Archive for November, 2009
Posted on November 2, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Prof.M.S.Rao asked:
(STRENGTH IN SYNERGY)TEAM SPIRIT
BY PROF. M.SRINIVASA RAO
Andrew Carnegie said, “Team work is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results”.
Formation of homogeneous group out of heterogeneous for achieving organizational goals and objectives can be defined as team work. Working in teams is a fun and frolic. Team work touches upon our hidden talents. It is here people communicate more freely and work together in a team resulting in more efficient and effective results. It is nothing but synergy of strengths of diversified people. Every individual is blessed with unique qualities, abilities, talents and skills and when they work in teams with passion, we can expect unique results. Although numerically one plus one is two, but in team work it gives rise to more than two. It is here where people of diversified backgrounds and faculties come together to do their best forgetting their egos, differences of opinions, views and ideas so as to keep the objectives of the team paramount. Effective team work develops team spirit, flexibility, openness, adjustability and adaptability.
Characteristics of an Effective Team:
Basically a team must possess four elements such as purpose, duration, structure and membership. The leader or the manager must be very clear in his or her goals and objectives to avoid ambiguity. He or she must be a risk taker for conducting such an exercise. Creation of conducive and relaxed climate is an imperative to get desired results. The entire members are to be interdependent and independent to make the team building exercise relevant. There should be a provision for positive and creative ideas. All members must be free to air their opinions and ideas. There has to be collective responsibility and accountability.
How to Build an Effective Team?
It is basically the team leader or manager who should create. He must know group behavior and must be good at group psychology. He must build the team so as to achieve the organizational goals and objectives which are measurable, realistic and attainable. He needs to be an excellent jockey till the race is completed. Resolving conflicts in the team, encouraging relevant meetings, sharing goals and objectives, creating a conducive climate, clear demarcation of the roles and responsibilities , providing adequate training, strengthening bottom lines, communicating effectively and efficiently – a powerful team can be built. There is a team facilitator who provides required guidance and support to the team members. An efficient team member can become a successful team facilitator and then as a team leader. The leader must build members who believe in smart work rather than hard work.
There is a subtle difference between smart work and hard work. For instance, there are two teams each containing three members and are asked to cut two different trees of same size shape and width. The members of team A immediately took their axes and started cutting the tree at the root as the time frame fixed is one hour for both to complete the task. Whereas the members of the team B took around 15 minutes to grind their axes and then they began cutting the tree. And they could cut it with in 15 minutes of starting the activity and finished with in 30 minutes by cutting at the base of the tree. The team A began cutting the tree but failed to do with in an hour and took more than that to fell the tree. Here the difference between the team A and B is: The team A did not plan well, coordinate well and on the other hand they worked very hard but could not achieve the result with in the time frame. It is a clear indication of hard work and their sincerity can not be questioned. Where as the team B, planned well, coordinated properly, ground their axes, worked smartly and got the result much before the deadline. It is a clear indication of smart work. And in this growing technological and competitive world it is not the hard work but the smart work that counts.
Merits of Team Work:
According to Herb Kelleher of South West Airlines – “Team play is a fundamental concept ….. If you want to succeed, if you want to win, you have to play as a team.”
The results can be maximized and expedited due to the strength in synergy. When the team members consult one another during the process, they learn to come out openly and learn to respect others’ ideas. Members start believing with each other shedding their inhibitions and hesitations. The outcome will be in exponential proportions. There will be supplementary and complementary of skills and abilities. At times, the team members come out with ideas which they themselves never thought of, from their subconscious minds. The member also realizes his strengths and weaknesses vis-à-vis other members and tries to overcome his weaknesses and strengthens his strengths.
People working in teams develop using two letter word ‘we’ instead of one letter word ‘I’. Stephen Covey, in his book, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effectively People’ wrote about the terminology of synergy and it is one of the greatest habits across the successful people in the world.
Working in groups or teams promotes esprit de corps (loyalty), camaraderie, and problem solving ability. People, when work in teams develop the ability to resolve the conflicts amicably. Due to the physical proximity in teams, the members derive job satisfaction by various means and they gradually develop multitasking abilities. By way of discussions and dialogues, bags of information are generated and team members become more knowledgeable. It is here cooperation replaces competition with in the team members. Ability to stay focused is an efficient trait; the members tend to hit the bulls’ eye accurately. No repetition of the work takes place as all are aware of what is going on right under their noses.
Employee turn over is thorny issue in all sectors of the industry and it can be minimized by inculcating team spirit as people do not feel to quit their organizations when they develop good relations with their colleagues. Optimum utilization of time and available resources can be ensured. There will be enhancement of qualitative work and the recognition of hidden potential amongst the employees.
Team Spirit as a Skill Tested In Interviews:
When the students go for employment, the employers look for the team spirit. The employers will be on the look out for this trait and they try to examine whether the candidate possesses this characteristic. Non possession becomes a major liability and the candidate gets rejected. The psychologists and other interviewing officers try to find out this ability by posing questions from different directions and dimensions and when the candidate demonstrates constantly then only there is a possibility to get into the slot. All organizations whether it is civil or military organizations lays great emphasis on this quality.
Soft skills are a cluster of many skills and abilities and it is said that possession of team spirit is one of the major skills. In order to inculcate this quality, the students must learn to work in teams’ right from their childhood itself by participating in sports, cultural activities, in academic careers to avoid displeasure at the time of interviews. To put it in the words of Stephen Covey, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities”.
T H E E N D
Kansieo.com
(STRENGTH IN SYNERGY)TEAM SPIRIT
BY PROF. M.SRINIVASA RAO
Andrew Carnegie said, “Team work is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results”.
