Pearl Zhu's Blog, page 1460
January 23, 2015
Digital Master Tune XXI: A Flexible Organization
Flexibility is to embrace the different PoVs and alternative way to do things.
Digital is the age of choices; just like consumers have more options to shop via multi-channel platforms; organizations also have more opportunities (and risks as well) in scaling or innovating their businesses. Today, the "flexible organizations" are on the digital way, those companies, are able to "navigate" the change and the complexity of the present business world via creative problem-solving and next innovation practices. The organizational flexibility is essential for business success.
Flexible leadership means the vision to foresight the future trend ahead; and the creativity to solving the problem on the way. Digital leadership is not only about being flexible for the ability to learn and adapt to new responsibilities, but also and above all, in the effectiveness of its initiatives, the creativity with which complex problems are solved, in actively seeking feedback on its effectiveness. The agility and flexibility are also manifested in the ability of managers to change their style of decision-making in response to a wide range of parameters such as urgency, level of risk, time constraints and the regional and cultural differences. Not all decision-making styles can be applied everywhere or constantly. A flexible style means creativity over status quo; open vs. closed; engagement over command & control, customer centricity vs. rigid process.
Flexibility is to embrace the different PoVs and alternative way to do things: One of the biggest challenges in this complex digital world is the fact that we need different perspectives, different knowledge and different ways to solve a problem. Sometimes there is no "one" answer: there are some, or many: That is why what is first of all needed is to think as a team via embracing the collective wisdom. Agile organizations tend to have managers with the right mix of personal attributes, that is, people who demonstrate a variety of skills, clearly comfortable with ambiguity and respectful of processes, without being slaves of them. They understand the difference between influence and authority, and therefore are completely at their own ease in influencing and participating in the team. They do not focus on hierarchy, but on ideas, information, creativity, flexibility, openness and curiosity. Together, these flexible teams, with extensive experience, are resolute, responsive, flexible, able to speed up the decision-making process and new way to do things.
A flexible culture is about cross-functional collaboration. Delegation without collaboration = silo. Effective leadership has to start with a culture of empowerment reinforced by trust. It is almost impossible for anyone to function well in an organizational structure that does not have trust as its core foundation. the culture of flexibility advocated by effective leadership is about bringing out the best in others. starts with the official leader of a team or organization and their ability to cultivate the trust necessary for people to feel comfortable being who they are and taking the risks necessary to fulfill their potential. However, breaking down silos and being intentional about developing processes that encourage collaboration is a great first step in bringing about cultural change.
The organizational design shall be tuned to enforce flexibility. It is about how to achieve a balance between 'virtual worlds' and 'the human connection. The flexible organizational structure is implemented via the virtual team setting well mixing with physical structure. Organizational design (OD) needs to be a leadership competency; that democratic processes will overtake hierarchical control; and that culture will become a more fundamental organizational asset. With the impact of digital/social technology - that the future of OD will become more virtual and that virtual OD expertise will become more important in the coming years. Looking at all the elements (including the human element) as an integrated, systemic system that, functions as an organic living thing... 'individual' work and 'group' work cannot be done as a segregated form, but within a 'framework' of an entire system or 'frame of reference'... systems, processes, policies, culture, work climates, customers, and the whole business ecosystem.
A flexible organization is a complex social system starting to appreciate such attributes as 'readiness,’ 'ownership,' ‘integration,’ 'full open communication,’ customized structuring as well as developing 'partnerships.’ Ideally, the conscious recognition and use of the complexity inherent in organizational systems leads to greater simplicity. There is a structural beauty in truly complex or self-organizing systems. Such systems are more likely to be able to hold true to their purpose rather than become self-serving systems that lose sight of their original aims.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun QuizFollow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital is the age of choices; just like consumers have more options to shop via multi-channel platforms; organizations also have more opportunities (and risks as well) in scaling or innovating their businesses. Today, the "flexible organizations" are on the digital way, those companies, are able to "navigate" the change and the complexity of the present business world via creative problem-solving and next innovation practices. The organizational flexibility is essential for business success.
Flexible leadership means the vision to foresight the future trend ahead; and the creativity to solving the problem on the way. Digital leadership is not only about being flexible for the ability to learn and adapt to new responsibilities, but also and above all, in the effectiveness of its initiatives, the creativity with which complex problems are solved, in actively seeking feedback on its effectiveness. The agility and flexibility are also manifested in the ability of managers to change their style of decision-making in response to a wide range of parameters such as urgency, level of risk, time constraints and the regional and cultural differences. Not all decision-making styles can be applied everywhere or constantly. A flexible style means creativity over status quo; open vs. closed; engagement over command & control, customer centricity vs. rigid process.
Flexibility is to embrace the different PoVs and alternative way to do things: One of the biggest challenges in this complex digital world is the fact that we need different perspectives, different knowledge and different ways to solve a problem. Sometimes there is no "one" answer: there are some, or many: That is why what is first of all needed is to think as a team via embracing the collective wisdom. Agile organizations tend to have managers with the right mix of personal attributes, that is, people who demonstrate a variety of skills, clearly comfortable with ambiguity and respectful of processes, without being slaves of them. They understand the difference between influence and authority, and therefore are completely at their own ease in influencing and participating in the team. They do not focus on hierarchy, but on ideas, information, creativity, flexibility, openness and curiosity. Together, these flexible teams, with extensive experience, are resolute, responsive, flexible, able to speed up the decision-making process and new way to do things.
A flexible culture is about cross-functional collaboration. Delegation without collaboration = silo. Effective leadership has to start with a culture of empowerment reinforced by trust. It is almost impossible for anyone to function well in an organizational structure that does not have trust as its core foundation. the culture of flexibility advocated by effective leadership is about bringing out the best in others. starts with the official leader of a team or organization and their ability to cultivate the trust necessary for people to feel comfortable being who they are and taking the risks necessary to fulfill their potential. However, breaking down silos and being intentional about developing processes that encourage collaboration is a great first step in bringing about cultural change.
The organizational design shall be tuned to enforce flexibility. It is about how to achieve a balance between 'virtual worlds' and 'the human connection. The flexible organizational structure is implemented via the virtual team setting well mixing with physical structure. Organizational design (OD) needs to be a leadership competency; that democratic processes will overtake hierarchical control; and that culture will become a more fundamental organizational asset. With the impact of digital/social technology - that the future of OD will become more virtual and that virtual OD expertise will become more important in the coming years. Looking at all the elements (including the human element) as an integrated, systemic system that, functions as an organic living thing... 'individual' work and 'group' work cannot be done as a segregated form, but within a 'framework' of an entire system or 'frame of reference'... systems, processes, policies, culture, work climates, customers, and the whole business ecosystem.
A flexible organization is a complex social system starting to appreciate such attributes as 'readiness,’ 'ownership,' ‘integration,’ 'full open communication,’ customized structuring as well as developing 'partnerships.’ Ideally, the conscious recognition and use of the complexity inherent in organizational systems leads to greater simplicity. There is a structural beauty in truly complex or self-organizing systems. Such systems are more likely to be able to hold true to their purpose rather than become self-serving systems that lose sight of their original aims.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun QuizFollow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
January 22, 2015
Digital Master Tuning XX: Is Digital Strategy “Anti-Strategy”?
Digital doesn't "de-strategize," but uncover the dynamic nature of strategy via iterative continuum.
In many contexts the word strategy is demotivating. Some organizations have strategy meetings days and weeks only to go around in circles. The traditional strategy is more like a “shelf-ware” - the document put on the shelf, instead of the shared guide to compass the business transformation journey. What are the essential elements and unique styles of digital strategy to groom a Digital Master? And how to rejuvenate the fresh strategic thinking and crafting, is digital strategy “anti-strategy”?
The digital lense is circular and holistic. The word 'strategy' in the “industrial” lense forces organizations into silo thinking along traditional ways of static strategy making -this can lead to demotivation of stakeholders who are tired of new strategies. What about a different approach based on connecting people to think about future direction? The digital future and the new generation of managers coming through will look at things differently. Because the speed of change is accelerating, the border of functions are blurring and the business ecosystem is hyper-connected. It means that businesses should start to take a long hard look at the traditional way of strategic thinking to see if there are better ways of supporting the direction of companies in future, The ability to deliver on direction is critical to get future buy-in. Some dodgy decisions are the results of lack of clear strategy or failure to effectively communicate and engage the strategy with the operational decision making level. In many cases corporate strategy is published but not actually owned or executed by management.
