The Best Practices Enterprise

Is The World Flat?

2012-01-23T10:26:00.002-05:00

Let me share a story that happened just last week...

I was sitting across the table from a prospective client when they say, "We need an industry expert to help us do..."

It made me laugh a bit, but, I felt compelled to ask, "Why? Is it because you want to do what your competition is already doing?"

Do you really think you need industry experts to deliver desired outcomes?

Think again.

These widely held beliefs, provided by “experts” at the time, were proven wrong by people who were considered “outsiders” and “heretics” in their day:

- The World is Flat
- The Sun is A Fiery Stone
- We Are the Center of the Universe

Sometimes you need a different point of view.

The Best Practices Group brings an “outsiders” perspective to the table. We don’t pretend to have all the answers. We think that such an attitude only limits thinking. Instead, we help your highly knowledgeable staff develop the solutions that are right for you — driving results through the use of our proven planning methodologies.

Frankly, you know your business. Sometimes you just need a catalyst to help you think outside-the-box. The Best Practices Group can help you cultivate and advance the breakthrough thinking needed to compete.

After all, the Earth isn’t flat. Your strategic thinking shouldn’t be, either.

CLICK here for a summary of the break-through services that we offer.

Allow Me To Introduce Myself

2012-01-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012! This year, we enter our 21st year in practice, so we thought that we would spruce things up a bit -- make the experience more enriching. So, here's our first video.

Follow the link below and let me know what you think of it.

Best Practices Group's Intro Video

The spot appears in several places on the website, too.

As always, I encourage you to join in on the conversation with a tweet or a call.

Thanks.

2012 Vision Story

2011-12-20T11:10:00.001-05:00

As the year comes to an end, I thought it may be a good time to think about the vision for next year. A rock-solid strategic vision is not a simple slogan that can be printed on a business card (as so many are these days), but, rather it should be developed as story framed by the long-term financial goals and containing adequate coverage of such organizational characteristics as:

Leadership Models / Management Style
Customer Demographics / Growth Strategies
Service Delivery / Brand Value
Operating Model / Flexible Workforce
Communication Infrastructure (Internal / External)
Diversity & Inclusion / Product/Service Sets
Product Distribution / New Business Partnerships
Organizational Structure / Process Transformation
Performance Metrics / Project Portfolios (Work Management Structures)
Governance Frameworks

Once the vision story is written, time must be dedicated to raising awareness of its content among staff and management, alike. An entire employee engagement and Vision Socialization effort should quickly follow. People want to be part of something bigger than themselves. It's our job as senior leaders to give them something to believe in.

As always, chat it up, tweet and call me.

Happy Holidays!

A “New Normal” Must Be Established

2011-11-30T11:48:00.012-05:00

The changing economic times of the past few years have dictated changes in the way work is done. Businesses can ill afford to adopt a “more of the same” philosophy. Staffing levels have declined to a new equilibrium that is above the point of diminishing returns. Vacancies are refilled on a limited basis with good justification. Budget and expenditure scrutiny are common occurrences. The enterprise has had to tighten its belt. As a result a “new normal” has been established. One marked by efficient execution, customer-friendly service delivery and timely decision-making.

In order to establish a “New Normal”, firms must adopt these three principles:

1. We will embrace an “Outside-In” perspective

A paradigm shift of brilliant proportions has taken place within the organization. The leadership team has begun to place needed emphasis on the service delivery aspects of the Company. By doing so, it has come to realize that the best results are achieved by embracing an “outside-in” point of view – one that considers the impact of the organization policy and procedural changes on the customer and other outside constituents before implementation. In this way, mistakes can be avoided and need for rework minimized.

2. We will enthusiastically implement an “In It Together” management style

The old ways of running the Company have given way to a new style of business management. The new style can be characterized as one where “we’re in it together” (a topic that I have written about extensively – http://www.management-issues.com/2011/10/10/opinion/leadership-were-in-it-together.asp)

Leaders and management is there to set direction and enable success. It welcomes rigor and discipline and encourages calculated risk-taking, as long as all of the issues are well understood and that the actions to be taken are consistent with the way the senior leadership wants to conduct business.

3. We will seek outside perspectives as an essential business practice

Prior to the adoption of the “outside-in” perspective, the Company was often seen as a closed operation – one that rarely sought advice from the outside. This philosophy has changed. Outside viewpoints are routinely solicited in order for the enterprise to better service the business community. From the engagement of management consultants to use of ad-hoc external client advisory boards the petitioning of outside counsel has become an essential business practice within the organization.