Formation of homogeneous group out of heterogeneous for achieving organizational goals and objectives can be defined as team work. Working in teams is a fun and frolic. Team work touches upon our hidden talents. It is here people communicate more freely and work together in a team resulting in more efficient and effective results. It is nothing but synergy of strengths of diversified people. Every individual is blessed with unique qualities, abilities, talents and skills and when they work in teams with passion, we can expect unique results. Although numerically one plus one is two, but in team work it gives rise to more than two. It is here where people of diversified backgrounds and faculties come together to do their best forgetting their egos, differences of opinions, views and ideas so as to keep the objectives of the team paramount. Effective team work develops team spirit, flexibility, openness, adjustability and adaptability.
Characteristics of an Effective Team:
Basically a team must possess four elements such as purpose, duration, structure and membership. The leader or the manager must be very clear in his or her goals and objectives to avoid ambiguity. He or she must be a risk taker for conducting such an exercise. Creation of conducive and relaxed climate is an imperative to get desired results. The entire members are to be interdependent and independent to make the team building exercise relevant. There should be a provision for positive and creative ideas. All members must be free to air their opinions and ideas. There has to be collective responsibility and accountability.
How to Build an Effective Team?
It is basically the team leader or manager who should create. He must know group behavior and must be good at group psychology. He must build the team so as to achieve the organizational goals and objectives which are measurable, realistic and attainable. He needs to be an excellent jockey till the race is completed. Resolving conflicts in the team, encouraging relevant meetings, sharing goals and objectives, creating a conducive climate, clear demarcation of the roles and responsibilities , providing adequate training, strengthening bottom lines, communicating effectively and efficiently – a powerful team can be built. There is a team facilitator who provides required guidance and support to the team members. An efficient team member can become a successful team facilitator and then as a team leader. The leader must build members who believe in smart work rather than hard work.
There is a subtle difference between smart work and hard work. For instance, there are two teams each containing three members and are asked to cut two different trees of same size shape and width. The members of team A immediately took their axes and started cutting the tree at the root as the time frame fixed is one hour for both to complete the task. Whereas the members of the team B took around 15 minutes to grind their axes and then they began cutting the tree. And they could cut it with in 15 minutes of starting the activity and finished with in 30 minutes by cutting at the base of the tree. The team A began cutting the tree but failed to do with in an hour and took more than that to fell the tree. Here the difference between the team A and B is: The team A did not plan well, coordinate well and on the other hand they worked very hard but could not achieve the result with in the time frame. It is a clear indication of hard work and their sincerity can not be questioned. Where as the team B, planned well, coordinated properly, ground their axes, worked smartly and got the result much before the deadline. It is a clear indication of smart work. And in this growing technological and competitive world it is not the hard work but the smart work that counts.
Merits of Team Work:
According to Herb Kelleher of South West Airlines – “Team play is a fundamental concept ….. If you want to succeed, if you want to win, you have to play as a team.”
The results can be maximized and expedited due to the strength in synergy. When the team members consult one another during the process, they learn to come out openly and learn to respect others’ ideas. Members start believing with each other shedding their inhibitions and hesitations. The outcome will be in exponential proportions. There will be supplementary and complementary of skills and abilities. At times, the team members come out with ideas which they themselves never thought of, from their subconscious minds. The member also realizes his strengths and weaknesses vis-à-vis other members and tries to overcome his weaknesses and strengthens his strengths.
People working in teams develop using two letter word ‘we’ instead of one letter word ‘I’. Stephen Covey, in his book, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effectively People’ wrote about the terminology of synergy and it is one of the greatest habits across the successful people in the world.
Working in groups or teams promotes esprit de corps (loyalty), camaraderie, and problem solving ability. People, when work in teams develop the ability to resolve the conflicts amicably. Due to the physical proximity in teams, the members derive job satisfaction by various means and they gradually develop multitasking abilities. By way of discussions and dialogues, bags of information are generated and team members become more knowledgeable. It is here cooperation replaces competition with in the team members. Ability to stay focused is an efficient trait; the members tend to hit the bulls’ eye accurately. No repetition of the work takes place as all are aware of what is going on right under their noses.
Employee turn over is thorny issue in all sectors of the industry and it can be minimized by inculcating team spirit as people do not feel to quit their organizations when they develop good relations with their colleagues. Optimum utilization of time and available resources can be ensured. There will be enhancement of qualitative work and the recognition of hidden potential amongst the employees.
Team Spirit as a Skill Tested In Interviews:
When the students go for employment, the employers look for the team spirit. The employers will be on the look out for this trait and they try to examine whether the candidate possesses this characteristic. Non possession becomes a major liability and the candidate gets rejected. The psychologists and other interviewing officers try to find out this ability by posing questions from different directions and dimensions and when the candidate demonstrates constantly then only there is a possibility to get into the slot. All organizations whether it is civil or military organizations lays great emphasis on this quality.
Soft skills are a cluster of many skills and abilities and it is said that possession of team spirit is one of the major skills. In order to inculcate this quality, the students must learn to work in teams’ right from their childhood itself by participating in sports, cultural activities, in academic careers to avoid displeasure at the time of interviews. To put it in the words of Stephen Covey, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities”.
T H E E N D
Kansieo.com
Posted on November 10, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Carol Currie asked:
If you are going over a particular inclined subject with the family and you feel that an outing would be conducive, then that’s what you should do – go for a group excursion. If you are united to an encouragement house, you can plan on including that group of people as well. Invite others along that also home school and you will get not only the learning benefits but also the all of the social benefits for you and your children, that sometimes are lost when you home school.
Here are some ground rules that will facilitate you schedule:
1) Spot the fees: Be watchful that some families are on an inexpensive budget and probably need to be acquainted with the billfold in preparation to determine if they will go along with.
2) Accepted ages: More and more different age groups in a field day trip is difficult to handle and hard to teach the children of all different levels. Be insightful of this when concluding your sport and decide the age group in advance. Maybe you want to make two different trips, one for the younger kids and one for the older children.