The tradition strategy is the view via narrow “frame,” but digital strategy view is broader to oversee business ecosystem. There are also situations where the decision context, for whatever reason, forces the decision maker to look at the situation through a relatively narrow 'frame.' This means that relevant information is not even recognized, let alone considered in the decision process. This could be due to divisional / organizational habit or culture, or it could be due to some specific stressor in the specific situation.This highlights the need of breakdown the silos, challenges those non-critical thinking patterns, and master the strategic thinking via both complexity thinking and simplicity thinking; system thinking and reflective thinking; multi-dimensional thinking and ecosystem thinking.
The traditional strategy communication is "one way street," digital strategy communication is multi-channel engagement. It is critical to communicating, communicating and communicating the strategy in order to have people well informed about the strategy (and of course that the strategy is clear and understandable). The traditional strategy communication is mainly top down one way street. But digital strategy can easily have two way communication, both top-down and bottom-up, via effective social platform. You need a great communication platform and make the strategy understandable. The only way you make the strategy understandable for the whole organization is to start with WHY, because the strategy implementation and change management are often go hands in hands. Engaging employees in giving feedback, even participating in strategy making would create synergy for strategy execution.
The traditional strategy-execution are linear steps; but digital strategy-execution is iterative continuum. Not only do you need to implement "WHAT" and "HOW" via cross-functional collaboration and iterative implementation, but also you need to measure the "HOWS" more skillfully in order to accelerate the execution of the strategy!A)
The strategy does also include “HOW” and KPIs that are understandable for the individual that is going to change and improve
B) The Wildly Important Goals (WIG´s) are identified and prioritized. C) Execute strategy in agile way:
The Execution starts with a Kick-Off and workshops, top-down, different WIG teams, motivating videos, but all strategy execution improvement work is done integrated with the daily operational work. The individual that was not able to be successful before is now trained in “steps” needed for behaviour change and improved WIG’s. This keeps the team highly motivated and accountable for the execution of the strategy! D)
KPI’s and Measurement is done also on iterative “Steps” and Behaviour Change, connected to overlaying financial WIGs. Able to prove faster- KPI’s and measurement is done weekly on
all levels, not just on the high strategic level.
Digital strategy doesn’t mean anti-strategy, but means the strategy has to be more dynamic to adapt to the emergent trends and changes, and the strategy lenses needs to be broader and circular to see beyond current or surface, not only look through the future, but co-create the future. Digital doesn't make strategy useless, but on opposite, the strategy is more critical for business’s long term prosperity if making it right and implement it effectively.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
In many contexts the word strategy is demotivating. Some organizations have strategy meetings days and weeks only to go around in circles. The traditional strategy is more like a “shelf-ware” - the document put on the shelf, instead of the shared guide to compass the business transformation journey. What are the essential elements and unique styles of digital strategy to groom a Digital Master? And how to rejuvenate the fresh strategic thinking and crafting, is digital strategy “anti-strategy”?The digital lense is circular and holistic. The word 'strategy' in the “industrial” lense forces organizations into silo thinking along traditional ways of static strategy making -this can lead to demotivation of stakeholders who are tired of new strategies. What about a different approach based on connecting people to think about future direction? The digital future and the new generation of managers coming through will look at things differently. Because the speed of change is accelerating, the border of functions are blurring and the business ecosystem is hyper-connected. It means that businesses should start to take a long hard look at the traditional way of strategic thinking to see if there are better ways of supporting the direction of companies in future, The ability to deliver on direction is critical to get future buy-in. Some dodgy decisions are the results of lack of clear strategy or failure to effectively communicate and engage the strategy with the operational decision making level. In many cases corporate strategy is published but not actually owned or executed by management.
The tradition strategy is the view via narrow “frame,” but digital strategy view is broader to oversee business ecosystem. There are also situations where the decision context, for whatever reason, forces the decision maker to look at the situation through a relatively narrow 'frame.' This means that relevant information is not even recognized, let alone considered in the decision process. This could be due to divisional / organizational habit or culture, or it could be due to some specific stressor in the specific situation.This highlights the need of breakdown the silos, challenges those non-critical thinking patterns, and master the strategic thinking via both complexity thinking and simplicity thinking; system thinking and reflective thinking; multi-dimensional thinking and ecosystem thinking.
The traditional strategy communication is "one way street," digital strategy communication is multi-channel engagement. It is critical to communicating, communicating and communicating the strategy in order to have people well informed about the strategy (and of course that the strategy is clear and understandable). The traditional strategy communication is mainly top down one way street. But digital strategy can easily have two way communication, both top-down and bottom-up, via effective social platform. You need a great communication platform and make the strategy understandable. The only way you make the strategy understandable for the whole organization is to start with WHY, because the strategy implementation and change management are often go hands in hands. Engaging employees in giving feedback, even participating in strategy making would create synergy for strategy execution.
The traditional strategy-execution are linear steps; but digital strategy-execution is iterative continuum. Not only do you need to implement "WHAT" and "HOW" via cross-functional collaboration and iterative implementation, but also you need to measure the "HOWS" more skillfully in order to accelerate the execution of the strategy!A)
The strategy does also include “HOW” and KPIs that are understandable for the individual that is going to change and improve
B) The Wildly Important Goals (WIG´s) are identified and prioritized. C) Execute strategy in agile way:
The Execution starts with a Kick-Off and workshops, top-down, different WIG teams, motivating videos, but all strategy execution improvement work is done integrated with the daily operational work. The individual that was not able to be successful before is now trained in “steps” needed for behaviour change and improved WIG’s. This keeps the team highly motivated and accountable for the execution of the strategy! D)
KPI’s and Measurement is done also on iterative “Steps” and Behaviour Change, connected to overlaying financial WIGs. Able to prove faster- KPI’s and measurement is done weekly on
all levels, not just on the high strategic level.
Digital strategy doesn’t mean anti-strategy, but means the strategy has to be more dynamic to adapt to the emergent trends and changes, and the strategy lenses needs to be broader and circular to see beyond current or surface, not only look through the future, but co-create the future. Digital doesn't make strategy useless, but on opposite, the strategy is more critical for business’s long term prosperity if making it right and implement it effectively.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Systems Thinking vs. Systemic Thinking vs. systematic Thinking
Systems Thinking is the thinking about how things interact with one another, and get insight of the whole.
Systems thinking is about patterns and relationships to describe how things interact and gain insight into why systems behave the way they do. Systematic Thinking is how to think methodically. Systemic Thinking is a simple technique for finding systemic focus.
Systemic thinking is nothing more than a combination of analytical thinking and synthetical thinking.The modern Bloom's taxonomy is more in the shape of a pie chart with equal slices of each of the words: creative, evaluate, analysis, etc. and that when you want to understand systems, you can start anywhere, go to another one, then switch to another, then loop back to the first one, and so on. You don't use just one skills at a time. Learning to use analysis before you can use synthesis is not using systems thinking or systemic thinking.
Systems Thinking refers to various system approaches - to different perspectives or interpretations of reality. If you're considering something in its totality along with its characteristics as well as its interaction with its environment and considering its parts along with the interactions between the parts then you are doing Systems Thinking, or thinking systemically if you prefer.
System Causal Analysis (or System Analysis), refers to the identification of cause and effect within system thinking models, and there are are two types:
a) Based on a pre-existing system thinking model
b) Based on "convergent" thinking (from data) in the formation a systems thinking model of the problem situation
Systems thinking approach should afford individuals to appreciate philosophy and apply mathematics to the social, economic, and material world for which they can participate to a greater degree. When you see yourself in relation to the whole the desire for a more productive and adaptive collaboration results in a growing instinctive and intuitive understanding. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Systems thinking is about patterns and relationships to describe how things interact and gain insight into why systems behave the way they do. Systematic Thinking is how to think methodically. Systemic Thinking is a simple technique for finding systemic focus.
