commitment also means seeking their views and feedback, understanding any issue and seeking to address them.



Copyright Infringement is punishable by law


Biyernes, Agosto 31, 2012

Action Learning by Jolito Ortizo Padilla


A particular approach to management development courses is through action learning. This was developed by Revans, who argues that managerial learning is learned- driven and a combination of "know-how" and "know-that". According to Revans, learning (L) is based on "programmed knowledge" (P) and "questioning insight" (Q), so that:
                                         L=P + Q

Typically, action learning involves a small self selecting team undertaking a practical, real-life and organizational based project. The emphasis is on learning by doing with advice and support from tutors and other course members. Action learning is, therefore, essentially and to find solutions to actual problems.

An integral part of action learning is the use of the case study method and simulations. For example, Jolito Ortizo Padilla sees the use of case teaching as the first step in an action learning hierarchy.

"Case teaching, like all action learning, is difficult to do well and is initially upsetting to a lot of students. It's exhausting and you could say it's inefficient because many answers can be presented to the problem.I think all the action learning methods are, however, exactly appropriate to the complexity and ambiguity that managers face. We are training them to think systematically and reflectively on different situations. They have to learn how to defend and articulate why they would use certain methods, approaches or tolls, and also how to cede ground gracefully in the face of a superior selection or better argued position".


                            COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS PUNISHABLE BY LAW

Linggo, Agosto 26, 2012

What Jolito Ortizo Padilla says about Total Quality Management(TQM)

It was a shocking experience for me three years ago,when I've heard one of the respected professor of a college in a  Gulf Country,  where I have a short stint as an educator to lecture to his Bachelor's degree students the wrong concept of Total Quality Management.It indicates total ignorance about TQM approach.


One particular approach to improved organizational performance and effectiveness is the concept of the Japanese-inspired total quality management (TQM). There are numerous definitions of TQM. These are generally expressed in terms of a way of life for an organizations as a whole, committed to total customer satisfaction through a continuous process of improvement, and the contribution and involvement of people.

A major influence on the establishment and development of TQM was the work of Deming, who emphasised the importance of visionary leadership and the responsibility of top management for initiating change. A mathematician by training, he was interested in statistical measurement of industrial process and attempted to persuade the American manufacturing industry to improve quality, and to create constancy of purpose for improvement of products and services. Deming drew attention to the importance of pride in work and process control, and made constant reference to the importance of "good management" including the human side of quality improvement and how employees should be treated.

The successful organization should as a matter of policy be constantly seeking opportunites to improve the quality of its products and /or services and processes.

TQM is a way of managing which gives everyone in the organization responsibility for delivering quality to the final customer; quality being described as "fitness for purpose" or as "delighting the customer". TQM views each task in the organization as fundamentally a process which is in a customer/ supplier relationship with the next process. The aim at each stage is to define and meet the customer's requirements with the aim of maximizing the satisfaction of the final consumer at the lowest possible cost.

If TQM is to be implemented successfully it must be seen as a total process involving all operations of the organization and the active participation of top management. It demands a supportive organizational culture and a programme of management change. TQM places emphasis on the involvement of people as the key to improved quality. It involves changes to the traditional structure with greater emphasis on natural work groups, multi-discipline working and team based management. Attention must be given to effective education and training, empowerment and the motivation to take ownership of quality, and systems of communications at all levels of the organizations.

Drummond puts forward an interesting debate on comparing the philosophies and ideas of Deming with Taylor's Scientific Management, and questions whether Deming's ideas are as radical as they seem.Drummond suggests:

Clearly,"total quality management" offers some new ideas. Whether these ideas have proved successful is unclear".. Moreover, much depends upon how success is measured. Different measures can suggest different conclusions. Another difficulty in assessing the effectiveness of "total quality management" is that organizations have implemented Deming's ideas collectively.