3) Special features: Take into consideration what the aim of the commons trip is? What do you command the young people to walk away with after this National park learning school trip. Put your goals together and make sure all of the parents know what the value of the learning lesson is that you will be teaching the children.
4) Size of the household: Depending on the size you may need supporting aid for some of the parents of the other children that will be attending. Lock up this facilitation in advance or else you may find yourself with too many kids, and not enough parents willing to volunteer their support.
Caffeinated Content for WordPress
If you are going over a particular inclined subject with the family and you feel that an outing would be conducive, then that’s what you should do – go for a group excursion. If you are united to an encouragement house, you can plan on including that group of people as well. Invite others along that also home school and you will get not only the learning benefits but also the all of the social benefits for you and your children, that sometimes are lost when you home school.
Here are some ground rules that will facilitate you schedule:
1) Spot the fees: Be watchful that some families are on an inexpensive budget and probably need to be acquainted with the billfold in preparation to determine if they will go along with.
2) Accepted ages: More and more different age groups in a field day trip is difficult to handle and hard to teach the children of all different levels. Be insightful of this when concluding your sport and decide the age group in advance. Maybe you want to make two different trips, one for the younger kids and one for the older children.
3) Special features: Take into consideration what the aim of the commons trip is? What do you command the young people to walk away with after this National park learning school trip. Put your goals together and make sure all of the parents know what the value of the learning lesson is that you will be teaching the children.
4) Size of the household: Depending on the size you may need supporting aid for some of the parents of the other children that will be attending. Lock up this facilitation in advance or else you may find yourself with too many kids, and not enough parents willing to volunteer their support.
Caffeinated Content for WordPress
Posted on November 12, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
John asked:
Collaboration software is typically online information system software that enables efficient communication between or among virtual team members, their superiors and clients. Example can be a central desktop (CD).
There are numerous stumbling blocks in every process as Virtual teams plan to work towards achieving a common course as a team. Some of these hurdles are brought as a result of not working face to face or in close contact; these results in numerous and rampant ineffectiveness in there dealings. To these effect, for virtual teams to be effective they require support of a more secure and easy to work on web based collaboration software that will effectively coordinate their activities and share their ideas across the globe.
The major effectiveness of the Central Desktop web-based collaboration software is that it provides the Virtual team members with a management calendar, ways on how to tackle and manage the tasks at hand, online conferencing, group forums, and spreadsheets. Consequently there’s a time tracking feature that enables users and virtual team members to be in touch of the overall time they spend on a given project or task. This is not only valuable for an effective project management but easier and quick assessment of the final work done. The Central Desktop new database collaboration software enables users to work seamlessly between it and other application software. How it works is very simple, the user logs into the Central Desktop and don’t need to switch windows in order to log into several accounts but just maneuver through several accounts and applications alternatively.
For virtual teams to be successful and effective there are a few basic needs in common:
They have to effectively communicate in real time
They should be able to share their files, photos, audio and video
They should be able to effectively manage project milestones, resources and tasks as a group.
Virtual team members should have the ability to access the most current information in real time. This will enable them to effectively complete their activities and hence positively realize the team’s objectives.
To be precise collaboration software application have to a large extend increased and facilitated the effectiveness of virtual teams. Collaboration software applications have really helped cut many organizations’s expenditure substantially. The traveling costs, relocation expenses provided for teams to assign duties to distant employees have been greatly reduced.
For so long the widely used means of collaboration among workers in distant locations have been through emails, IM or chatting. Online collaboration is currently changing all this archaic methods and hence transforming the online collaboration methods. The various online tools provided by Collaboration software comes with diverse options that are easier to adopt and fun to use by Virtual collaboration team.
Therefore, with the support of an ever increasing online collaboration environment, virtual teams have at their disposal numerous collaboration software tools that the Central Desktop offers for easier and effective management of their tasks, they can also communicate effectively as a team, and share resources easily and more securely so has to increase the team’s effectiveness.
Website content
Collaboration software is typically online information system software that enables efficient communication between or among virtual team members, their superiors and clients. Example can be a central desktop (CD).
There are numerous stumbling blocks in every process as Virtual teams plan to work towards achieving a common course as a team. Some of these hurdles are brought as a result of not working face to face or in close contact; these results in numerous and rampant ineffectiveness in there dealings. To these effect, for virtual teams to be effective they require support of a more secure and easy to work on web based collaboration software that will effectively coordinate their activities and share their ideas across the globe.
The major effectiveness of the Central Desktop web-based collaboration software is that it provides the Virtual team members with a management calendar, ways on how to tackle and manage the tasks at hand, online conferencing, group forums, and spreadsheets. Consequently there’s a time tracking feature that enables users and virtual team members to be in touch of the overall time they spend on a given project or task. This is not only valuable for an effective project management but easier and quick assessment of the final work done. The Central Desktop new database collaboration software enables users to work seamlessly between it and other application software. How it works is very simple, the user logs into the Central Desktop and don’t need to switch windows in order to log into several accounts but just maneuver through several accounts and applications alternatively.
For virtual teams to be successful and effective there are a few basic needs in common:
They have to effectively communicate in real time
They should be able to share their files, photos, audio and video
They should be able to effectively manage project milestones, resources and tasks as a group.
Virtual team members should have the ability to access the most current information in real time. This will enable them to effectively complete their activities and hence positively realize the team’s objectives.
To be precise collaboration software application have to a large extend increased and facilitated the effectiveness of virtual teams. Collaboration software applications have really helped cut many organizations’s expenditure substantially. The traveling costs, relocation expenses provided for teams to assign duties to distant employees have been greatly reduced.
For so long the widely used means of collaboration among workers in distant locations have been through emails, IM or chatting. Online collaboration is currently changing all this archaic methods and hence transforming the online collaboration methods. The various online tools provided by Collaboration software comes with diverse options that are easier to adopt and fun to use by Virtual collaboration team.