Systemic thinking is nothing more than a combination of analytical thinking and synthetical thinking.The modern Bloom's taxonomy is more in the shape of a pie chart with equal slices of each of the words: creative, evaluate, analysis, etc. and that when you want to understand systems, you can start anywhere, go to another one, then switch to another, then loop back to the first one, and so on. You don't use just one skills at a time. Learning to use analysis before you can use synthesis is not using systems thinking or systemic thinking.
Systems Thinking refers to various system approaches - to different perspectives or interpretations of reality. If you're considering something in its totality along with its characteristics as well as its interaction with its environment and considering its parts along with the interactions between the parts then you are doing Systems Thinking, or thinking systemically if you prefer.
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System Causal Analysis (or System Analysis), refers to the identification of cause and effect within system thinking models, and there are are two types: a) Based on a pre-existing system thinking model
b) Based on "convergent" thinking (from data) in the formation a systems thinking model of the problem situation
Systems thinking approach should afford individuals to appreciate philosophy and apply mathematics to the social, economic, and material world for which they can participate to a greater degree. When you see yourself in relation to the whole the desire for a more productive and adaptive collaboration results in a growing instinctive and intuitive understanding. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital Master Tuning XVIIII: How to Achieve Talent Management Agility
What organizations should be managing is "capabilities" not just experiences or skills.
Talent management refers to the anticipation of required human capital for an organization and the planning to meet those needs.The whole of HR is talent management! When you adopt the most liberal term to describe employees, talent comes to mind. Talent is the key to shape business as Digital Master. HR is already involved in the management functions of employees - from hiring, training, evaluation, promotions, and other talent-related functions. But in more detail, what’s the digital talent management all about, and how can HR and business leaders work more collaboratively to not only manage talent, but build corporate capability and agility?
Talent management = the right person in the right seats at the right time. HR was described as a 'facilitator.' There are perhaps few others in an organization that understand (or should) the entirety of a company. But, all too often they mask their roles by placing walls up and instead of tearing them down so that all functions can be understood and stretched to the limits of their collective capabilities. HR’s primary function is to drive continuous improvement within the human management system, while ensuring that this system is producing the outcomes and behaviors needed to successfully execute the company’s strategic plan. There are multitudes of systems users and to a great extent the business leaders drive the requirements.
Business leaders and HR have to work in partnership for the most ideal Talent Management. Each has a key role to play in acquiring, retaining, and managing the talent (meaning employees in general). They are not mutually exclusive but rather need to be totally integrated. Talent Management can not be successfully done by Business Leaders or HR alone. You need to stop thinking of HR as an extraneous appendage, and rather approach it as an equal and fully validated business partner. Only then will talent management and employee management in general be more comprehensive and advantageous for the company and employee - it should not be an us vs them situation, but rather a inclusive "we."
Talent management's 'customer' is the manager not the employee. In true talent management terms, personal performance management (review/planning) aligns closest with business performance management, not compensation or development. And the greatest value in performance management is understanding what the individual is good at so they can be positioned to where they can add the most value; rather than having a development plan created to 'fix their weaknesses' only. What organizations should be managing is "capabilities" not just experiences or skills. Experience can be good (skill) or bad (stifling creativity) depends on circumstance; skill is linear or static, but capability is more dynamic with "recombinant nature." And capabilities are what they should be acquiring and developing. HR would do well to learn the difference between Experience, skills, and Capabilities, and the appropriate use of each term in relation to the others. We hear far too much about the first two, far too little about the latter, and too many people are at the same time are confusing them and using them anonymously. And in talent management, 'potential' is defined as having 'the ability to add more value to the organization in the future' (usually based on repositioning), vs. HR that defines potential as 'taking on additional scope of responsibility (moving up in the organization)'. etc.
The facilitation and development of people is a joint responsibility of HR and line management. Too much HR involvement leads to complex and generic competency lists that get lost in abstraction and administrative trivia. Too much line management involvement leads to a narrow focus on only one dimension of human potential. Talent Management and HR should be in disagreement about make/buy decisions and this is a healthy dynamic. There is no doubt that business leaders play a key role in talent management (TM) - and TM initiative is doomed to fail without their support. However, the danger of giving primary responsibility for TM to business leaders is that they may take a very narrow functional view of talent development. HR, which is typically a corporate function, is in a better position to take a organizational-wide view in planning for the development of the talent pool. HR should oversee the entire TM process to ensure that business leaders wear the corporate hat, understand that they are developing people for the whole organization (and not just their own department or function) and very importantly, not to hoard talent.
What’s best is a balance and that requires line/staff communication and partnership. Talent management is a huge opportunity, for those who are willing to take it on, to add value to the company by doing what's truly possible in this area. But most just rename HR, or 'strategic HR', as talent management and make almost no real changes and say they 'do' talent management. Or when Talent Management, or Training, or Employee Relations, or other traditional "HR Departments" feel they are so important that they don't below in HR anymore, you have a serious problem. It means that someone has lost sight of the big picture. All parts of the Human Resources function or system should support the employment lifecycle, from recruiting to terminations and everything in between, in strategic support of the business operations. To think that your department is so special that it doesn't have to play well with other HR departments is just arrogant.
From managing talent as resources to investing talent as capital; from looking for specific skills to building recombinant capabilities; from searching the traditional channels to recruiting from alternative pipelines; there is a leapfrogging transformation of talent management.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Talent management refers to the anticipation of required human capital for an organization and the planning to meet those needs.The whole of HR is talent management! When you adopt the most liberal term to describe employees, talent comes to mind. Talent is the key to shape business as Digital Master. HR is already involved in the management functions of employees - from hiring, training, evaluation, promotions, and other talent-related functions. But in more detail, what’s the digital talent management all about, and how can HR and business leaders work more collaboratively to not only manage talent, but build corporate capability and agility?
Talent management = the right person in the right seats at the right time. HR was described as a 'facilitator.' There are perhaps few others in an organization that understand (or should) the entirety of a company. But, all too often they mask their roles by placing walls up and instead of tearing them down so that all functions can be understood and stretched to the limits of their collective capabilities. HR’s primary function is to drive continuous improvement within the human management system, while ensuring that this system is producing the outcomes and behaviors needed to successfully execute the company’s strategic plan. There are multitudes of systems users and to a great extent the business leaders drive the requirements.
Business leaders and HR have to work in partnership for the most ideal Talent Management. Each has a key role to play in acquiring, retaining, and managing the talent (meaning employees in general). They are not mutually exclusive but rather need to be totally integrated. Talent Management can not be successfully done by Business Leaders or HR alone. You need to stop thinking of HR as an extraneous appendage, and rather approach it as an equal and fully validated business partner. Only then will talent management and employee management in general be more comprehensive and advantageous for the company and employee - it should not be an us vs them situation, but rather a inclusive "we."
Talent management's 'customer' is the manager not the employee. In true talent management terms, personal performance management (review/planning) aligns closest with business performance management, not compensation or development. And the greatest value in performance management is understanding what the individual is good at so they can be positioned to where they can add the most value; rather than having a development plan created to 'fix their weaknesses' only. What organizations should be managing is "capabilities" not just experiences or skills. Experience can be good (skill) or bad (stifling creativity) depends on circumstance; skill is linear or static, but capability is more dynamic with "recombinant nature." And capabilities are what they should be acquiring and developing. HR would do well to learn the difference between Experience, skills, and Capabilities, and the appropriate use of each term in relation to the others. We hear far too much about the first two, far too little about the latter, and too many people are at the same time are confusing them and using them anonymously. And in talent management, 'potential' is defined as having 'the ability to add more value to the organization in the future' (usually based on repositioning), vs. HR that defines potential as 'taking on additional scope of responsibility (moving up in the organization)'. etc.
The facilitation and development of people is a joint responsibility of HR and line management. Too much HR involvement leads to complex and generic competency lists that get lost in abstraction and administrative trivia. Too much line management involvement leads to a narrow focus on only one dimension of human potential. Talent Management and HR should be in disagreement about make/buy decisions and this is a healthy dynamic. There is no doubt that business leaders play a key role in talent management (TM) - and TM initiative is doomed to fail without their support. However, the danger of giving primary responsibility for TM to business leaders is that they may take a very narrow functional view of talent development. HR, which is typically a corporate function, is in a better position to take a organizational-wide view in planning for the development of the talent pool. HR should oversee the entire TM process to ensure that business leaders wear the corporate hat, understand that they are developing people for the whole organization (and not just their own department or function) and very importantly, not to hoard talent.
