high performance – Kevin Anderson, Dr. Organizational Design

Return to Office: Just Give Me A Reason

Why should we return to office? The lament reminds me of Pink’s song “Just Give Me A Reason” where she begs: “Just give me a reason, just a little bit’s enough.” To date, the headlines have instead focused on the reasons for staying home. For example, a recent Wall Street Journal article cited the difficultiesContinue reading “Return to Office: Just Give Me A Reason”

The Most Effective Method For Engaging Employees? Simply Ask Questions

Brian Grazer (2015), the movie producer of such blockbusters as Apollo 13, Splash, 8 Mile, A Beautiful Mind and Friday Night Lights, popularized the notion of being curious and asking questions in his best seller A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. Grazer makes the case that asking questions allows us to understandContinue reading “The Most Effective Method For Engaging Employees? Simply Ask Questions”

What True Employee Engagement Looks and Sounds Like

As leaders we seek to create a calm work environment which is programmed. All of our actions should be by design based on logic as opposed to spontaneous actions based on emotion. We have been led to think that employees work together best in quiet, rationale and controlled spaces. However, the reality we experience isContinue reading “What True Employee Engagement Looks and Sounds Like”

How To Obtain True Employee Engagement

We agree that engaging our employees is one of the keys to organizational success. In fact, most organizational improvement, at some point, involves actively involving our teams of employees. We have been told countless times that this is the ‘secret sauce’ for improving our products, processes and culture. The key question is: How do weContinue reading “How To Obtain True Employee Engagement”

Aligning Strategy with Employee Values for Improved Organizational Performance

Part 3 of 4 part blog series discussing employee motivational challenges. Tackling strategy, and the corresponding projects, in a manner which fits with the organizations’ larger culture, leads to employees with enthusiasm (and even passion) for their efforts. This is about helping employees feel part of an effort which is bigger than themselves. As aContinue reading “Aligning Strategy with Employee Values for Improved Organizational Performance”

A Formula for Organizational Performance So Simple That It Is Ignored

The Obama Administration is promoting legislation that would help many students go to community college for free. This is an effort to once again kick-start education as a driver of economic growth. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/nyregion/raising-ambitions-the-challenge-in-teaching-at-community-colleges.html?_r=0 As a former community college administrator and instructor, my burning questions are ‘Why community colleges?’ and “If they have figured out theContinue reading “A Formula for Organizational Performance So Simple That It Is Ignored”