Therefore, with the support of an ever increasing online collaboration environment, virtual teams have at their disposal numerous collaboration software tools that the Central Desktop offers for easier and effective management of their tasks, they can also communicate effectively as a team, and share resources easily and more securely so has to increase the team’s effectiveness.
Website content
Posted on November 16, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Christian Fea asked:
(c) 2008 Christian Fea
Collaboration marketing is a specialized segment of relationship marketing?where, simply put, the relationships that a business has with its customers is developed for long-term sustainability. With the success of Internet businesses, competition for customers is fiercer than ever. Distinguishing your business from others by developing strong relationships with consumers is one strategy for securing clients.
Customer driven collaboration marketing falls under the realm or relationship marketing because it allows you to collaborate with clients to build relationships. The difference here is that customer driven collaboration marketing recognizes how the Internet has changed the relational dynamic between businesses and customers. Customers are more connected than they used to be, automatically making them more empowered and shifting the balance of power from business centered to customer centered. Customers hold more power than ever before.
Currently, computer and technology companies are embracing customer driven collaboration marketing, but the trend is beginning to filter into the mainstream. The companies who make use of customer driven marketing do so by offering customer designed packages and choices. Executed mostly by large companies, the trend for personalized products can also be utilized by smaller companies who embrace this marketing tool. Here are a few ideas to help get you started thinking in terms of customer driven collaboration marketing for your own business.
Collaborative Pricing – Collaborative pricing allows customers to become active participants in defining the prices that they want to pay and adapting prices and services to their changing needs. For instance, if you provide a service, collaborative pricing allows for customer flexibility with using and paying for this monthly service.
Collaborative Segmentation – Collaborative segmentation allows customers to configure offerings to suit their preferences and to self-select into segments that best suit their needs. If you are a manufacturing business, you can offer personalized selection in the building of a product so the customer gets specifically what they want.
Collaborative Communication – Collaborative communication lets companies work with customers to create “just-in-time” marketing communications that are relevant to customers. In this instance, companies contract with outside marketing firms to create contextual messages that are triggered by customer activity. This can also be helpful to get immediate feedback on a new product, allowing businesses to get a sense of the market for a new product at a lower cost, and much more quickly than by traditional means.
Collaborative Support – Collaborative support allows customers to dialogue directly with the company and amongst themselves to solve support and other problems. This allows businesses to reduce support costs while increasing customer satisfaction.
Customer driven collaboration marketing requires businesses to shift their focus from the typical outside-in thinking of company driven marketing to the inside-out thinking about their customers’ needs. This type of marketing focuses on finding products for existing customers and clients, rather than creating a product and seeking to find a market for it.
Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress
(c) 2008 Christian Fea
Collaboration marketing is a specialized segment of relationship marketing?where, simply put, the relationships that a business has with its customers is developed for long-term sustainability. With the success of Internet businesses, competition for customers is fiercer than ever. Distinguishing your business from others by developing strong relationships with consumers is one strategy for securing clients.
Customer driven collaboration marketing falls under the realm or relationship marketing because it allows you to collaborate with clients to build relationships. The difference here is that customer driven collaboration marketing recognizes how the Internet has changed the relational dynamic between businesses and customers. Customers are more connected than they used to be, automatically making them more empowered and shifting the balance of power from business centered to customer centered. Customers hold more power than ever before.
Currently, computer and technology companies are embracing customer driven collaboration marketing, but the trend is beginning to filter into the mainstream. The companies who make use of customer driven marketing do so by offering customer designed packages and choices. Executed mostly by large companies, the trend for personalized products can also be utilized by smaller companies who embrace this marketing tool. Here are a few ideas to help get you started thinking in terms of customer driven collaboration marketing for your own business.
Collaborative Pricing – Collaborative pricing allows customers to become active participants in defining the prices that they want to pay and adapting prices and services to their changing needs. For instance, if you provide a service, collaborative pricing allows for customer flexibility with using and paying for this monthly service.
Collaborative Segmentation – Collaborative segmentation allows customers to configure offerings to suit their preferences and to self-select into segments that best suit their needs. If you are a manufacturing business, you can offer personalized selection in the building of a product so the customer gets specifically what they want.
Collaborative Communication – Collaborative communication lets companies work with customers to create “just-in-time” marketing communications that are relevant to customers. In this instance, companies contract with outside marketing firms to create contextual messages that are triggered by customer activity. This can also be helpful to get immediate feedback on a new product, allowing businesses to get a sense of the market for a new product at a lower cost, and much more quickly than by traditional means.
Collaborative Support – Collaborative support allows customers to dialogue directly with the company and amongst themselves to solve support and other problems. This allows businesses to reduce support costs while increasing customer satisfaction.
Customer driven collaboration marketing requires businesses to shift their focus from the typical outside-in thinking of company driven marketing to the inside-out thinking about their customers’ needs. This type of marketing focuses on finding products for existing customers and clients, rather than creating a product and seeking to find a market for it.
Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress
Posted on November 16, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
tia jones asked:
Virtual teams need the support of a secure, easy to use, web-based collaboration environment that allows them to work and share ideas across time zones and continents. Central Desktop (CD) is an online collaboration software solution that supports efficient communication among members of virtual teams, their superiors and their clients.
Central Desktop’s web-based collaboration software provides group calendar management, task management, online conferencing, group forums, spreadsheets and more. It also has a time tracking feature that allows users to track the actual time they spend on a project, which is valuable from a project management perspective. Central Desktop’s new database API allows users to work seamlessly between CD and other software applications. So, once a user is logged in to CD, they don’t have to switch windows and log into several accounts, toggling back and forth between several applications.