What’s best is a balance and that requires line/staff communication and partnership. Talent management is a huge opportunity, for those who are willing to take it on, to add value to the company by doing what's truly possible in this area. But most just rename HR, or 'strategic HR', as talent management and make almost no real changes and say they 'do' talent management. Or when Talent Management, or Training, or Employee Relations, or other traditional "HR Departments" feel they are so important that they don't below in HR anymore, you have a serious problem. It means that someone has lost sight of the big picture. All parts of the Human Resources function or system should support the employment lifecycle, from recruiting to terminations and everything in between, in strategic support of the business operations. To think that your department is so special that it doesn't have to play well with other HR departments is just arrogant.
From managing talent as resources to investing talent as capital; from looking for specific skills to building recombinant capabilities; from searching the traditional channels to recruiting from alternative pipelines; there is a leapfrogging transformation of talent management.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
January 21, 2015
Digital Master Tuning XVIII: What’s the Emotion Behind Innovation
The foundation for innovation has to be grounded in one’s “vision;” which has to be linked to “hope,” and seeking justice or, discovering"truth."
Historically, innovation would seem to have emerged with an instinct for survival. Basic tools for hunting and gathering. So there's a connection, with emotional equivalents, with surviving each day. Greater leaps are found with agricultural based societies; whereas, nomadic groups seem to have remained static, having adapted through trading. Environment either encourages or discourages innovation, the ease or difficulties inherent in surviving: too easy? Too difficult? What elements did past civilizations possess that added to innovation? And how can innovation continues to drive the progress of human race? Now we are moving forward from an industrial age to digital era, what’s your vision, emotion and inspiration to connect the innovation dots?
The foundation for innovation has to be grounded in one’s “vision;” which has to be linked to “hope” and seeking justice or discovering "truth." This causes conflicts because even though we might all have similar guideposts for our inner wholeness, which we do because of universal knowledge, but we don't have the same grasp for truth unless we can accept similar wholeness of our inner self. The interaction between what is within us (the self), and how we project to the exterior world is the bridge to achieving wholeness. The constant negotiation between our essence and our projection what leads to growth and human evolution.
Innovation is to improve a state of improvement (process, person, product etc). Digital innovation has “soft touch” as well, such as creative communication or culture/leadership innovation. Improvement itself and the desire to improve comes from within. Innovation leads us to understanding the wholeness, since innovation, the practical application of creativity is essentially about problem-solving at various levels, and to solve a problem implies a wish to make something, or everything, as perfect as possible. That, in itself seems to lead to a wish for understanding the wholeness and trigger the combination of emotions to harness creativity.
The true conflict in innovation is self imposed by trying to make our “visions” reality. Just as we find energy is released from one steady state to another, we find innovation from our outer realities attempts to change to the steady state of our inner self. This energy is called innovation. The conflict can come from an internal conflict or a conflict with outside world. The most difficult part is to transform the conflict from within to a productive life cycle. This is about understanding the wholeness. If you have a stable internal process and you can even help others then innovation with the outside world will be the next challenge. So your emotional well being has impact on innovation but what is triggering your emotions? What from the outside world has impact? What about the right innovation climate? Your personal climate, your team climate or your organizational climate? All those are soft touch of digital innovation management.
There is an emotion life cycle in an innovation management life cycle! The kind of emotions within a person that triggers an improvement/innovation process can be numerous and most likely will be a combination of emotions! Certainly when you think that every rational thought is linked to emotions and creates a feeling. This is an ongoing process just like the feeling to improve and to create. For example, we need conflict to initiate, but after initiation there should be debate to create! After debate, we need passion to advocate innovation; after passion, we shall keep calm and be persistent to manage innovation step by step…. So different kind of emotions are involved to truly become innovative.
Innovation is the light every business is pursuing, compare to its historical root, digital innovation is expanding its horizon, from incremental innovation to radical innovation; from hard innovation to soft innovation; from open innovation to hybrid innovation. Yes, the emotion behind it is still a catalyzer -to make our “visions” reality. Be positive, be passionate and be persistent.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Historically, innovation would seem to have emerged with an instinct for survival. Basic tools for hunting and gathering. So there's a connection, with emotional equivalents, with surviving each day. Greater leaps are found with agricultural based societies; whereas, nomadic groups seem to have remained static, having adapted through trading. Environment either encourages or discourages innovation, the ease or difficulties inherent in surviving: too easy? Too difficult? What elements did past civilizations possess that added to innovation? And how can innovation continues to drive the progress of human race? Now we are moving forward from an industrial age to digital era, what’s your vision, emotion and inspiration to connect the innovation dots?
The foundation for innovation has to be grounded in one’s “vision;” which has to be linked to “hope” and seeking justice or discovering "truth." This causes conflicts because even though we might all have similar guideposts for our inner wholeness, which we do because of universal knowledge, but we don't have the same grasp for truth unless we can accept similar wholeness of our inner self. The interaction between what is within us (the self), and how we project to the exterior world is the bridge to achieving wholeness. The constant negotiation between our essence and our projection what leads to growth and human evolution.
Innovation is to improve a state of improvement (process, person, product etc). Digital innovation has “soft touch” as well, such as creative communication or culture/leadership innovation. Improvement itself and the desire to improve comes from within. Innovation leads us to understanding the wholeness, since innovation, the practical application of creativity is essentially about problem-solving at various levels, and to solve a problem implies a wish to make something, or everything, as perfect as possible. That, in itself seems to lead to a wish for understanding the wholeness and trigger the combination of emotions to harness creativity.
The true conflict in innovation is self imposed by trying to make our “visions” reality. Just as we find energy is released from one steady state to another, we find innovation from our outer realities attempts to change to the steady state of our inner self. This energy is called innovation. The conflict can come from an internal conflict or a conflict with outside world. The most difficult part is to transform the conflict from within to a productive life cycle. This is about understanding the wholeness. If you have a stable internal process and you can even help others then innovation with the outside world will be the next challenge. So your emotional well being has impact on innovation but what is triggering your emotions? What from the outside world has impact? What about the right innovation climate? Your personal climate, your team climate or your organizational climate? All those are soft touch of digital innovation management.
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There is an emotion life cycle in an innovation management life cycle! The kind of emotions within a person that triggers an improvement/innovation process can be numerous and most likely will be a combination of emotions! Certainly when you think that every rational thought is linked to emotions and creates a feeling. This is an ongoing process just like the feeling to improve and to create. For example, we need conflict to initiate, but after initiation there should be debate to create! After debate, we need passion to advocate innovation; after passion, we shall keep calm and be persistent to manage innovation step by step…. So different kind of emotions are involved to truly become innovative.
Innovation is the light every business is pursuing, compare to its historical root, digital innovation is expanding its horizon, from incremental innovation to radical innovation; from hard innovation to soft innovation; from open innovation to hybrid innovation. Yes, the emotion behind it is still a catalyzer -to make our “visions” reality. Be positive, be passionate and be persistent.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital Master Tuning XVII: The Agile Pitch to Build a "Learning Organization"
Agile is a metaphor to “learning Organizations.”
If you look up agile in the dictionary, you will find something like “quick and well-coordinated in movement” and “marked by an ability to think quickly; mentally acute or aware”. If you look up learning organizations which we well perceived in Digital Master, you will find something like ”Organization that acquires knowledge and innovates fast enough to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing environment” and “ create a culture that encourages and supports continuous employee learning, critical thinking, and risk taking with new ideas.” The goal for the learning organization, is to be in the state of continuous learning to be able to assess and adapt to changes in the market and stay competitive. Likewise, the goal of agile software development is about continuous learning and awareness to be able to deal with the changes to keep customers competitive. Also, the collaboration between internal stakeholders (people interaction over…) and external stakeholders (customer collaboration over…) that agile manifesto describes, directly related to knowledge management and the dissemination of tacit knowledge in learning organizations. Here are the Agile pitch to deliver the successful project, build a learning team and organization.