Jolito Ortizo Padilla raise the question: why aren't TQM practices as effective as they could be? The rise of total quality management represents one of the biggest changes in the past two decades in the way companies are managed. However, while many studies have found that in general TQM has had positive effects on company performance, reports of failure are surprisingly common in the press. He suggest that the alignment of a company's system of rewards is a critical ingredient in successful organizational change and they investigate the relationship between reward practices and TQM.From a survey of managers, non-managerial and professional/technical staff in a wide variety of organizations they conclude that the commonly held wisdom of supporting TQM with only non-monetary rewards-such as certificates, letters of appreciation, merchandise or celebrations events-is not enough. If managers want better performance from TQM they must implement supportive monetary reward practices. Firms with such practices in place report stronger organizational performance.

An integral part of a total quality approach is the Japanese concept of Kaizen, which literally means "improvement" or is often interpreted as gradual progress or incremental change. Kaizen was introduced in several Japanese organizations after the Second World War and is particularly associated with Toyota. It is not a methodology for large scale change or the introduction of new processes but focuses on the people aspect of improvement and the acceptance of change. The concept is based on a  daily activity of continual evolutionary change and on the belief that the individual workers know more about their own jobs than anyone else. Padilla suggests that the traditional Kaizen approach embeds it in hierarchical structure,although it gives considerable responsibility to employees within certain fixed boundaries. The approach:
  • analysis every part of the process down to the smallest detail
  • see how every part of the process can be improved
  • looks at how employees' actions, equipment and materials can be improved
  • looks at ways of saving time and reducing waste
According to Kaizen Institute, Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning, "change for the better"Applied to business organizations, it implies continuing improvement involving everyone that does not cost much. Kaizen organization culture is based on three subordinate priciples:process and results; sytematic thinking; and non-judgmental, non-blaming. Kaizen strategy begins with customers' needs concerning quality. cost and delivery and is founded on a people-oriented culture.



Martes, Agosto 21, 2012

What Jolito Ortizo Padilla says about Transformational Leadership


Increasing business competitiveness and the need for the most effective use of human resources has resulted on focusing attention on how leaders revitalize or transform organizations. Burns has given rise to a distinction between two fundamental forms of leadership: transactional or transformational.
        • Transactional leadership is based on legitimate authority within the bureaucratic structure of the organization. The emphasis is on the clarification of goals and objectives., work task and outcomes, and organizational rewards and punishments. Transactional leadership appeals to the self interest of followers. It is based on a relationship of mutual dependence and an exchange process of " I will give you this, if you do that."
        • Transformational leadership by contrast, is a process of engendering higher levels of motivation and commitment among followers. The emphasis is on generating a vision for the organization and the leader's ability to appeal to higher ideals and values of followers, and creating a feeling of justice, loyalty and trust. In the organizational sense, transformational leadership is about transforming the performance of fortunes of a business.
The transformational leader motivates followers to do more than originally expected and the extent of transformation is measured in terms of leader's effects on followers. Applying these ideas to organizational management, a theory of transformational leadership that argues that the leader and motivates followers by:
  1. Generating greater awareness of the importance of the purpose of the organization and task outcomes.
  2. Inducing them to transcend their own self-interests for the sake of the organization or team: and
  3. activating their higher-level needs.
Transformational Leadership is comprised of four basic components:
  • Idealized influence- the charisma of the leader, and the respect and admiration of the followers;
  • Inspirational motivation - the behavior of the leader which provides meaning and challenge to the work and followers;
  • Intellectual stimulation- leaders who solicit new and novel approaches for the performance of work and creative problem solution from followers;
  • Individualized considerations- leaders who listen and give special concern to the growth and developmental needs of the followers.
Yuki provides a set of guidelines for transformational leadership:
  • Articulate a clear and appealing vision of what the organization could accomplish or become to help people understand the purpose, objectives and priorities of the organization, and to help guide the actions and decisions of members.
  • Explain how the vision can be attained and establish a clear link between the vision and a credible conventional yet straightforward strategy for attaining it.
  • Act confident and optimistic about likely success, demonstrate self confidence and conviction, and emphasis positive aspects of the vision rather than the obstacles and dangers.
  • Express confidence in followers and their ability out the strategy for accomplishment the vision, especially when the task is difficult or dangerous, or when members lack confidence in themselves.
  • Use dramatic, symbolic, actions to emphasize key values and demonstrate leadership behavior through dramatic, highly visible actions including risking personal loss; self sacrifice or acting unconventionally.
  • Lead by example by recognizing actions speak louder than words through exemplary behavior in day to day interactions with subordinates and by demonstrating consistency in daily behavior.
Transformational is the same as charismatic, visionary, or inspirational leadership.Charismatic leaders transform followers by creating changes in their goals, values, needs, beliefs, and aspirations. They accomplish this transformation by appealing to followers' self concepts-namely, their values and personal identity.