In order to be successful, virtual teams have a few basic needs in common:
• communicate in real time
• share files, photos, audio and video
• manage project milestones, resources and tasks
Most importantly, all of the members of the team need to have access to the most current information in real time so that they can effectively complete their tasks, and contribute to the team’s objective.
Online collaboration tools have greatly facilitated the effectiveness of virtual teams. These tools have saved organizations substantial amounts of money in travel and relocation expenses and allowed teams to assign tasks to employees in distant locations because they help to solve many of the dilemmas suffered by virtual teams.
Most knowledge workers have used email and IM or chatting as a means of collaborating with team members and other co-workers for many years now. But online collaboration software is quickly transforming the world of online collaboration. These online tools provide several different options for virtual collaboration that are easy to adopt and enjoyable to use.
So, with the support of a robust online collaboration environment, virtual teams can use the various collaboration software tools that Central Desktop provides to manage their tasks, communicate with each other, and share resources easily and securely to help the team be as effective as possible.
Kansieo.com
Virtual teams need the support of a secure, easy to use, web-based collaboration environment that allows them to work and share ideas across time zones and continents. Central Desktop (CD) is an online collaboration software solution that supports efficient communication among members of virtual teams, their superiors and their clients.
Central Desktop’s web-based collaboration software provides group calendar management, task management, online conferencing, group forums, spreadsheets and more. It also has a time tracking feature that allows users to track the actual time they spend on a project, which is valuable from a project management perspective. Central Desktop’s new database API allows users to work seamlessly between CD and other software applications. So, once a user is logged in to CD, they don’t have to switch windows and log into several accounts, toggling back and forth between several applications.
In order to be successful, virtual teams have a few basic needs in common:
• communicate in real time
• share files, photos, audio and video
• manage project milestones, resources and tasks
Most importantly, all of the members of the team need to have access to the most current information in real time so that they can effectively complete their tasks, and contribute to the team’s objective.
Online collaboration tools have greatly facilitated the effectiveness of virtual teams. These tools have saved organizations substantial amounts of money in travel and relocation expenses and allowed teams to assign tasks to employees in distant locations because they help to solve many of the dilemmas suffered by virtual teams.
Most knowledge workers have used email and IM or chatting as a means of collaborating with team members and other co-workers for many years now. But online collaboration software is quickly transforming the world of online collaboration. These online tools provide several different options for virtual collaboration that are easy to adopt and enjoyable to use.
So, with the support of a robust online collaboration environment, virtual teams can use the various collaboration software tools that Central Desktop provides to manage their tasks, communicate with each other, and share resources easily and securely to help the team be as effective as possible.
Kansieo.com
Posted on November 17, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Ian G Cook asked:
Is your upcoming meeting a strategic planning session? A sales or project launch? A departmental communications day? Or, perhaps, teambuilding for an intact management or project team? Whichever it is, it undoubtedly involves a significant investment.
First you have the value of the participants’ time, more precious than ever in this time-starved work world. Second, add in the cost of any facility rental, AV equipment, travel, food and lodging. Finally, and most important, there is the opportunity cost if, following your meeting, plans and decisions are not carried out or your team’s behavior does not change for the better.
When to Use a Facilitator
One way to maximize your investment is to engage the services of a professional facilitator. Now, not every meeting needs a facilitator but here are four situations where one will pay off for you:
1. When you want to participate, yourself. It’s not possible to facilitate and participate-even a group of facilitators needs a facilitator! Also, a boss cannot effectively facilitate because people will still react to him or her as the boss.
2. When you will be addressing sensitive issues, including conflict. An outsider’s dispassionate head can diffuse heated exchanges and channel intense emotions into constructive problem-solving.
3. When your team is stuck. A skilled facilitator will, with sensitivity, raise to the group issues that are being avoided or even dysfunctional behaviors that are being denied. In so doing, he/she can help the team move to a new level of productive functioning.
4. When your group will be dealing with complex issues and a variety of viewpoints. A seasoned facilitator brings to your meeting a wealth of group processes and activities to scope issues, generate options, make decisions and build consensus.
What a Facilitator Does
In a nutshell, they design and manage your meeting’s process, ensure you achieve the meeting’s objectives, and help your group or team learn and enhance its ongoing effectiveness beyond the meeting.
Prior to your session he/she will help you clarify your desired meeting outcomes and design an agenda and process to meet those goals. In some cases, depending upon the issues, your facilitator may recommend some up front diagnostic work. For example, he/she might send out a survey questionnaire or even conduct one-on-one interviews, by phone or in person, with a cross-section or all of the participants. The purpose here would be to collect different perspectives on specific issues or generate advance input to work with at the meeting.
During the meeting, let your facilitator lead the process, so you can become as actively involved as possible as a participant. He/she will keep the meeting moving forward, respond appropriately to significant, unforeseen issues that arise and move the group to closure at the end, accomplishing the objectives for which you have contracted. Normally you will need check in only occasionally with him/her regarding the meeting’s direction and progress.
The post-meeting period is when your group puts into action what was agreed upon in the session. Your facilitator can suggest ways to keep the meeting’s decisions and commitments alive in the weeks and months that follow. This could involve the facilitator’s following-up with individuals, a brief survey of progress to-date and results achieved, or even a group “booster” meeting for participants to report in and maintain the momentum.
What to Look for in Your Facilitator
Facilitation is different from public speaking and training. It is not about having solid content, good platform skills and an understanding of adult learning principles. Facilitation is about working with groups of people in the moment. That is, being tuned in at all times to what is happening and being able to suspend or change the process accordingly.
Here are five attributes to look for when selecting a professional to guide your session:
1. Superb communications skills. Especially the ability to listen intently and to come up with the right words and tone to address a tense situation.
2. Comfortable “in their own shoes.” The self-confidence to be on the receiving end of confrontational words and either stand their ground or admit their error.
3. Willingness to put the group first. When facilitating, the group is the “star,” not the facilitator. Big egos do not make good facilitators.