-Adapt to changes: Welcome to changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage. Being able to respond to change (in requirements or requirements priority), and deal with unpredictability by short time boxed planning, do retrospective, and then adapt in preparation for the next sprint. Continuously delivering working software to the customer to solicit feedback, willingness to change the original plan based on the customer feedback. Regularly adapting the team's process to improve.
-Goal setting and how to achieve: The main point of Agile is to never let a project get paralyzed, constipated, off-track, or screwed-up -- and to encourage professionals do what they do best. Paralysis, constipation, and veering from track are hallmarks of processes that came before Agile. Have a goal (a set of new coherent functionality) to achieve at the end of the time Box. The team needs to work in cadence and consistent environment. What to do: -Find out where you are -Take a small step towards your goal -Adjust your understanding based on what you learned -Repeat How to do it: -When faced with two or more alternatives that deliver roughly the same value, take the path that makes future change easier.
Manage the “organized chaos” to harness innovation: Cross-functional (Architects, programmers, testers, and documenters) team that has autonomy and covers all the framework activities of the SDLC. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. Agile is based on the empirical control process (develop – inspect – adapt), which is also common sense. In this way you always assess and respond to change, to provide customer with added value software. Over prescriptive software development methods like Waterfall method, drives software engineers to act like robots, almost no creativity factor. Chaos, or do whatever, may give teams very high score on creativity but very low score on repeating success. That is why you need to keep chaos for creativity, but you need to organize it so you can leverage the experiences for the future. That is Organized Chaos.
People first: Choose the correct people to be on the team and do not rely on the processes and the tools. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support their need, and trust them to get the job done. Treat developers as professionals & demand professionalism from them. Rely on people for your agility, not a process, methodology, or framework (Scrum). Run an enjoyable workplace where people are challenged and rewarded. Notice and reward awesomeness.
More Agile principles:
-Have a good plan, but change the plan as you execute - Allow people closest to the problem to make big decisions - Do the most important stuff first - decide what's important along the way-Destroy functional silos. - Have a clear definition of success that everyone understands- Chop up the work so as to always see the end from where you are - Work at a pace that is fast, steady, and regular - avoid crunching -Work on backlog items which generates maximum ROI. -Do not bite more than what you can chew well. - Form interdisciplinary (integrated product) teams, not teams of specialists - Notice and reward awesomeness - Use automated tools wherever possible and avoid repetitive manual tasks - Avoid deceptive metrics that lie about real progress or earned value -Measure parameters which encourage Agile mindset ( Business Value shipped every month, How smoothly Ops can productionize the developed Stories, ..) -Do not measure parameters which actually damage Agile mindset ( such as Estimates, Scope creep, Schedule variance,..)- Eliminate surprises by continuously integrating, testing, & stressing everything
The highest priority to do Agile is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software, it is about 3 “I”s: Interactive communication, Iterative collaboration and Incremental improvement. And it's a management philosophy to build a learning organization.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
If you look up agile in the dictionary, you will find something like “quick and well-coordinated in movement” and “marked by an ability to think quickly; mentally acute or aware”. If you look up learning organizations which we well perceived in Digital Master, you will find something like ”Organization that acquires knowledge and innovates fast enough to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing environment” and “ create a culture that encourages and supports continuous employee learning, critical thinking, and risk taking with new ideas.” The goal for the learning organization, is to be in the state of continuous learning to be able to assess and adapt to changes in the market and stay competitive. Likewise, the goal of agile software development is about continuous learning and awareness to be able to deal with the changes to keep customers competitive. Also, the collaboration between internal stakeholders (people interaction over…) and external stakeholders (customer collaboration over…) that agile manifesto describes, directly related to knowledge management and the dissemination of tacit knowledge in learning organizations. Here are the Agile pitch to deliver the successful project, build a learning team and organization.
-Adapt to changes: Welcome to changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage. Being able to respond to change (in requirements or requirements priority), and deal with unpredictability by short time boxed planning, do retrospective, and then adapt in preparation for the next sprint. Continuously delivering working software to the customer to solicit feedback, willingness to change the original plan based on the customer feedback. Regularly adapting the team's process to improve.
-Goal setting and how to achieve: The main point of Agile is to never let a project get paralyzed, constipated, off-track, or screwed-up -- and to encourage professionals do what they do best. Paralysis, constipation, and veering from track are hallmarks of processes that came before Agile. Have a goal (a set of new coherent functionality) to achieve at the end of the time Box. The team needs to work in cadence and consistent environment. What to do: -Find out where you are -Take a small step towards your goal -Adjust your understanding based on what you learned -Repeat How to do it: -When faced with two or more alternatives that deliver roughly the same value, take the path that makes future change easier.
Manage the “organized chaos” to harness innovation: Cross-functional (Architects, programmers, testers, and documenters) team that has autonomy and covers all the framework activities of the SDLC. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. Agile is based on the empirical control process (develop – inspect – adapt), which is also common sense. In this way you always assess and respond to change, to provide customer with added value software. Over prescriptive software development methods like Waterfall method, drives software engineers to act like robots, almost no creativity factor. Chaos, or do whatever, may give teams very high score on creativity but very low score on repeating success. That is why you need to keep chaos for creativity, but you need to organize it so you can leverage the experiences for the future. That is Organized Chaos.
People first: Choose the correct people to be on the team and do not rely on the processes and the tools. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support their need, and trust them to get the job done. Treat developers as professionals & demand professionalism from them. Rely on people for your agility, not a process, methodology, or framework (Scrum). Run an enjoyable workplace where people are challenged and rewarded. Notice and reward awesomeness.
More Agile principles:
-Have a good plan, but change the plan as you execute - Allow people closest to the problem to make big decisions - Do the most important stuff first - decide what's important along the way-Destroy functional silos. - Have a clear definition of success that everyone understands- Chop up the work so as to always see the end from where you are - Work at a pace that is fast, steady, and regular - avoid crunching -Work on backlog items which generates maximum ROI. -Do not bite more than what you can chew well. - Form interdisciplinary (integrated product) teams, not teams of specialists - Notice and reward awesomeness - Use automated tools wherever possible and avoid repetitive manual tasks - Avoid deceptive metrics that lie about real progress or earned value -Measure parameters which encourage Agile mindset ( Business Value shipped every month, How smoothly Ops can productionize the developed Stories, ..) -Do not measure parameters which actually damage Agile mindset ( such as Estimates, Scope creep, Schedule variance,..)- Eliminate surprises by continuously integrating, testing, & stressing everything The highest priority to do Agile is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software, it is about 3 “I”s: Interactive communication, Iterative collaboration and Incremental improvement. And it's a management philosophy to build a learning organization.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
January 17, 2015
Three Challenges in Strategy Execution
Execution is more difficult due to its complexity and the culture or resistance.
Executing strategy has been and is still an ongoing educational journey. Leaders have now started realizing the interdependence between efforts needed to formulate a strategy and the importance and indeed the need of building internal capabilities to executive it. A very good strategy takes perhaps a few weeks to define it, but execution is an ongoing activity or process for the entire life of an organization. In detail, why is strategy execution more difficult than strategy making, and how to execute it effectively?
The complexity of execution. One of the factors for strategies to fail at the implementation phase is its complexity. There’s ambiguity in such strategy. The expectation is not communicated clearly to all and is neither well understood by all stakeholders. Strategies should be simple that are understood by all. A strategy can be define in following two statements: 1) where should you improve, and 2) how to succeed where you choose to improve. And it should be communicated on regular basis, keeping track if there are any slippage or deviation. Be strategic but be prepared for the unknown. And if you foresee changes, go back to the drawing board before moving forward. Here are the complexity factors to execute strategy. -Managers are trained to plan, not execute - Planning and execution are interdependent - Execution takes longer than formulation - Execution is a process, not an action or step - Execution involves more people than strategy strategies really are not meaningful unless they include an implementation plan, developed by the stakeholders and the executive team together. The plan also has to be dynamic so that it can deal with changed conditions and unforeseen circumstances.
