Hot
Management Info for 1998
December 1998 - Drucker's New ParadigmsFrom Forbes Magazine, Issue: October 5 The October 5 issue of Forbes has an excellent article by Peter Drucker called "Management's New Paradigms". This article is worth your finding and reading. Drucker says, "much of what is now taught and believed about the practice of management is either wrong or seriously out of date". He suggests:
-Peter Drucker November 1998 - Checklist for Turning Mission Statements into RealityFrom Harvard Management Update
-Tom Brown October 1998 - Annual RetreatsExcerpts from an article by Kenneth Lowe, president of Legal Consultants, Inc. The majority of firms in this country have
been using some form of annual retreat meeting for several years as
a technique for improving communications within the firm on topics
that require thoughtful discussion. If planned and executed
well, that form of retreat can greatly assist the firm in arriving
at solutions to priority issues. It has certainly been proven
as a very useful vehicle to bring people together in an atmosphere
that is generally conducive to candid discussion away from the pressures
of the office and the daily routine.
Legal Consultants, Inc., a San Diego based law office management consulting firm September 1998 - Jack Welch's Six Rules
August 1998 - For Generations Xers, What Counts Isn't All Work or All PlayFrom Management Review / December 1996 Members of the so-called Generation X-those currently 18 to 33 years old-are gaining the attention of researchers. That Gen Xers are a mystery to their elders comes as no surprise to Kichiro Iwamoto, psychology professor at Santa Clara University, Calif. He asserts that younger workers "don't have a self-concept that's tied to their work," so "their self-fulfillment comes only partly from the workplace." Iwamoto suggests that employers offer incentives other than pay and position, noting that extra time off and flextime are the two best means of encouraging improved performance. He counters assertions that Gen Xers aren't motivated to work hard. "The different between them and the older generation is that the value system is uniquely different," he says. "Unfortunately, most of us consider values very ethnocentrically: If their values aren't the same as mine, then they don't exist or are inferior." Younger workers are motivated, Iwamoto contends, despite the fact that many Gen Xers don't believe in the traditional American work ethic. Iwamoto's findings are echoed by Bruce Tulgan, founder of Rainmaker, a consulting firm that studies Gen Xers. In an interview on CNN-FN, Tulgan observed that the traditional "climb-the-ladder" career path has become an archaeological artifact. "Twenty years down the road maybe you would have a corner office. Of course now there is no such things even as a corner office," he said. With these boundaries gone, Tulgan noted that "young people of today see their work in terms of one project after another." Some provide several services to the same employer; others work for a client while simultaneously developing a business of their own. It is also common for Gen Xers to return to school. "You can drop out of the rat race for a while and come back, as long as you can prove your ability to create tangible results." In fact, Tulgan asserted, "the old-fashioned career path wouldn't be there even if we wanted to go down it. And most young people don't want to go down it." - David Stauffer July 1998 - Cleese CallsFound in a monthly publishing of Training Trends, Issue #7 Here are 10 tips from John Cleese's newest training video on taking charge of business telephone calls.