4. Understanding of group process theory. He/she should be able to apply concepts such as leadership, group norms, stages of team development, systems theory, dialogue and experiential learning to the design and facilitation of your meeting.
5. Flexibility to let the process unfold. While advance planning is important for your meeting’s success, things come up in the session itself that require, for the good of the group, that you alter the plan-perhaps even throw it out completely. A rigid, control-oriented facilitator can frustrate your group and torpedo your results.
Results You Can Expect
If you use a facilitator in any of the four conditions that call for one, you are almost certain to accomplish more in your session, delve deeper into critical issues and resolve them, and have your participants leave with positive feelings, cohesiveness, a sense of accomplishment and a renewed belief in the team
Now that constitutes a solid payback on your investment!
Kansieo.com
Is your upcoming meeting a strategic planning session? A sales or project launch? A departmental communications day? Or, perhaps, teambuilding for an intact management or project team? Whichever it is, it undoubtedly involves a significant investment.
First you have the value of the participants’ time, more precious than ever in this time-starved work world. Second, add in the cost of any facility rental, AV equipment, travel, food and lodging. Finally, and most important, there is the opportunity cost if, following your meeting, plans and decisions are not carried out or your team’s behavior does not change for the better.
When to Use a Facilitator
One way to maximize your investment is to engage the services of a professional facilitator. Now, not every meeting needs a facilitator but here are four situations where one will pay off for you:
1. When you want to participate, yourself. It’s not possible to facilitate and participate-even a group of facilitators needs a facilitator! Also, a boss cannot effectively facilitate because people will still react to him or her as the boss.
2. When you will be addressing sensitive issues, including conflict. An outsider’s dispassionate head can diffuse heated exchanges and channel intense emotions into constructive problem-solving.
3. When your team is stuck. A skilled facilitator will, with sensitivity, raise to the group issues that are being avoided or even dysfunctional behaviors that are being denied. In so doing, he/she can help the team move to a new level of productive functioning.
4. When your group will be dealing with complex issues and a variety of viewpoints. A seasoned facilitator brings to your meeting a wealth of group processes and activities to scope issues, generate options, make decisions and build consensus.
What a Facilitator Does
In a nutshell, they design and manage your meeting’s process, ensure you achieve the meeting’s objectives, and help your group or team learn and enhance its ongoing effectiveness beyond the meeting.
Prior to your session he/she will help you clarify your desired meeting outcomes and design an agenda and process to meet those goals. In some cases, depending upon the issues, your facilitator may recommend some up front diagnostic work. For example, he/she might send out a survey questionnaire or even conduct one-on-one interviews, by phone or in person, with a cross-section or all of the participants. The purpose here would be to collect different perspectives on specific issues or generate advance input to work with at the meeting.
During the meeting, let your facilitator lead the process, so you can become as actively involved as possible as a participant. He/she will keep the meeting moving forward, respond appropriately to significant, unforeseen issues that arise and move the group to closure at the end, accomplishing the objectives for which you have contracted. Normally you will need check in only occasionally with him/her regarding the meeting’s direction and progress.
The post-meeting period is when your group puts into action what was agreed upon in the session. Your facilitator can suggest ways to keep the meeting’s decisions and commitments alive in the weeks and months that follow. This could involve the facilitator’s following-up with individuals, a brief survey of progress to-date and results achieved, or even a group “booster” meeting for participants to report in and maintain the momentum.
What to Look for in Your Facilitator
Facilitation is different from public speaking and training. It is not about having solid content, good platform skills and an understanding of adult learning principles. Facilitation is about working with groups of people in the moment. That is, being tuned in at all times to what is happening and being able to suspend or change the process accordingly.
Here are five attributes to look for when selecting a professional to guide your session:
1. Superb communications skills. Especially the ability to listen intently and to come up with the right words and tone to address a tense situation.
2. Comfortable “in their own shoes.” The self-confidence to be on the receiving end of confrontational words and either stand their ground or admit their error.
3. Willingness to put the group first. When facilitating, the group is the “star,” not the facilitator. Big egos do not make good facilitators.
4. Understanding of group process theory. He/she should be able to apply concepts such as leadership, group norms, stages of team development, systems theory, dialogue and experiential learning to the design and facilitation of your meeting.
5. Flexibility to let the process unfold. While advance planning is important for your meeting’s success, things come up in the session itself that require, for the good of the group, that you alter the plan-perhaps even throw it out completely. A rigid, control-oriented facilitator can frustrate your group and torpedo your results.
Results You Can Expect
If you use a facilitator in any of the four conditions that call for one, you are almost certain to accomplish more in your session, delve deeper into critical issues and resolve them, and have your participants leave with positive feelings, cohesiveness, a sense of accomplishment and a renewed belief in the team
Now that constitutes a solid payback on your investment!
Kansieo.com
Posted on November 21, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Intrigue Design asked:
1. Final Outcome
Profits as Proof. Agencies do not represent overhead to be justified. Agencies are deployed when the investment can be shown to generate profits, and they know they have to prove it every time. Intrigue Design has a proven plan to combine image with message and smart marketing strategies to produce results. That result needs to be a solution that converts all your creative efforts into sales.
2. Track Record
How many brands has your in-house marketing person/team built and transformed into growth- and revenue-generators? Probably not many. The team at Intrigue Design has put hundreds of brands to work generating rewards for their companies.
3. Depth & Experience
Branding is a big job. One person can’t do it. It requires a first-rate team of marketing strategists, writers, designers, developers and media experts and many others. Intrigue Design has them all, with well over 20 years of experience in management.
4. Cost
Hiring even a few experts in each of these fields will cost you well in excess of $300,000 a year. A creative agency like Intrigue Design can offer turn-key solutions, including all services and products at a fraction of the cost of a less impactfull in-house solution.