The culture resistance. You need strong senior executive leadership for support of strategy champions. It is a slow process and takes a lot of patience from strategy champions, sponsors, senior leadership and the operations. Consistent, clear communication between all stakeholders is the key. it is rather essential to note that strategy is everyone's responsibility and therefore a clear communication to all levels in an organization is indeed a tool that may guarantee successful execution and achieving desired results. It is however advisable for any organization to adapt step by step process to manage strategy and build internal capability with it. The process needs periodical reviews to test if the process is understood by all and that produces expected outcomes. The best way is to detail it as much as possible for all tranches to be executed as part of strategy. The major factor has been the resistance of people and change management process is to be handled very carefully and proper trainings are conducted at right time. The execution shall follow the logic steps: 1). Identify your strategy champions and select qualified execution team 2). Get sponsorship and endorsement from the C-Level for your dynamic plan 3). Perform consistent clear communication (CCC) between all stakeholders 4). Conduct periodic followups to review / refresh checkpoints, manage internal / external changes, and mitigate risks. The challenges to build an execution-competency team: The best people to execute a strategy are those who have contributed to the development of it. Make an involvement of project/program/portfolio managers in the development of strategic plans. It is unfair to expect from these roles to deliver when they have no idea about why these objectives are in place. On the same ground that leaders have to support / sponsor strategy so do they need to ensure competency / talent for execution is available. While leadership and hunger for change is mandatory for strategy, a well defined strategy needs a well trained team to execute it. And there is no short cut to it. Finding and building the right team and empowering them to implement the strategy. Organizations are usually wrong in believing that engaging the management team is enough to build the right team. Managers may or may not be fully respected and followed by team members, but there will be people in the teams who are known for high performance, right attitude of helping co-workers and who are highly regarded and followed by other team members. A strategy implementation team should be built with such people because these are the people who can drive changes efficiently, break the resistance of people and encourage them to accept new changes. The main challenges for an effective execution are: 1). Organizational Resistance 2). Stakeholders management and communication 3). Complex and unclear strategyThe right level of sponsorship will help get the resources needed for the execution. And lastly, follow-up, follow-up is key in any execution works.
The PMO approach: In one approach, organizations can apply project portfolio management office (PMO) to deliver the change and the strategy made by senior executives or strategy consultants. One of the key things is that organizations tend to do too much when they are developing their strategic plan. It has more items that can termed as strategic mission than pure strategic objectives. Along with that the objectives are unclear to most of the stakeholder developing the strategic plan, let alone the people delivering it. Portfolio management can help prioritize and translate strategic initiatives into the project portfolio in order to manage them more effectively. PMO were meeting weekly with the sponsors and project manager with concerns and issue were there to execute the strategy.
Strategy and execution are interdependent, and they are not linear steps, but an iterative continuum. Strategy is more important to keep business navigating through the transformation journey, but execution is more difficult due to its complexity, it needs to have overarching business capability and culture of collaboration to manage it effectively and efficiently with agility. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Executing strategy has been and is still an ongoing educational journey. Leaders have now started realizing the interdependence between efforts needed to formulate a strategy and the importance and indeed the need of building internal capabilities to executive it. A very good strategy takes perhaps a few weeks to define it, but execution is an ongoing activity or process for the entire life of an organization. In detail, why is strategy execution more difficult than strategy making, and how to execute it effectively?
The complexity of execution. One of the factors for strategies to fail at the implementation phase is its complexity. There’s ambiguity in such strategy. The expectation is not communicated clearly to all and is neither well understood by all stakeholders. Strategies should be simple that are understood by all. A strategy can be define in following two statements: 1) where should you improve, and 2) how to succeed where you choose to improve. And it should be communicated on regular basis, keeping track if there are any slippage or deviation. Be strategic but be prepared for the unknown. And if you foresee changes, go back to the drawing board before moving forward. Here are the complexity factors to execute strategy. -Managers are trained to plan, not execute - Planning and execution are interdependent - Execution takes longer than formulation - Execution is a process, not an action or step - Execution involves more people than strategy strategies really are not meaningful unless they include an implementation plan, developed by the stakeholders and the executive team together. The plan also has to be dynamic so that it can deal with changed conditions and unforeseen circumstances.
The culture resistance. You need strong senior executive leadership for support of strategy champions. It is a slow process and takes a lot of patience from strategy champions, sponsors, senior leadership and the operations. Consistent, clear communication between all stakeholders is the key. it is rather essential to note that strategy is everyone's responsibility and therefore a clear communication to all levels in an organization is indeed a tool that may guarantee successful execution and achieving desired results. It is however advisable for any organization to adapt step by step process to manage strategy and build internal capability with it. The process needs periodical reviews to test if the process is understood by all and that produces expected outcomes. The best way is to detail it as much as possible for all tranches to be executed as part of strategy. The major factor has been the resistance of people and change management process is to be handled very carefully and proper trainings are conducted at right time. The execution shall follow the logic steps: 1). Identify your strategy champions and select qualified execution team 2). Get sponsorship and endorsement from the C-Level for your dynamic plan 3). Perform consistent clear communication (CCC) between all stakeholders 4). Conduct periodic followups to review / refresh checkpoints, manage internal / external changes, and mitigate risks. The challenges to build an execution-competency team: The best people to execute a strategy are those who have contributed to the development of it. Make an involvement of project/program/portfolio managers in the development of strategic plans. It is unfair to expect from these roles to deliver when they have no idea about why these objectives are in place. On the same ground that leaders have to support / sponsor strategy so do they need to ensure competency / talent for execution is available. While leadership and hunger for change is mandatory for strategy, a well defined strategy needs a well trained team to execute it. And there is no short cut to it. Finding and building the right team and empowering them to implement the strategy. Organizations are usually wrong in believing that engaging the management team is enough to build the right team. Managers may or may not be fully respected and followed by team members, but there will be people in the teams who are known for high performance, right attitude of helping co-workers and who are highly regarded and followed by other team members. A strategy implementation team should be built with such people because these are the people who can drive changes efficiently, break the resistance of people and encourage them to accept new changes. The main challenges for an effective execution are: 1). Organizational Resistance 2). Stakeholders management and communication 3). Complex and unclear strategyThe right level of sponsorship will help get the resources needed for the execution. And lastly, follow-up, follow-up is key in any execution works.
The PMO approach: In one approach, organizations can apply project portfolio management office (PMO) to deliver the change and the strategy made by senior executives or strategy consultants. One of the key things is that organizations tend to do too much when they are developing their strategic plan. It has more items that can termed as strategic mission than pure strategic objectives. Along with that the objectives are unclear to most of the stakeholder developing the strategic plan, let alone the people delivering it. Portfolio management can help prioritize and translate strategic initiatives into the project portfolio in order to manage them more effectively. PMO were meeting weekly with the sponsors and project manager with concerns and issue were there to execute the strategy. Strategy and execution are interdependent, and they are not linear steps, but an iterative continuum. Strategy is more important to keep business navigating through the transformation journey, but execution is more difficult due to its complexity, it needs to have overarching business capability and culture of collaboration to manage it effectively and efficiently with agility. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Correlation vs. Causation
A correlation between two variables does not necessarily imply that one causes the other.
Correlation does not imply causation is a phrase used in science and statistics to emphasize that a correlation between two variables does not necessarily imply that one causes the other. Many statistical tests calculate correlation between variables. A few go further and calculate the likelihood of a true causal relationship. (Wikipedia) What are the further dot connection between correlation vs. Causation?
The first step is to try to get the causal predictor in your data set; from day one, before you even start collecting data. If you miss it, you might find a proxy metric that is causal, but not the real causes. In many cases, this is enough. A very important step in the scientific method was treated with inadequate attention, perhaps purposely. This is the step that comes right before testing the hypothesis.
"Gather Information." Only after extensive observation, can you gather adequate data, and only after studying each independent process by asking questions about each independent variable, and the samples you collect: "Does the sample consist of countable elements?", "What is the distribution of the sample?", "Does the sample accurately represent your population?" or perhaps even domain-specific questions. Independent variable, can you adequately apply statistical measures to study relationships.
Correlation and causation are similar, yet quite different in application. Causation, generally speaking, is the reason behind every cause. That doesn't mean that there has to be an exact correlation. For appropriate correlation analysis, a statistician has to be perfectly clear on how he/she is managing data, the methodology used, the purpose and goal of the research. Managing data has to be the most important aspects for a proper statistical research! If that is missing, then the whole research might come out to be wrong. Correlation does not imply causation - and that is why a data science professional should always work together with a domain expert to come up with any meaningful solution. And this is the same reason why it is really tough to learn the topology of a Bayes net from data.