Employee Engagement+ Program Offering

2011-11-11T11:09:00.037-05:00

A management program that engages staff and aligns the organization

Plan, Create, Execute

Based on the research presented in my latest book, The Best Practices Enterprise: A Guide to Achieving Sustainable World-Class Performance, this stellar offering helps organizations plan, create and execute a comprehensive Employee Engagement+ Program.

The Engagement+ Program Plan is comprised of these core deliverables:

Work Culture Baseline Assessment;

A client-specific, prioritized list of
needed Engagement Projects and Programs;

A timeline for execution of the
projects and programs identified;

First-cut Project Plans for the
highest priority initiatives, and;

An Engagement Program Admin-istration
process for how to maintain and manage the
Engagement+ Program™.

For More Information: E: info@best-practices-enterprise.com P: 860-632-0580
Who We Have Helped: http://www.best-practices-enterprise.com/biographies/clients/
Legal Statement: Exclusive property of Kerr Systems International, LLC - Copyright 2011

The Results Are In!!

2011-11-03T12:18:00.009-04:00

My survey on Strategic Themes articles is officially closed.

I want to thank those that participated and share the results:

Findings:

1) We had an amazing 62% reply rate -- thanks!

2) 72% of respondents "Often" or "Always" read my articles -- when we include the "Sometimes" response we get over 95% reading the articles -- a heartfelt thank you!

3) All of the topic areas gained high approval. There was a fairly even spread among them. However, "Leadership" was the most favorite topic of interest (with 19% of respondents rating it first (Strategic Vision and Organizational Design each ran a close 2nd at 17% rating these as their favorite topics))

4) "New Idea" and "Unique Perspective" were highest rated article attributes with 54% rating each of these as the most important driver for reader satisfaction. Interestingly, "Humor" and "Quick Read" were the least important attributes.

5) 81% of respondents "Fold it into their thinking" or "Pass it On/Discuss" the articles that resonate with them -- I like that!

6) Not surprisingly, there was a 50/50 split on "author contact" -- some people reach out to me, some don't.

As a management consultant/advisor, paid for "thought leadership," I welcome feedback and discussion of my ideas. It's how I generate business. So, if the idea makes sense, call on me.

Thanks again.

Need Your Thoughts

2011-10-28T16:57:00.001-04:00

TGIF! I need some help before the weekend comes. I'm looking for your thoughts about the business articles that I write.

If you have 5 minutes today, please complete this simple survey:

http://gs-survey.com/s.asp?s=17927

There are only 5 multiple choice questions. It's anonymous, and, the results will help me to target my future thought pieces (so, I can better deliver what you want to read).

As always, I encourage you to join in on the conversation with a tweet or a call.

Thanks For Your Help.

Legacy Systems Are Being Replaced

2011-10-27T12:43:00.002-04:00

Here's an article that I wrote on the Software Selection / Replacement process. While this piece is aimed at insurance carriers , the principles apply to all industries.

It was published in Insurance & Technology Magazine . I hope that you like it.

http://www.insurancetech.com/policy-administration/231900588?cid=nl_ins_daily

As always, I encourage you to join in on the conversation by responding with a tweet or a comment at the publisher's website.

Thanks For Reading!

Of Champions

2011-10-13T00:03:00.006-04:00

We can build champion businesses by following the lead of championship caliber sports teams. They all share five common traits that can be transferred to the enterprise. These "Perfection Factors", as I like to call them, inlcude:

Making "Perfect Execution" the goal
Staying in the Moment
Continuous Preparation
Mid-Course Game Plan Adjustments
Faith in the Leadership

For more on this concept, see my article at:

http://www.management-issues.com/2011/7/25/opinion/building-a-championship-business.asp

Apple Computers: We Just Don't Care!

2011-04-20T13:43:00.010-04:00

I had an interesting exchange with Apple Computer's Steve Jobs yesterday.

Unfortunately, I felt compelled to drop Steve a note about a particularly horrendous experience that I had in the Apple Store in Farmington, CT.

The note summarized several frustration points that I had endured upon my visit, including:

Store Design: While apparently Apple's Management Team feels that the store design is hip and trendy, characterized by various specialty tables, etc. I think of it more like a Montessori School with the kids that work there playing with different gadgets at their play stations. Nonethless the store design is not one that is easily navigated by the typical consumer whom is accustomed to signage, check-out counters and helpful staff.