Successful transformational leaders are usually identified in terms of providing a strong vision and sense of mission, arousing strong emotions in followers and a sense of identification with the leaders. Leadership today is increasingly associated with the concept of creating a vision with which others can identify, getting along with other people and the concept of inspiration. This might be considered as part of transformational leadership or arguably it has given rise to a new approach to leadership-that of inspirational or visionary leadership. Inspirational ;leadership is not concerned so much with the theory of leadership but  more with the skills of motivating and inspiring people.

Effective transformational leaders are those who inspire people and create a vision for the organization and its future direction.

" The big word now associated with leadership is vision. The ability to see the bigger picture. To take the long term view. What the ultimate objectives are and how people can work together to achieve them. Perhaps the most important attributes is that a good leader inspires people by creating a climate where it is OK for people to make mistakes and learn from them. Leading from this position, they gain a higher level of commitment from their people than more compliance."

Visionary leadership as transformative. It involves greatness.penetrating the ordinary, and requires total involvement. Among the qualities visionary leaders cultivate are imagination, engagement, tangible results and penetrating self-reflection.They engage society with its competitive , divergent viewpoints. Visionary leadership is ultimately about increasing performance but also with the rewards of tangible results to your membership and deep personal satisfaction.

Leadership is not about the leader, it is about how he or she builds the confidence of everyone else. Leaders are responsible for both the big structures that serves as the cornerstone of confidence, and for the human touches that shape a positive emotional climate to inspire and motivate people. Leaders deliver confidence by inspiring high standards in their messages, exemplifying these standards in the conduct they model and establishing formal mechanism to provide a structure for acting on those standards.

Leadership may be based on the  personal qualities, or charisma, of the leader and the manner in which influence is exercised.

Now the big question is whether you are born with charisma or whether you can develop it. I believe you can develop elements of it. For example, you can take courses to improve your speaking skills. You can learn to stage events that send powerful messages.You can learn to think more critically about the status- quo and its shortcoming. You can do more on a daily basis to motivate your team. What you simply cannot learn is how to be passionate about what you do. You have to discover that for yourself, and passion is a big part of what drives a charismatic leader. It is also what motivates and inspires those who work for the charismatic leader.

However, the extent to which charismatic or inspirational leadership helps bring about improvement in organizational performance is open to much debate. Conger also draws attention to the danger that the leader's vision, dynamism and inspirational nature are highly attractive, which leads to natural dependence. Staff see this extraordinarily figure as a model to be emulated and the leader's abilities become the yardstick by which they measure their own performance. This is a potential source of leadership derailment. Dependence makes the followers more susceptible to deception.

Dearlove draws attention to the increasing focus on leaders as real people managing in consensus-seeking manner. While traditional views of leadership tend eventually to concentrate on vision and charisma, the message now seems to be that charisma is no longer enough to carry leaders through. Bloomfield also refers to the cult of the individual, supposedly charismatic leader and the danger that this leads businesses into deep water far more often than the application of rational leadership . Too often the charismatic, aided and abetted by the language of current management fashion,attempts to inspire, to delight with their vision and to produce a mission statement of where the business might be -at the expense of real substance.

Adair argues that to be truly inspirational leader one must understand the spirit within. All people have the potential for greatness. The inspirational leader connects with the led, appreciates the capabilities of others and through trust will unlock the powers in others. Adair refers to "the inspired moment"- a recognition and seizure of a brief window of opportunity that can act as a powerful catalyst that inspires both the leader and the led.

The role of the leader as visionary is a fundamental to creating the broad philosophical context of democracy and as the architect of shared purpose.