5. Project Management
Every project gets a full-time project manager to assure fast and efficient communication and project fulfillment. Additionally Intrigue Design has created a web-based project viewing, revision and approval system so you can check, collaborate and make changes to your projects 24/7. .
6. Environment
Our managers are able to collaborate with all of our creative talent instantly via our proprietary job management system. It allows us to try out new ideas, critique each other’s work, analyze and improve strategies, brainstorm, etc. Additionally Intrigue Design has state-of-the-art hardware, network and software as well as a full network of professional vendors to assure marketing success. This quite simply isn’t available as an in-house option.
7. Truth
The job of an outside agency is to look at your organization objectively and tell you the truth about your strengths, weaknesses and needs. (We’re not afraid to tell the boss he or she is wrong!) It is well known that most companies have an “inside out” perspective of their business. As “outsiders,” Intrigue Design is able to focus on the outside-in perspective – which is that of your customers.
Caffeinated Content
1. Final Outcome
Profits as Proof. Agencies do not represent overhead to be justified. Agencies are deployed when the investment can be shown to generate profits, and they know they have to prove it every time. Intrigue Design has a proven plan to combine image with message and smart marketing strategies to produce results. That result needs to be a solution that converts all your creative efforts into sales.
2. Track Record
How many brands has your in-house marketing person/team built and transformed into growth- and revenue-generators? Probably not many. The team at Intrigue Design has put hundreds of brands to work generating rewards for their companies.
3. Depth & Experience
Branding is a big job. One person can’t do it. It requires a first-rate team of marketing strategists, writers, designers, developers and media experts and many others. Intrigue Design has them all, with well over 20 years of experience in management.
4. Cost
Hiring even a few experts in each of these fields will cost you well in excess of $300,000 a year. A creative agency like Intrigue Design can offer turn-key solutions, including all services and products at a fraction of the cost of a less impactfull in-house solution.
5. Project Management
Every project gets a full-time project manager to assure fast and efficient communication and project fulfillment. Additionally Intrigue Design has created a web-based project viewing, revision and approval system so you can check, collaborate and make changes to your projects 24/7. .
6. Environment
Our managers are able to collaborate with all of our creative talent instantly via our proprietary job management system. It allows us to try out new ideas, critique each other’s work, analyze and improve strategies, brainstorm, etc. Additionally Intrigue Design has state-of-the-art hardware, network and software as well as a full network of professional vendors to assure marketing success. This quite simply isn’t available as an in-house option.
7. Truth
The job of an outside agency is to look at your organization objectively and tell you the truth about your strengths, weaknesses and needs. (We’re not afraid to tell the boss he or she is wrong!) It is well known that most companies have an “inside out” perspective of their business. As “outsiders,” Intrigue Design is able to focus on the outside-in perspective – which is that of your customers.
Caffeinated Content
Posted on November 21, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Sustainability as Whole-System Catalyst to New Forms of Innovation
Sustainability as Whole-System Catalyst to New Forms of Innovation
Since the concept of ’sustainability’ is feathered into most future forms of innovation, I’d like to suggest a few pages below that list concepts of “Sustainable Innovation”.
What is Sustainable Innovation
http://discoveryfuel.com/what-is-sustainable-innovation/
Deep Innovation for our future goes beyond ‘technologies’ as mere device structures, but also design integration processes and pattern recognition too.
A List of Sustainability Principles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sustainability_principles
Important to the future are the principles that guide its design.
Concepts of Sustainable Design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_design
Considerations for designing physical objects, the built environment, and services that comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability; otherwise known as the ‘triple bottom line’.
Sustainability System Categories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Sustainability
A limited but growing list of categories that link sustainability into an interconnected world community design system.Appropriate Technologies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_technology
Usually used to describe simple technologies suitable for use in developing nations or less developed rural areas of industrialized nations. This form of appropriate technology usually prefers labor-intensive solutions over capital-intensive ones, although labor-saving devices are also used where this does not mean high capital or maintenance cost. In practice, appropriate technology is often something described as using the simplest level of technology that can effectively achieve the intended purpose in a particular location.
Posted on November 22, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Innovation: A Three Phase Transformation Process
I often like to dabble in the abstract. There, I am taken to transitory state that help me feel closer to the Creative Source. For example: below consists of two intertwined trinity models, of which I like to play with when considering the architecture of ‘whole systems‘. These models help us to both ‘look at’ and ‘participate in’ (w)holistically oriented organizations and communities: “structure-pattern-process” and “principle-practice-policy“. Note the principle of ‘three’ shows up in my work a lot, because I believe it helps us to expand our consciousness, while at the same time providing a simple framework to contain the complex nature of creativity and innovation. You will see more discussions relating to these concepts from me over time. Let me know what comes up for you when you read through it. For now, soak your mind on this draft concept and see what comes up for you …
Transformation (deep innovation) occurs through a three phase evolution:
I’ve been thinking about the potential for progressing toward a global mind: My experiences with group emergence have noted that a majority of efforts collapse before the desire is sustained and self-propelled; a progression toward the vision that initiated the group in the first place. I propose the reason for this is that there is only a one or two level strategic plan in place made up of immediate context without the anticipation of collective content; a synthesis from which the incredible happens.
What if we instead provide a guiding framework that allows group migration into deeper forms of connection with each other? Eventually this connection moves into behavioral forms of change and action. I believe this can be done using a 3-phase framework for processing together; thereby allowing a group to consciously see itself go through deep transformation. This would mean for each phase of processing together, there is a SYNTHESIS of its content – a summarizing of what has been done. This would occur as a part of all three phases; thereby generating a thread of synthesis that allows integration.