(Source: Video Arts, Chicago, Illinois, videoart@interaccess.com June 1998 - Mystery Shoppers Provide FeedbackReport from Western City Magazine, February 1995 So that direct participant feedback is not scarce in parks and community services programs, the San Ramon Parks and Community Services Department has mystery shoppers to call on to evaluate programs and services. The Mystery Shoppers register for classes and programs offered by the Department and then provide critical and subjective feedback on their experiences. Since no one except the Department Manager knows who they are, the Mystery Shoppers can get an accurate picture of the quality of service. Mystery Shoppers use a form to give points to the Department on customer service, appearance of facilities, program content, written materials, consumer confidence and bonus points for extra service delivered by program staff. The feedback then goes directly to program supervisors to improve programs and services. Mystery Shoppers participate in recreation programs and classes free of charge, learn more about a variety of recreation programs and perform a valuable service to the community. Contact: Karen McNamara, Community Services Manager, (510) 275-2279. May 1998 - The Mars PathfinderThe following is a part of Chapter 2 from a neat little handbook on innovation! The book, The Mars Pathfinder Aproach to "Faster-Better-Cheaper" is available for $9.95 at 1-800-992-5922 Let limitations guide you to breakthroughs. Constraints and limitations can be more of a blessing than a curse. They force you out of standard operating procedure. They call forth cleverness, push you toward simplicity, and give rise to elegant solutions. Demanding conditions also influence you to focus your efforts on what's most important. The Pathfinder team didn't resist, give up, or argue for an easier set of conditions. They accepted the challenge. They were willing to go with the constraints. So what's the lesson here? When you're feeling cornered by tough, seemingly unrealistic circumstances, maybe the situation is pressuring you toward a breakthrough solution. See where the limitations take you. Look for the trap door of innovation, the escape route of creativity that can solve your dilemma. Yield to the demands. Let them push you toward a unique answer that solves your problem. Don't waste your time and energy struggling to change the conditions. Accept them. And apply your imagination toward finding a new and better way within these constraints. Approach the situation as if it were a riddle... a routine way of looking at it won't work. You've got to give it a twist. Go at it from a new angle, and find the secret passageway that can serve as the solution. More often than not, you'll end up using the simplified approach. And despite the demands you're working under that you thought would make things harder, you'll end up with a solution that turns out to be easier. As Plato said, "Necessity is the mother of invention." April 1998 - Tips To Avoid Playing Telephone TagReprinted from Customer Service & Retention, April 20, 1998 Reaching a customer can be a frustrating task. It's especially irritating when you have an important message and you know that your party wants to receive it. Here are a few ways to get your information through.
March 1998 - Can We Talk?One-size-fits-all doesn't work when it comes
to communications and learning styles. Does your boss prefer to receive information orally or in written form? Chances are that not only can you answer that question immediately, but you may have quickly changed your personal communication style to match your manager's soon after you started to work together. Work styles run the gamut. We've always known that some people need a great deal of immediate feedback while others prefer to work independently. Now we're learning that some people are monochronic; that is, they can only work on one task at a time, while their polychronic peers prefer to pile on the projects and are at their most creative when they are pursuing several different tasks simultaneously. Meanwhile, some people do their best work at the crack of dawn, while others barely function until after their third cup of coffee. Correctly sizing up your boss's communication preferences may mean the difference between getting your project off the ground or watching it fall moribund before it gets a fair chance of survival. But there's more at stake here than workplace achievement: Communication styles can also mean the difference between success or failure in life. studies of New York City students suggest that math underachievers are frequently afternoon learners who have been scheduled into morning math classes. In fact, responding to time preferences has proved valuable in turning around high school truancy problems. So much for the classic educational theory of introducing "hard" subjects to students early in the morning when the kids are fresh. Workplace diversity has resulted in a plethora of stereotypes about communication styles. African-Americans are supposed to be more orally oriented that whites, Asians less likely to make eye contract than Europeans, and Hispanics more "family-" and cooperation-oriented. Are these generalizations useful? Perhaps. At least they serve as a starting point to recognize that different communication styles exist and to help determine the most appropriate style between two people. But, in the end, they are no more reflective of the specific individuals that make up large ethnic, social and racial groups than any stereotype can ever be. The bottom line is that there is no such thing as a right or wrong communication style, only more effective and less effective ones. The most effective style is not one that follows some preferred textbook approach, but rather, one that the listener is most attuned to. And managers who boast that they "treat all their people the same" may be confusing democratic principles with the capabilities needed to work most effectively in a pluralistic society. cal government planning office; most of my employees spend a lot of time commuting so I am trying to introduce some flexibility into the work week. Do you know of any good sources of information regarding this topic? I need logistical information (how to juggle my staff's hours in and out of the office) and HR-related information (OSHA requirements for working out of the home, worker's comp, etc.) Thank you, Dear Gretchen: I keep seeing articles on this