Leadership is one of the most vital and yet elusive ingredients in  modern business. Leaders provide vision, direction, inspiration, give the business a sense of purpose and at the same time act as a moral compass. The need for visionary leadership is becoming increasingly important. Traditional business hierarchies gave managers and workers a sense of their own position and what was expected of them. Now, as these hierarchies break down, it is leaders themselves who must fill void, helping subordinates to understand their place and purpose. Personal leadership is beginning to replace organizational structure.

What sets great leaders apart is their ability to engage those around them in shared vision of the future. By making the right decisions, they demonstrate their commitment to turning that vision into reality; and by doing so successfully, they instill in others the confidence to trust in their leadership.






Huwebes, Agosto 16, 2012

Knowledge Management by Jolito Ortizo Padilla



An increasingly important aspect of of organizational performance is the idea of knowledge management.Many organizations are beginning to identify and formalize the significance of knowledge and in some instances are creating universities at work. Toyota is using learning programs to drive critical business issues and is attempting constantly to align training with the needs of the business. It sees learning as a key integrated component of Toyota culture.

Unipart is another example of an organization which has really driven the notion that learning should be embedded within the workplace. It has set up a university, complete with the learning center and development programs. Another interesting example is that of McDonald's who recently have won government approval to become an examination board. The company aim to pilot a :basic shift manager" equal to IGCSE or A level.

Distinct advantage are identified for those companies which are able to make effective use of their intellectual assets. The following quotation typifies the message:
 " The good news is that given reflection, focus and an appropriate and tailored combination of change and support elements. Substantially more value can be created for various stakeholders."

This line of argument is supported by Jolito Ortizo Padilla, who argues that competitive advantage is founded in the ability of companies to create new forms of knowledge and translate this knowledge into innovative action. He says that the one sure source of lasting competitive advantage and describes the different kinds of knowledge that exist in organizations and the ways in which knowledge can be translated into action. Padilla  calls knowledge that is easily communicated, quantified and systematic explicit knowledge-the kind of information required for an IT system or a new product. Tacit knowledge, however, is more akin to the wisdom described earlier-inarticulate, understood but rarely described. Those companies able to use both kinds of knowledge will make the creative breakthroughs, according to Padilla.

He suggests that the knowledge-creating companies systematically ensure that the tacit and explicit knowledge by articulation and that explicit feed into each other in a spiral of knowledge. Tacit knowledge is converted into explicit knowledge by articulation and that explicit knowledge is used within an individual cognitive understanding by process of internalization. It perhaps is no surprise that "knowledge management" has been the subject of hype in the management literature and has been extolled as the route to the Holy Grill of competitive advantage. Ato Chan argues that managing knowledge is now the issue for business in the 21st century. He suggests that:
 " A successful company is a knowledge creating company that is one which is able consistently to produce new knowledge, to disseminate it throughout the company and to embody it into new products or services quickly".

Creative management can result in improved efficiency, higher productivity and increased revenues in practically any business function.There are seven reasons why knowledge management is an important area:
  • Business pressure on innovation
  • Inter-organizational enterprise (merger, takeover)
  • Networked organizations and the need to coordinate geographically dispersed groups
  • Increasingly complex products and services with a significant knowledge component.
  • Hyper-competitive marketplace (decreasing life cycle and time to market)
  • Digitisation of business environment and IT revolution.
  • Concerns about the loss of knowledge due to increasing staff mobility, staff attrition and retirement.
One of the key tricks therefore is for organizations to know how to share knowledge and to learn the experience of others. Various interest and routes have drawn different organizations to knowledge management, diversity in actual practices is broad. It is necessary to complement social with technological solutions for managing knowledge in the engineering design process- not only the know-why( design rationale and reasoning-best practice) but the know-who (mapping expertise and skills) and know-how (promoting communities of practice for learning in a dynamic context).

Key enabler facilitating knowledge management practice include expert systems, knowledge bases and help desk tolls as well as content management systems, wikis, blogs, and other technologies. Growth will continue as more collaborative IT applications become available.

Knowledge needs a second generation, one that focuses on knowledge creation. Knowledge sharing alone does not lead to innovative thinking, instead a more fluid proactive is required which allows people to share , analyze and revise ideas. Collaborative software solutions allowing messaging forums are more akin to addressing knowledge required for the future.