“if you want to foster innovation, [let] people slip from under line management and strike out on their own, on projects they care about”
He’s talking about Dan Pink’s video, the surprising truth about what motivates us:
Posts Tagged: work environment
12
Apr 10
Analysis Paralysis
In case you forgot what it means:
“Analysis paralysis is a phrase that describes a situation where the opportunity cost of decision analysis exceeds the benefits that could be gained by enacting some decision, or an informal or non-deterministic situation where the sheer quantity of analysis overwhelms the decision making process itself, thus preventing a decision. The phrase applies to any situation where analysis may be applied to help make a decision and may be a dysfunctional element of organizational behavior.”
I like how the see-also section refers you to Wicked problems:
“a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. Moreover, because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked problem may reveal or create other problems.”
<sigh>
26
Oct 09
The economy is causing unhappiness at work
The Economist on unhappiness at work:
“A survey by the Centre for Work-Life Policy, an American consultancy, found that between June 2007 and December 2008 the proportion of employees who professed loyalty to their employers slumped from 95% to 39%; the number voicing trust in them fell from 79% to 22%.”
The article puts the primary blame on the poor economy, but also suggests that micro-measuring employees (how many times did you smile at a customer today?) and mixed messages about company loyalty play a significant role.
Bob Sutton discusses the data further. Particularly, he is interested in how companies will fare when the economy returns.
8
Sep 09
Innovation through Play Time
Matt writes about How playtime is responsible for Post-It Notes, Lasik, and more
“In fact, that’s how IBM invented the application of laser for eye surgery. A group of IBM scientists were experimenting with laser for improving IBM products. One scientist wanted to see what the effect of laser would be on a cut on his finger. Intrigued by the results, the scientists experimented on cows’ eyes and eventually human eyes. IBM eventually licensed out the technology, making millions in profit.”
20
Aug 09
Veggie first, local second
According to the Worldwatch Institute, to best way to improve the environmental impacts of your diet is to eat vegetarian foods first before eating local.
“As it turns out, when we look at life-cycle analysis, a “cradle-to-grave perspective” on food products, food miles are “a relatively small slice of the greenhouse-gas pie,” says DeWeerdt. In fact, according to a comprehensive analysis last year by Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews of Carnegie Mellon University, final delivery from the producer or processor to the retailer accounts for only 4% of the U.S. food system’s greenhouse-gas emissions!”
[via Veggie Revolution]
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