Customer Service Model: Once properly checked-in and assigned by the "greeter" to stand at the IPod play station, I was made to wait for over 20 minutes for someone to come over and help me out. While I made eye contact with the manager several times, no one came over until I started waving my hands in the air like a rabid Yankee fan at Fenway Park after A-Rod hit a dinger.

Lack of Urgency: 20 Minutes is plenty of time to observe. I saw that many customers had two or three employees assisting them -- apparently those customers had bigger problems than a single Apple employee could handle. I also saw several emplyees just milling around chatting with each other. Apparently, I lacked the right tatoos or piercings to garner much attention as I waited for help.

Lack of Management: As my problem escalated, it occured to me that I was caught traveling up the river in Apocalypse Now. I landed at the village and the savages were running the place. Store manager Deb Merck and her regional supervisor Eric Mills had no interest in helping me -- but, they could rattle off the store policy "No returns after 14 days -- even if the item (as mine was) is unopened and unused."

My hope was that by sharing this first-hand customer experience, perhaps someone at Apple would care to explore the details. To my surpise, Steve responded within the hour. His note read as follows:

"It sounds like a simple matter of our 14 day return policy,
which you don't like. We have no plans to change it."

I guess when you've been made to think that you're God, there's no need to concern yourself with the opinions of those that should be worshiping you.

I have a different opinion, while already a powerhouse, they're leaving money on the table. Surely, they have forgotten that they exist only to serve the customer. After ereading Steve's response again, I know that I'm not the only one that has had this type of experience.

After all, the tone is set from the top. Stevie's note to me demonstrates that he has a total disregard for his customers -- that tone trickles all the way down to Deb Merck and her store in Farmington, CT.

But, I'm not discouraged. Since, I'm old enough to have been one of the first people to have owned an Apple II, back in the day, I've seen what happens to companies who lose there way. It won't be long before Apple realizes that the customer is always right. After all, they're the ones that control the purse strings!

Making Change...A Life Lesson for the Business World

2010-10-21T10:56:00.000-04:00

I recall a time, not too long ago, when my daughter was younger and my wife and I were still in the midst of teaching her about life's basics -- the fundamentals that one needs to flourish.

On this particular early spring day, we came upon an ice cream vendor at the local park and thought that this would be a terrific opportunity to build her confidence and teach her a lesson in self-reliance.

Clearly she wanted an ice cream cone. So, why not let her approach the vendor, give her order and take care of the payment all on her own? I gave her a $10 bill and sent her on her way, as my wife and I stood off by the swing set a dozen yards away.

She approached cautiously. But, she performed brilliantly and came skipping back to us with cone and change in tow. Unfortunately, she was still learning about money and making change. As she handed me the wad of crinkled bills that she had in her hand, it was clear that the vendor had mistakenly given her too much cash back. He must have given her change for a $20 bill, not the $10 bill that I had given her.

Taking the opportunity to teach my daughter another important lesson about honesty, fairness and integrity, we sent my daughter back with the vendor's money instructing her to let him know that he had given her too much change back. She did so dutifully and all was well with the world.

My daughter built some self confidence and learned a lesson about the importance of always being honest and forthright in your dealings with people.

Sadly, this lesson is sometimes lost in the business world.

Recently, I have been witness to a similar situation at work. In this instance, my client had mistakenly underestimated by 15% the cost to deliver services to one of their customer's. It was a glitch in my client's pricing spreadsheet. But, my client caught the error on their own and corrected it.

Unfortunately, my client resubmitted the corrected estimates without a lot of explanation and their customer refused to accept the additional charges, arguing that they were already in the midst of making decisions on the original estimates.

Keep in mind, the customer had not signed-off on the estimates or agreed to go forward with any of the work in question. There was clearly time to correct the mistake, and, in essence, "return the change" as it were, to my client. One would figure that the long-term potential of the business relationship would compel the customer to do the "right" thing.

Instead, this customer decided to keep the change, insinuating that the long-term prospects of their relationship with my client would by threatened, if my client didn't eat the 15% underestimation.

To close, when my daughter came back from the ice cream stand with more cash than she left with, the thought of keeping the change never entered my mind. What message would that send?