Linear transformations can be quite powerful, but it is only a representation of the original data (same sample space, with a different ordered basis, and in this case, plotted into the same coordinate system). The real problem is trying to retrofit data into required outcome. Scientifically you should always start with your hypothesis before measuring, then you won't try to be 'selective' with your data sets or your data processing. Path analysis in sociology and structural equation modeling in econometrics are two methods which were though long ago to be able to find out and quantify relationships between various variables. But these methods suppose that these theories are able to provide right variables and structure into the equations. This is not necessarily so.
The problem of domain expert is double-faced; The problems usually have many causes and can be very complex. And if your domain expert has told you the causal predictor, wouldn't Analytics then be able to run through all the various methods in analytics automatically and tell you which one gives the "best model" and thus selects the right causal predictors. But what if other domain experts would give you completely different causal predictors? And, what if another independent representative data sample provided to analytics returned a completely different "best model" even with the same "causal" predictors provided to it? So the problem is that domain experts can be just as wrong about causes, explanations, and predictions, as “Think Fast, Think Slow” in cognitive science that blinded domain experts from one another famously showed. on one hand they (if they are really expert, with a research methodology understanding would be better) help validate and support the plausibility of the findings; on the other hand, they can be defending some preconceived idea and become opponent to innovation. The balance between these two poles sometimes is very important.
Correlation is a valuable type of scientific evidence in fields such as medicine, psychology, and sociology. But first correlations must be confirmed as real, and then every possible causative relationship must be systematically explored. Because it is easy and even tempting to come to premature conclusions based upon the preliminary appearance of a correlation.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Correlation does not imply causation is a phrase used in science and statistics to emphasize that a correlation between two variables does not necessarily imply that one causes the other. Many statistical tests calculate correlation between variables. A few go further and calculate the likelihood of a true causal relationship. (Wikipedia) What are the further dot connection between correlation vs. Causation?
The first step is to try to get the causal predictor in your data set; from day one, before you even start collecting data. If you miss it, you might find a proxy metric that is causal, but not the real causes. In many cases, this is enough. A very important step in the scientific method was treated with inadequate attention, perhaps purposely. This is the step that comes right before testing the hypothesis.
"Gather Information." Only after extensive observation, can you gather adequate data, and only after studying each independent process by asking questions about each independent variable, and the samples you collect: "Does the sample consist of countable elements?", "What is the distribution of the sample?", "Does the sample accurately represent your population?" or perhaps even domain-specific questions. Independent variable, can you adequately apply statistical measures to study relationships.
Correlation and causation are similar, yet quite different in application. Causation, generally speaking, is the reason behind every cause. That doesn't mean that there has to be an exact correlation. For appropriate correlation analysis, a statistician has to be perfectly clear on how he/she is managing data, the methodology used, the purpose and goal of the research. Managing data has to be the most important aspects for a proper statistical research! If that is missing, then the whole research might come out to be wrong. Correlation does not imply causation - and that is why a data science professional should always work together with a domain expert to come up with any meaningful solution. And this is the same reason why it is really tough to learn the topology of a Bayes net from data.
Linear transformations can be quite powerful, but it is only a representation of the original data (same sample space, with a different ordered basis, and in this case, plotted into the same coordinate system). The real problem is trying to retrofit data into required outcome. Scientifically you should always start with your hypothesis before measuring, then you won't try to be 'selective' with your data sets or your data processing. Path analysis in sociology and structural equation modeling in econometrics are two methods which were though long ago to be able to find out and quantify relationships between various variables. But these methods suppose that these theories are able to provide right variables and structure into the equations. This is not necessarily so.
The problem of domain expert is double-faced; The problems usually have many causes and can be very complex. And if your domain expert has told you the causal predictor, wouldn't Analytics then be able to run through all the various methods in analytics automatically and tell you which one gives the "best model" and thus selects the right causal predictors. But what if other domain experts would give you completely different causal predictors? And, what if another independent representative data sample provided to analytics returned a completely different "best model" even with the same "causal" predictors provided to it? So the problem is that domain experts can be just as wrong about causes, explanations, and predictions, as “Think Fast, Think Slow” in cognitive science that blinded domain experts from one another famously showed. on one hand they (if they are really expert, with a research methodology understanding would be better) help validate and support the plausibility of the findings; on the other hand, they can be defending some preconceived idea and become opponent to innovation. The balance between these two poles sometimes is very important.
Correlation is a valuable type of scientific evidence in fields such as medicine, psychology, and sociology. But first correlations must be confirmed as real, and then every possible causative relationship must be systematically explored. Because it is easy and even tempting to come to premature conclusions based upon the preliminary appearance of a correlation.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital Master Tuning XIIII: How to Build a Delightful Workforce?
"Inclusiversity" is like a gift box, really not about the color outside, but the content inside.
More and more forward-thinking global organizations have established a "diversity and inclusion" initiative. However, “inclusivierty” is a mindset and a habit, it can not be shaped by overnight, either as an one time project or a "check-in-box" compliance tool. More objectively, would you label such diversity initiative a "delight" or just a “makeup”? And how to build a truly delightful digital workforce?
In a global marketplace, it is a business imperative to make a diversity and inclusion strategy. If Diversity and Inclusion are strongly supported by management teams, all levels in the organization can reap the benefits of personal and professional growth. However, many people in the workplace don't really understand the true power and potential of inclusion. Diversity and inclusion initiatives can be a delight ... when there is an intentional strategy in place to not only increase awareness but to link the power of diversity to key business initiatives and team effectiveness.
Inclusiversity Management has to go beyond as a "check-the-box" compliance tool. It is the comprehensive organizational and managerial process for leveraging diversity and achieving inclusion that maximizes the potential of all employees. Inclusion is the achievement of a work environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization’s success. Moreover, Organizations have grown from looking at diversity & inclusion as a "check-the-box" compliance tool to understanding that having a wide range of opinions and viewpoints contributes directly to the bottom line in terms of productivity and profitability.
Definitely an inclusiversity is a delight! If all companies adopted that initiative, the world would be a better place. Inclusion would be a team where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and thoughts because everyone has a different perspective based on their cognitive difference, different life experiences and cultural values. What about the understanding of cultural competencies in other cultures, the multi-dimensional thinking cross-disciplinary knowledge. This knowledge moves from being necessary to making business sense. These differences make the team stronger and will create a better product, service and business brand. Managers and employees who are valued and feel comfortable in the workplace through these programs will make the company stronger and more profitable in the long run.
From making an engaging workforce to orchestrating a delightful workforce, delight implies a high level maturity of business. Because everyone has talents -the nature gift- it's not just what the packaging looks like - it's the contents that give you the pleasure..consider it a delight for the organization and why is because we live in global marketplace which is ever growing and even more so with the internet. Why would a company or organization want to lag behind by not establishing a diversity and inclusion initiative, or more critically building an “inclusiversity mindset.” One day, the true "inclusiversity" mind will be respected for its true role as a "business catalyzer, ", a peace maker and a world delight .
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Master are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
More and more forward-thinking global organizations have established a "diversity and inclusion" initiative. However, “inclusivierty” is a mindset and a habit, it can not be shaped by overnight, either as an one time project or a "check-in-box" compliance tool. More objectively, would you label such diversity initiative a "delight" or just a “makeup”? And how to build a truly delightful digital workforce?
In a global marketplace, it is a business imperative to make a diversity and inclusion strategy. If Diversity and Inclusion are strongly supported by management teams, all levels in the organization can reap the benefits of personal and professional growth. However, many people in the workplace don't really understand the true power and potential of inclusion. Diversity and inclusion initiatives can be a delight ... when there is an intentional strategy in place to not only increase awareness but to link the power of diversity to key business initiatives and team effectiveness.
Inclusiversity Management has to go beyond as a "check-the-box" compliance tool. It is the comprehensive organizational and managerial process for leveraging diversity and achieving inclusion that maximizes the potential of all employees. Inclusion is the achievement of a work environment in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization’s success. Moreover, Organizations have grown from looking at diversity & inclusion as a "check-the-box" compliance tool to understanding that having a wide range of opinions and viewpoints contributes directly to the bottom line in terms of productivity and profitability.