8 Gate Alignment Map (Click to enlarge)
These three phases are as follows, which can be noted in the 8-gate group alignment map diagram:
1- Establishing Group Intention:
This phase’s nature is chaotic. It is expressed by conversations of desire and passion which drive an unfolding *PROCESS*. A focus on creating +PRINCIPLES+ based on diverse values, which opens of new level of awareness; thereby setting the stage for a loosening of existing physical *structure* and allowing change to occur. Vibrational activity is dissonant (unconscious) and non-geometric.
2- Building a Value Network:
This phase’s nature moves from chaotic to chaordic. It is expressed by individuals linking and clustering around collective ideas – a virtual *STRUCTURE* emerges. A focus on creating +PRACTICES+ sets the stage for individual changes in behavior and an early forming of group identity to occur. Vibrational activity is recognizable (awakening consciousness) but not stable.
3- Experiencing a Community of Practice:
This phase’s nature moves from chaordic into order. It is expressed by the emergence of community (collective) identity PATTERNS to be realized and an acceptance of participatory-oriented activities are in place. A focus on creating +POLICY+ is empasized; thereby a change of governance occurs.
More on this concept later …
Vic Desotelle
Posted on November 27, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Caryn Balaban asked:
Millions of dollars are spent every year on advertising, marketing communications and package design. Companies spend thousands of dollars conducting market research focus groups and interviews to ensure that their advertising and marketing resonates with the intended audience. Yet, all too frequently, the most important step for ensuring that your company’s advertising and marketing dollars are well-spent, and that your market research will produce valuable insights and actionable results, is left to chance.
Selecting a competent, professional focus group moderator or qualitative research consultant should not be left up to your advertising agency.
The market research industry is brimming with talented focus group moderators and qualitative research consultants who have been educated and trained in methods and techniques that can bring forth valuable nuggets of information. Many come with glittering credentials and impressive track records. The focus group rooms are littered with focus group moderators who have PhD, MBA, MPH, MM and even JD after their names. Some have even crossed over from the “client side” of the table and then received training as focus group moderators, a powerful combination. However, all of these credentials and training won’t guarantee you will have the right moderator for your project.
So, what can you do to ensure that you will select the “right” focus group moderator or qualitative research consultant for YOUR next research project? Here are a few simple steps that you may want to consider.
• Contact the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) for names of qualified professional focus group moderators
• Choose at least three focus group moderators or qualitative research consultants with experience conducting market research in your industry. Then contact them about your project and send them a Request for Proposal (RFP).
• Evaluate their research proposals using the following guidelines:
o Is the proposal customized to respond to your RFP, demonstrating a solid understanding of the industry and the research objectives?
o Does it contain a clearly defined research methodology including sampling, recruiting and screening criteria for conducting focus groups or interviews?
o Is there a delineation of tasks and project responsibilities with a timeline for each?
o Will the project or focus group deliverable (report/presentation) provide you with a vehicle to communicate the research results in a meaningful manner to internal constituents?
o Are the market research costs reasonable and within your budget?
• Select your preferred focus group moderator and arrange for a telephone interview, during which you should:
o Ask questions that will provide insight into their knowledge, listening skills, and their ability to engage you in conversation.
o Ask what market research techniques the focus group moderator uses to encourage creative thinking and facilitates discussion.
o Request sample focus group discussion and interview guides.
o Request references
These four simple steps will help you select the right focus group moderator or qualitative research consultant and make the most of your market research dollar. For more information about focus group moderation or conducting your company’s market research, contact go to http://www.bmrc-research.com or contact Caryn Balaban directly at Caryn@BMRC-research.com.
Caffeinated Content
Millions of dollars are spent every year on advertising, marketing communications and package design. Companies spend thousands of dollars conducting market research focus groups and interviews to ensure that their advertising and marketing resonates with the intended audience. Yet, all too frequently, the most important step for ensuring that your company’s advertising and marketing dollars are well-spent, and that your market research will produce valuable insights and actionable results, is left to chance.
Selecting a competent, professional focus group moderator or qualitative research consultant should not be left up to your advertising agency.
The market research industry is brimming with talented focus group moderators and qualitative research consultants who have been educated and trained in methods and techniques that can bring forth valuable nuggets of information. Many come with glittering credentials and impressive track records. The focus group rooms are littered with focus group moderators who have PhD, MBA, MPH, MM and even JD after their names. Some have even crossed over from the “client side” of the table and then received training as focus group moderators, a powerful combination. However, all of these credentials and training won’t guarantee you will have the right moderator for your project.
So, what can you do to ensure that you will select the “right” focus group moderator or qualitative research consultant for YOUR next research project? Here are a few simple steps that you may want to consider.
• Contact the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) for names of qualified professional focus group moderators
• Choose at least three focus group moderators or qualitative research consultants with experience conducting market research in your industry. Then contact them about your project and send them a Request for Proposal (RFP).
• Evaluate their research proposals using the following guidelines:
o Is the proposal customized to respond to your RFP, demonstrating a solid understanding of the industry and the research objectives?
o Does it contain a clearly defined research methodology including sampling, recruiting and screening criteria for conducting focus groups or interviews?
o Is there a delineation of tasks and project responsibilities with a timeline for each?
o Will the project or focus group deliverable (report/presentation) provide you with a vehicle to communicate the research results in a meaningful manner to internal constituents?
o Are the market research costs reasonable and within your budget?
• Select your preferred focus group moderator and arrange for a telephone interview, during which you should:
o Ask questions that will provide insight into their knowledge, listening skills, and their ability to engage you in conversation.
o Ask what market research techniques the focus group moderator uses to encourage creative thinking and facilitates discussion.
o Request sample focus group discussion and interview guides.
o Request references
These four simple steps will help you select the right focus group moderator or qualitative research consultant and make the most of your market research dollar. For more information about focus group moderation or conducting your company’s market research, contact go to http://www.bmrc-research.com or contact Caryn Balaban directly at Caryn@BMRC-research.com.
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Based on a work at VicDesotelle.com.