I wonder why some business leaders feel compelled to take the money and run whenever that get the chance hoping to take advantage of any mistake in their favor. Don't they care about the message that they send?

What To Do In These Recessionary Times

2010-04-20T11:47:00.006-04:00

We have entered a new and exciting epoch in American business. All of the characteristics that defined success in the post-industrial age do not guarantee success in the future. The global economy has simply changed the game for evermore.

Consider for a moment that large may mean too slow to respond to market changes, that low cost structure may not be able to remain low, that established product sets can be replaced by foreign substitutes, that domestic advantages will not be strong enough to withstand the global reach of other rivals; and, one begins to appreciate how dramatically the competitive landscape has changed.

The businesses that will dominate industry in the first half of the 21st century will be those that are nimble and quick, interconnected and diverse, committed to service delivery while location independent. The successful enterprise will thrive in a state of continuous transformation, ever changing to remain competitive.

What Can Be Done for Slumping Businesses?
Consider a world-class athlete for a moment. When an athlete goes into a “slump” in their chosen sport, whether it’s a baseball player who hasn’t had a hit in his last 25 at bats, or a figure skater who can’t seem to nail a triple toe jump, their coaches immediately help the athlete to focus on the fundamentals – reinforcing key aspects of athletics like speed, quickness, strength and endurance. Once fundamentally sound, the athlete can then concentrate on refining the finer skills that make them world-class.

The same is true in business. It’s the adoption of a “Back-To-Basics” philosophy that is needed. Indeed, organizations must return to Best Practices in order to respond effectively to the challenges that today’s competitive paradigm has is store. If we don't adopt a new approach, our slump just may continue.

Of Recognition and Customer Loyalty

2009-11-29T17:39:00.001-05:00

I heard a story the other day that really gripped me. I want to share it with you.

It involves a mentally challenged individual that works at the local supermarket. There was a time when the store awarded “employee of the month” awards to its staff. This young man was a recipient of this award from time-to-time. He was so elated whenever he received the honor that he would brag about it and show off the plaque (that came as part of the recognition) to customers for a week after.

One day, my friend asked the young man to help her load some bags into her car. In the conversation that ensued, she asked if he had received a recognition plaque lately. He said, no, and, went on to explain that the store had done away with the program. He became clearly emotional and distraught discussing it. It seemed that it made him feel so sad that his work (which apparently helps to define him) was no longer being recognized.

Seeing how much this person cared about this honor, my friend decided to take it upon herself to do something about it. Every year at Christmas, for the last several, she gets a recognition plaque made – complete with the young man’s name and picture – and awards it to him in the parking lot when he helps her with her groceries.

She tells me it really makes his day, sometimes he even cries when she gives him the plaque. He is so happy that someone recognizes his work.

Now, what does this have to do with the Best Practice Enterprise? It serves to remind me of how important recognizing talent and contribution can be. Here’s a person that identifies with his work. He takes it seriously and performs it to the best of his ability. We can even say that his enthusiasm locks in customers and adds to the customer experience. My friend doesn’t shop anywhere else – hasn’t for years. Part of her loyalty comes from the fact that the store employs this individual.

Do we recognize our highest contributors? In today’s highly competitive, world-wide economy, we had better because it is important to people. If we don’t, we may just lose our strongest contributors to a Company that does.

Leveraging the Emerging Free Agent Market

2009-04-22T08:43:00.004-04:00

Given these tumultuous times, a Best Practices Enterprise™ should seek to aggressively leverage the emerging free agent market. There's a terrific opportunity, with all of the layoffs and downsizing going on, to get exceptional talent -- and, the good news is that this talent can be acquired on an "as needed" basis if organizations are positioned to manage the talent as temporary (but, talented), free agents.

Over 30 million Americans work independently, and, the number is growing. While some people are forced to consider free agency due to economic conditions, others choose it. These mavericks enjoy the autonomy that comes with self-employment. Indeed, some of the “best and brightest” prefer it.

With that said, Best Practices Enterprises™ need to face these facts and plan accordingly. In fact, the use of contracted talent is a key ingredient to establishing needed agility. Hiring what’s needed, when needed is how the game is won in a highly competitive marketplace, like the one in place today.

There are some important considerations to address before leaping into the fray, including:

· Firms must establish programs aimed at creating a culture that attracts, develops and retains quality free agent personnel.