in my reading but have not been saving them. I will send the next one I see to you. In the meantime, let's see what my email friends can offer. I am a big fan of alternative workweeks as they fit into today's varied lifestyles. The one caution is finding ways to do it so the customers don't suffer. Call forwarding, email, and the Internet can all help. Good luck! Reader Responses Unless it involves ordinance writing or other planning-related research, I have found it difficult to manage. Our professional positions (here in Bryan, Texas) necessitate a significant amount of customer contact. But we do continue to look for ways to accommodate alternative schedules with laptops, etc. However, laptops tend to be used to meet deadlines for work that could not be done while in the office environment. For what it's worth, Alternative work schedules are, from my point of view and experience, an excellent idea. There are many benefits, morale and staff productivity are among the greatest. The problems that arise include customer contact hours and complaints from some elected officials, who can never seem to call important meetings when you are actually there. If these bugs can be addressed, and you have a bright, trusting, forward thinking planning director (don't we all?), the system will work well. Try it for "summer hours" as a test run. Hiram Peck We have had telecommuting and flex schedules in Walnut Creek for many years now. I have several planners with young families that count on it. We have a telecommuting policy that outlines certain procedures and expectations - I believe it can be obtained through our HR department. I also, as a manager, prefer phones to be pounded over to the employee's home so it is transparent to the calling public that the employee is working at home. It also allows me instant verbal access in case The City Manager or Council need info in a hurry (don't they always). You are also correct that email is a great tool. I find also that work production goes up. Initially, it's a burden getting used to, but once an employee gets used to lugging files home, they typically get uninterrupted time to prepare staff reports and environmental documentation. Paul Richardson The City of Henderson is on a four-day workweek. All administrative offices are closed on Fridays. All departments that have development related functions have an employee presence on Fridays. For example, Community Development has a front counter planner and receptionist on Friday duty. Building inspectors work either a M-Th or T-F schedule. It works very well for us. I would be glad to talk to or exchange emails with the person who made the inquiry. My phone number is 702-565-2474. Mary Kay Peck Moreover, I've found offering an alternative schedule ("flexing") is a big motivator and recruitment tool. This seems to have bearing on your earlier postings! Steven Finn Flexible schedules and compressed workweeks can be of great benefit to individual workers and to offices, as they can:
Unfortunately, there are some pitfalls. Here are some questions to
ask when considering a flexible schedule or compressed workweek: 1. Can the office be covered adequately? Flexible schedules can stretch the capacity of those whom remain on the job while others are flexing to keep the office going. If services are being provided to the general public, adequate coverage can be a serious issue. Some offices have core times or days when all staff are expected to work, and designated flexible days and hours. 2. Is a flexible schedule or compressed workweek fair to everyone? Who gets to have a flexible schedule? Who gets what days off? One workable solution is to allow the employees alternate Fridays (or Mondays, or whatever) to flex. A flexible time schedule or compressed workweek sometimes requires a significant amount of extra work for the manager, as he or she tries to juggle schedules and coverage. To avoid having the manager become involved in day-to-day negotiations on these schedules, it is useful to pair staff. If one staff member is out, there are others who can cover for the absent staff person who must be on duty. 3. Will flexible schedule be a right or a privilege for staff members? Except in the case when such a schedule is part of an employment agreement, it is critically important that employees know that it may be necessary to give up their preferred schedule to meet the needs of the office. "It's not my day to work," is not a good answer to hear from a staff member when the office needs to be covered. Managers who allow flexible work schedules should, however, not make constant demands for staff to cover the office that essentially make a flexible schedule a joke. 4. Is there a written policy and does it conflict with any other written policies? A written policy on flexible scheduling or compressed workweeks is critical. All of the issues that need to be addressed, such as coverage and core hours, should be addressed in a written policy. Nancy Benziger Brown, Ph.D., FAICP Below you'll find what we do as a special summer program here in James City County for our planners. It allows them to work extra hours on given days so they can work four day weeks if they choose. This isn't exactly what the woman was talking about, but it might provide him some ideas. Planning
Division "Flex Time" Guidelines General Contributed by Don Davis Since your original quest for info, Planning has finally been able to implement Flex Time...however, we can't call it that, because other Departments heads don't want their employees asking for it ... our system (approved by HR) is "Within Pay Period Time Off". I have given staff a blanket authorization to work an extra hour a day during a two week pay period, as long as they take the time off during that period. The rule of thumb is that (1) they have to coordinate with peers to ensure coverage; (2) they have to share 4-day weekends, one person cannot hog that schedule;...and (3) the day off cannot always be a Monday or Friday. For the project planners, the latter has a codicil that they cannot take a PC Meeting Friday off and they have to complete projects for packet day one day earlier to take PC shipping Friday off. HR's only comment was that if it became an issue with other departments (meaning, Union involvement), we would have to stop the program. The system has functioned flawlessly and no other Department has noticed we're doing it. Anonymous |
 
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