Definitely an inclusiversity is a delight! If all companies adopted that initiative, the world would be a better place. Inclusion would be a team where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and thoughts because everyone has a different perspective based on their cognitive difference, different life experiences and cultural values. What about the understanding of cultural competencies in other cultures, the multi-dimensional thinking cross-disciplinary knowledge. This knowledge moves from being necessary to making business sense. These differences make the team stronger and will create a better product, service and business brand. Managers and employees who are valued and feel comfortable in the workplace through these programs will make the company stronger and more profitable in the long run.
From making an engaging workforce to orchestrating a delightful workforce, delight implies a high level maturity of business. Because everyone has talents -the nature gift- it's not just what the packaging looks like - it's the contents that give you the pleasure..consider it a delight for the organization and why is because we live in global marketplace which is ever growing and even more so with the internet. Why would a company or organization want to lag behind by not establishing a diversity and inclusion initiative, or more critically building an “inclusiversity mindset.” One day, the true "inclusiversity" mind will be respected for its true role as a "business catalyzer, ", a peace maker and a world delight .
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Master are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
January 16, 2015
Digital Master Tuning XIII: The “Digital Way” of an Organizational Structure and Beyond
The future belongs to those fast learners who can test and run, walk the talk, and ultimately become a digital master.
Organizations large or small are on the journey to digital transformation, and there are different theories of organizational structure evolution and continuous brainstorming about the concept of self-management, the format of future of organization - from Holacracy to sociocracy; from agile to Stoos, etc. The whole point is on how to build a more creative and productive working environment in which the employees’ talent can be unleashed; and business as a whole is more optimal than the sum of pieces, in order to adapt to the change with the accelerating speed? Ultimately, what's the digital way to run a business?
Three traits in digital way: You need to build the collaboration and the team, before you build the self-management initiative. Let it come naturally from the collaboration discussions. Then everyone is behind it and it will move further faster, and with a solid infrastructure behind it. There are three needs in an organizational setting which are embedded in Holacracy or other format of digital “style”:* Self-determination* Self-organization* Interdependence
The digital way is to cultivate the positive attitude with problem-solving mindset. When people decide together to change something they don't look first for the negatives. They see the positives - the goals, the benefits, the vision. That drives them to work through the negatives together - to find solutions, not problems. Changing mindsets takes time. And it takes a support group. People to reassure that you CAN do it. Carry you forward on a wave of enthusiasm. You don't get that support in an autocracy. Only in a collaborative group. The focusing is what is going on in people's brains when change is happening, and how to mitigate the harmful impacts without alienating the people who need the help in the first place. Quite possibly, the next step is to have deeper discussion about what it means to sense and respond in a dynamic unpredictable world clearly and skillfully when it is possible rather than trying to predict and control the way through. That ‘digital way” is moving those who practice it to a new paradigm very similar to the cultural shift you are undergoing towards this unpredictable world of order-disorder complete with butterfly effects and tipping points. An assessment can be made via a series of questions: 1). How do people divide jobs amongst themselves 2). How do they draw the line between what decisions they can make on their own and which ones they can't ? 3). Who specifies which accountability a person has ? 4). What happens to accountabilities that are not held by anyone yet? How do they get assigned?5). When you say "there aren't that many standards, just things that are generally understood," how does a new person entering the company know about what is generally understood in your company?
Unblock business purpose and unleash talent potential: Not only for things like conflict resolution, but also for the amazing capacity these structure experiment or practices unlock for feeling into evolutionary purpose, unleashing collective wisdom, and working with collective shadow before it becomes a real problem. Organize your self-styled digital organization, in the following ways: 1) can define your circles, roles, and authority through the members of your organization. It helps empower people.2) might avoid not aligned initiatives of your natural leaders, enforce iterative communication and cross-functional collaboration3) governance meetings are recommended periodically in order to adapt your organization to a continuous changing surroundings. This way your organization will be adapting to the new situations in an agile way.
Best Practice & Next Practice to enforce digital ways: Not only are there “digital pivotals” who are pioneering what this all looks like and how to really ground it and manifest it in the world, but it seems that mainstream companies are gradually opening up to the next practice to enforce digital ways: Direct Experience Practice -- Individual/Internal
1) Deep Listening Practice -- Collective/Internal communication
2) Team Inception Practice -- Collective/External collaboration; gets teams off on the right foot
3) Dynamic Facilitation Practice -- Collective/Internal & External interaction; continuous maintenance, antifragile
4) Peer-based Feedforward Practice -- A combination of all above. Very much about individual performance tuned in a collective setting.
Perhaps there are more than one road to lead the digital way, and there are many best practices and next practices to experiment and enforce digital structure. The future belongs to those fast learners who can test and run, walk the talk, and ultimately become a digital master.
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Organizations large or small are on the journey to digital transformation, and there are different theories of organizational structure evolution and continuous brainstorming about the concept of self-management, the format of future of organization - from Holacracy to sociocracy; from agile to Stoos, etc. The whole point is on how to build a more creative and productive working environment in which the employees’ talent can be unleashed; and business as a whole is more optimal than the sum of pieces, in order to adapt to the change with the accelerating speed? Ultimately, what's the digital way to run a business?
Three traits in digital way: You need to build the collaboration and the team, before you build the self-management initiative. Let it come naturally from the collaboration discussions. Then everyone is behind it and it will move further faster, and with a solid infrastructure behind it. There are three needs in an organizational setting which are embedded in Holacracy or other format of digital “style”:* Self-determination* Self-organization* Interdependence
The digital way is to cultivate the positive attitude with problem-solving mindset. When people decide together to change something they don't look first for the negatives. They see the positives - the goals, the benefits, the vision. That drives them to work through the negatives together - to find solutions, not problems. Changing mindsets takes time. And it takes a support group. People to reassure that you CAN do it. Carry you forward on a wave of enthusiasm. You don't get that support in an autocracy. Only in a collaborative group. The focusing is what is going on in people's brains when change is happening, and how to mitigate the harmful impacts without alienating the people who need the help in the first place. Quite possibly, the next step is to have deeper discussion about what it means to sense and respond in a dynamic unpredictable world clearly and skillfully when it is possible rather than trying to predict and control the way through. That ‘digital way” is moving those who practice it to a new paradigm very similar to the cultural shift you are undergoing towards this unpredictable world of order-disorder complete with butterfly effects and tipping points. An assessment can be made via a series of questions: 1). How do people divide jobs amongst themselves 2). How do they draw the line between what decisions they can make on their own and which ones they can't ? 3). Who specifies which accountability a person has ? 4). What happens to accountabilities that are not held by anyone yet? How do they get assigned?5). When you say "there aren't that many standards, just things that are generally understood," how does a new person entering the company know about what is generally understood in your company?
Unblock business purpose and unleash talent potential: Not only for things like conflict resolution, but also for the amazing capacity these structure experiment or practices unlock for feeling into evolutionary purpose, unleashing collective wisdom, and working with collective shadow before it becomes a real problem. Organize your self-styled digital organization, in the following ways: 1) can define your circles, roles, and authority through the members of your organization. It helps empower people.2) might avoid not aligned initiatives of your natural leaders, enforce iterative communication and cross-functional collaboration3) governance meetings are recommended periodically in order to adapt your organization to a continuous changing surroundings. This way your organization will be adapting to the new situations in an agile way.
Best Practice & Next Practice to enforce digital ways: Not only are there “digital pivotals” who are pioneering what this all looks like and how to really ground it and manifest it in the world, but it seems that mainstream companies are gradually opening up to the next practice to enforce digital ways: Direct Experience Practice -- Individual/Internal1) Deep Listening Practice -- Collective/Internal communication
2) Team Inception Practice -- Collective/External collaboration; gets teams off on the right foot
3) Dynamic Facilitation Practice -- Collective/Internal & External interaction; continuous maintenance, antifragile
4) Peer-based Feedforward Practice -- A combination of all above. Very much about individual performance tuned in a collective setting.
Perhaps there are more than one road to lead the digital way, and there are many best practices and next practices to experiment and enforce digital structure. The future belongs to those fast learners who can test and run, walk the talk, and ultimately become a digital master.
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