· Permanent staff must be made aware of the trends taking shape in the employment market and the Company’s desire to leverage the opportunities that exist there.

· Free agent personnel must be trained in the organization’s operating policies, procedures and quality standards, so that they can get up to speed quickly and deliver desired results.

To close, these recessionary times provide a great opportunity to attract quality talent. A Best Practices Enterprise™ management team would be wise to promote this cultural shift through its actions and be prepared to actively manage the enterprise through the transition needed to leverage Free Agency.

Adopt A New Business Principle to Make Strategic Planning Stick

2008-12-31T12:02:00.003-05:00

A certain question inevitably arises whenever I work with clients on developing business strategies and architecting Strategic Plans. It goes something like this: "How do we ensure that the plan that we just created stays in synch with the ever changing direction of our organization?"

The concern is so prevalent, in fact, that I have come to recommend the adoption of a new business principle that, if adopted by the senior leadership team and institutionalized via their regularly scheduled planning meetings (held throughout the year), becomes the cornerstone of keeping the strategic plan relevant and vibrant for years to come.

Let me share with you this principle along with its rationale and implications:

Principle Statement:
Strategic Planning will be a continuously performed process and all new initiatives will be evaluated via this process before inclusion in the Strategic Plan.

Rationale:
This principle is an important means of turning the widely accepted and outdated idea about strategic planning as being nothing more than an annual budget planning exercise on its ear.

Instead, this principle calls for strategic planning to become a constant, continuous process that ensures that businesses are able to adjust and evolve as competitive necessities dictate.
Further, by embracing this notion, the organization is clearly recognizing the value of the Strategic Planning practice as a means for evaluating future business options and investment choices (while it further recognizes the Strategic Plan as the proper placeholder for “all things strategic”).

Finally, the Strategic Plan documentation element ensures that the Best Practices Enterprise™ (see heading above for a definition) has an “organizational memory” which can be referenced in the future as the individual’s memories of what took place have faded.

Implications:
· The Strategic Planning process must be documented and published.

· Personnel (at all levels) must be trained in the planning process and be required to apply it in all that they do.

· A Communications program must be put in place to ensure that all staff fully understands the planning process and their role in it.

· A Strategic Planning Office must be staffed in order to administer the planning process and ensure its integrity.

· Because of the procedural and cultural change that this principle represents, the management team must be prepared for some resistance among their ranks, and, be willing to work to keep each other "honest" as the new planning behaviors are being learned.

Certainly, there's a lot to making plans and sticking to them. But, the adoption of a new business pricniple aimed at instituting and formalizing the planning process can go a long way to making your strategic plan a lasting and important management tool.

So, You’re Having A Bad Day: Overcoming Adversity Through Determination and Attitude

2008-04-29T12:04:00.004-04:00

An incredible thing happened this weekend on the golf course. I had the honor of playing a round of golf with a truly special person. You see, this guy had no hands. He had been born without any. All he had to work with was the heel of his hand – no thumbs, no fingers.

He teed off first. I watched as he tossed his tee and ball in front of him on the first tee. Kneeling down, he gripped the tee between the heels of his hands and struggled to push the wooden peg into the ground. Gripping the ball in the same fashion, he placed it on his tee. He stood up, took a normal stance over the ball and carefully positioned the grip of his club into his left forearm and pressed his right hand heel low on the grip so to squeeze the handle tight against his left arm.

Asking me and the others in our foursome to move out from beside him (which is the traditional place to stand when one is teeing off) for fear of conking us in the head should the golf club slip his grasp on his backswing, he swung the club and SMACK! A straight shot about 180 yards down the middle of the fairway – a pretty good shot by almost any standard.

To watch this man play a round of golf was an awesome sight. Surely, not every shot was as pure as his first drive. Yes, he had trouble getting some shots up in the air particularly from difficult lies. His short game (which often requires a delicate touch) was not the best part of his play. But, his putting was brilliant, and, most importantly, his determination and attitude were exceptional.

After a hole or two, I could see he was just having a good time out there on the course. He wasn’t trying to break any records. He didn’t take the game too seriously, either. He’d laugh when he hit a poor shot. He’d laugh when I would hit a poor shot, too. Not exactly proper etiquette on a golf course, but, he got me to laugh at my mistakes, as well – quite a trick for someone with no hands.

While my score was nothing to write home about that day, I will never forget this round of golf. It served to remind me about just how blessed I am. I have my hands! I can grip a golf club with them. I can do a lot more with them, too. I realized that I don’t have it that bad, even when I use those hands to hit an errant golf shot.

The next time that I’m having a bad day, I am going to recall the golfer with no hands. I hope you do, too. His spirit and grit serves as a good example for us all.

PM Boot Camp

2008-02-29T10:32:00.004-05:00

Here's another sample case study from my latest book. If you don't have a copy of The Best Practices Enterprise, you can get it at Amazon by simply following the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932159606/sr=8-1/qid=1146083396/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7911672-9268157?%5Fencoding=UTF8

This case highlights some of the steps that firms are taking to evolve towards a project-centric enterprise...

Cultivating project management talent is always difficult. Recently, a client company engaged our firm to help it establish a rigorous project management training course for a dozen of its more aspiring Project Managers. The resultant “PM Boot Camp”, as attendees came to call it, proved to be both challenging and rewarding.

Enlisting the assistance of Padgett-Thompson, we created a one week training curriculum in PM tools and techniques that included instruction in subjects like Gantt, PERT, Microsoft Project and facilitation skills. A one-day seminar covering the client’s particular Program Management Office procedures and practices was the centerpiece of the offering.

Led by members from both Padgett-Thompson and the client’s PMO, the training session was sound. It was well received by the participants. By employing a “Train-The-Trainer” model and repackaging the training modules, the firm intends to re-offer the “PM Boot Camp” in the future.

It is through devising creative techniques like the “PM Boot Camp” that Best Practices Era enterprises are preparing for the future and working to position for continued success. Clearly, the commitment demonstrated in this example is paying dividends. The client has delivered over 40 projects in the past year and has three dozen more on the docket for next year. Surely, more such programs will be springing-up in organizations around the globe.

Think of the Best Practices Enterprise Group when your organization is considering renewing its commitment to portfolio-based project management and PM best practices. We can help.

When Diversity and Inclusion Become Adversity and Delusion

2007-12-28T10:46:00.001-05:00

This entry comes from my latest book...

I’ve been watching a client battle to retool its corporate culture. One of its current initiatives includes a Diversity & Inclusion Program that is aimed at helping the firm form a high performance work setting that capitalizes on the diversity of the individuals comprising its workforce.

The program, still in its early stages, has pointed to the need for establishing a culture where individual differences among workers are recognized as valuable ingredients in achieving the best business outcomes for the company.

This is, of course, a dramatic departure from where most companies are today in regard to managing workforce diversity. It seems that most of the organizations that I’ve had an opportunity to work with have adopted a “color blindness” and “gender neutrality” that seems to have the effect of ignoring, rather than, recognizing and leveraging individual employee differences. When the goals of this program are truly realized, the company that I’m speaking of will surely have an edge over its competition.

But, beware! These kinds of strategic initiatives, like any significant cultural change, are susceptible to misinterpretation. Because momentous change doesn’t happen over night, all kinds of good intentioned people can get in the way of true transformation.

The Diversity & Inclusion Program can quickly become the Adversity & Delusion Program, if the organization does not remain diligent in evolving itself through the stages of maturity that such change management requires, and allow the thoughts and principles that underpin the initiative to become better understood and communicated across the concern.

Because of its inherent nuances, it’s likely that many individuals will interpret the Diversity & Inclusion Program to be about the democratization of consensus building – where every worker has an equal “vote” in decision-making and direction setting. Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth!

In fact, diversity and inclusion is really about disagreement. It’s promoting the notion that it’s acceptable to disagree (diversity) as long as everyone has an opportunity to contribute their ideas and thoughts, and that those contributions are recognized and considered equally, regardless of the contributor (inclusion).

Obviously, some workers may falsely think that they now have a “say” in direction setting, those workers possessing more experience and knowledge (and whom, indeed, have decision-making responsibility) may face extreme adversity as they attempt to continue to set the right direction. They can be called to task for not being inclusive by those feeling excluded (under a misinformed definition of inclusion).

Don't let this happen to you.

Just give us a call. You can count on the Best Practices Enterprise Group to help you navigate through the tough issues associated with getting a Diversity & Inclusion Program off-the-ground.

Continuous Employee Improvement Programs are Often Overlooked, But are Absolutely Critical to Succes in Today's Best Practice Enterprises

2007-11-20T15:00:00.001-05:00

Continuous Employee Improvement (CEI) is an important business fundamental within the Best Practices Enterprise™ philosophy. It addresses staff development and measurement. In a nutshell, a well structured CEI program prepares employees to deliver expected results, tracks performance against those expected results and rewards personnel when excellence is achieved.

Current corporate training and performance measurement paradigms seldom work that way. Most are not integrated and place emphasis only on training and measuring on a work step basis.
At best, these kinds of approaches offer only incremental improvement opportunities. It seems that many programs, in fact, have lost sight of the overall business results being sought by the organizations that have implemented them.

CEI, on the other hand, brings training and work measurement activities together; integrating them into a mutually dependent whole aimed at changing behaviors and improving business performance.

Setting a CEI program into motion is a multi-faceted effort that uses tools like performance measurement, rewards and incentives, recruiting and retention and training and education to improve staff performance. Long-term CEI program achievement depends on several factors including:

· Linking the program to an organization’s mission, vision and values so that CEI becomes an essential cultural element of the concern;

· Gaining management commitment to provide the thought leadership needed to make the CEI effort vital and important to the business;

· Allowing the time required to properly plan the CEI implementation effort in order to ensure that the work requisite to continually improve staff is done efficiently and effectively, and;

· Weaving CEI into the hiring and review process to make certain that the effort endures.

To close, lasting Continuous Employee Improvement program success is about changing the way in which management thinks about workers, workers think about work and the ways in which we motivate them both to change behaviors for the good of the Best Practices Enterprise™.

Remember, when you're ready to pursue CEI, call on the Best Practices Enterprise Group to help you gain a perspective on this important business fundamental.

A Deliberate Communications Program is Essential to Success in the Age of Business Globalization

2007-10-16T15:25:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in earlier posts, the age of the Best Practices Enterprise™ will bring about the true globalization of business.

Many of today’s senior business leaders manage their organizations internationally, not globally. They view each location as a remote office that is separate and distinct from the firm’s other operations in the world.

To manage the enterprise “globally,” is a different management paradigm. It requires the management team to think differently about the essence of the business.

The company is no longer separate and distinct entities. It is a web of interdependent parts that span the globe – independent of physical location. Dependable communications frameworks are a must in supporting this type of global enterprise.

Further, staff inclusion is an essential element of morale and good morale is needed to achieve strong business results. Communication projects aimed at specific special interest groups can emerge (e.g., union workers, minority staff, disabled employees etc.). These types of efforts are an important part of a corporate communications plan. They contribute to the wellbeing of the organization.

Once the communications processes are established and the communications vehicles needed to transport and convey the information are in place, personnel should then be instructed in how to use them properly and encouraged to fold communication work steps into all that they do – fostering communications across the concern.

With perseverance, communications can become the lifeblood of the company. Look to the Best Practices Enterprise Group to help you define and execute a solid communication strategy program, one that can withstand the test of time.

The Best Practices Enterprise Philosophy

2007-09-11T14:31:00.001-04:00

So, how does a company position itself to respond to the changes that the era of business globalization holds in store? Certainly, we can attempt to define the next “big thing” in strategy development. But, if we fail in our attempt, and most of the time such attempts fail, we will not deliver the value that stockholders seek. Instead, why not return focus to the fundamentals, much like a slumping athlete would when trying to return to world-class form?

By embracing what might be called a “Best Practices Enterprise™ Philosophy” that focuses attention on sound fundamentals, businesses can begin to introduce new, and extend existing programs, that position them to be nimble and quick, while still growing and evolving into broad-reaching and highly profitable organizations.

From my perspective, the seven most essential best practices have been identified. There are no silver bullets among them, but, together they form an indispensable strategic underpinning that can make the difference between long-term success and failure for any organization within the new epoch.

The seven business programs that comprise the Best Practices Enterprise™ Philosophy include:
· Program-Centric Strategic Planning
· Resilient IT Architecture Design
· Results-Focused Communications
· Portfolio-Based Project Management
· Uninterrupted Business Redesign
· Cross-Cultural Workforce Inclusion
· Continuous Employee Improvement

We'll explore each of these and their related issues and challenges in the future, so stay tuned!

Thanks,

Jim

PS -- If you would like a copy of my latest book on this subject, visit the amazon.com link below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932159606/sr=8-1/qid=1146083396/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7911672-9268157?%5Fencoding=UTF8