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March 30, 2007

Organizational Charting Our Course

Wonder how a specific company is organized? Want to learn who's working where? CogMap might be an increasingly useful tool.

Basically, CogMap is a wiki that collects organizational charts from various companies. Some of the more popular entries include Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. And like every wiki, CogMap is only as useful as the contributions people make to it.

It'll be interesting to see how this resource grows!

Posted by Heath Row at 5:49 PM | 3 Comments

August 31, 2006

University Sprawl

My college, Columbia University, is planning a takeover in West Harlem. Within 25 years, University officials say, Columbia will expand with a new, $7 billion, 17-acre, Renzo Piano-designed satellite campus in "Manhattanville."

The expansion is rife with ethical questions; long ago Columbia decided not to use the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards put forth by the U.S. Green Building Council, and more recently, it has been exploring the possibility of using eminent domain to push out stubborn neighbors.

But perhaps what’s most interesting here is one of the main arguments made for expansion by University President Lee C. Bollinger, famous for the affirmative action Supreme Court case that bears his name and the running shorts he wears around campus.

In order for Columbia to remain a top-tier university, the school needs space, Bollinger says. The best students, the best teachers, (and presumably a whole lot of patent money) are more likely to come if they can kick their feet up. Currently, Columbia is feeling the same space crunch that all New York City tenants do: it averages 194 square feet per student. (Princeton offers 561 square feet, Harvard has 368 and the University of Pennsylvania 440.)

No one (including Bollinger) knows for sure whether more square footage will allow Columbia to be uttered in the same breath as Harvard or Princeton. Would giving scientists more room help them discover more cures? Or would more room just let Columbia lure marquee academic names? Would my GPA skyrocket if I could finally find an empty study cube in the library? Does a true leader prove his skill by recognizing the need to expand his organization or by succeeding within the parameters he is dealt?

Posted by Josie Swindler at 5:49 PM | 4 Comments

August 25, 2006

Diversity's Positive Impact in the Workplace

A recent research article from Stanford Graduate School of Business's knowledgebase discusses the impact of diversity on work-group performance.

"In a recent article disentangling what researchers have learned over the past 50 years, Margaret A. Neale finds that diversity across dimensions, such as functional expertise, education, or personality, can increase performance by enhancing creativity or group problem-solving. In contrast, more visible diversity, such as race, gender, or age, can have negative effects on a group—at least initially."

Overall, studies reveal that teams with group conflict based on diversity tend to perform better than those with more similarities. What have your experiences with diveristy in your workgroups been like? Have you found this research to be true?

Posted by Lynne d Johnson at 11:22 AM | 10 Comments

November 21, 2005

Non-Standard Success Stats

And in today's Journal, an article about Jim Collins's current activities (subscription required) reminds me of James Hong's most recent venture -- and highlights the importance of different ways of measuring success.

In a new monograph available from online retailers, Collina turns his attention to organizations such as orchestras and hospitals.

A breakthrough came when he spoke to leaders of the Cleveland Orchestra, They weren't trying to increase earnings per share or return on equity; instead, they tracked standing ovations, invitations to perform in Europe, and the number of orchestras copying the Cleveland style.

What non-traditional metrics might you apply to your work?

Posted by Heath Row at 5:19 PM | 5 Comments

August 9, 2005

How Innovative Leadership Impacts Customer Experience: Part 2

This may sound like the beginning of a bad joke: What do you get when you combine:

• A nuclear engineer
• A rap artist
• An FBI agent
• An AOL / Time Warner executive
• A professional stand-up comedian

How about a church leadership team? As an experience architect, I've been exploring ways that innovative leadership is imprinted on customer experience. New Life Christian Church is a great case study. It's one of those unique places where the customer experience definitely reflects the drive and innovation of its leaders... and there's something to be learned for all.

Continue reading "How Innovative Leadership Impacts Customer Experience: Part 2"

Posted by Leigh from LivePath.net at 7:39 PM | Add Comment

The ROI on Doing a Favor

We've all heard that favors are a social lubricant and workplace currency. You do something nice for someone, and they'll return the favor. Everybody wins.

It's a bit more complicated than that, according to Columbia University management professor Frank Flynn. His research indicates that when a recipient believes that a colleague did them a favor because they genuinely like or care about them, they're more inclined to return the favor. The favor is much less likely to be returned if the recipient believes the action was calculated one, based on roles or an expected "payback." Additionally, his team discovered that consistent, smaller favors have a proportionally greater impact on ongoing interactions than occasional flashy ones.

Continue reading "The ROI on Doing a Favor"

Posted by Jennifer Warwick at 11:10 AM | 2 Comments

May 2, 2005

Maker's Mark

In his blog Play Journal, Pat Kane offers a thought-provoking entry about the role of the craftsman. Citing the Draft Craft Manifesto, Pat expands on the role that craftsmanship -- that making -- plays in our work lives, commitment to our jobs, and so forth. Key points from the manifesto:

• People get satisfaction for being able to create/craft things because they can see themselves in the objects they make. This is not possible in purchased products.
• The things people make they usually want to keep and update. Crafting is not against consumption. It is against throwing things away.
• People seek recognition for the things they have made. Primarily it comes from their friends and family. This manifests as an economy of gifts.
• People who believe they are producing genuinely cool things seek broader exposure for their products. This creates opportunities for alternative publishing channels.
• Work inspires work. Seeing what other people have made generates new ideas and designs.
• Craft-oriented people seek opportunities to discover interesting things and meet their makers. This creates marketplaces.

When was the last time you recognized a colleague or partner's craftsmanship? How might you incorporate this idea into your work? What have you made lately?

Posted by Heath Row at 2:24 PM | Add Comment

November 10, 2004

Workers Spanked for Poor Performance

The other day I posted an item defending the progressive pockets of my native Tennessee. Maybe I jumped the gun. There's a story on the AP wires today about two women in Red Bank, Tennessee (outside of Chattanooga), who complained to authorities that their boss had spanked--yes, literally spanked--them for doing a poor job at work. One of the women alleges that the owner of a local "Tasty Flavors Sno Biz" called her into his office after she forgot to put banana chunks into a smoothie. Then, he proceeded to give her 20 spankings (or "licks" as they say in the region). The store owner was charged with two counts of sexual assault and released on $2,000 bail. Of course, the boss thought his legal flank was covered. On their first day at work, he made the two women sign a statement that said: "I give Gene [the owner] permission to bust my behind any way he sees fit." A spokesman at the parent company's headquarters in Minneapolis defended the spanker, saying he's "a very Christian person." Who knows, maybe Tasty Flavors is onto something: Spare the rod, spoil the worker.

Posted by Ryan Underwood at 10:23 AM | Add Comment

December 3, 2003

Designing Accountability

The Hay Group recently issued a white paper entitled "Designing the Accountable Organization." Focusing on how organizations undergoing major strategic events can enhance clarity and accountability, the report touches on six principles:

• Ruthless focus on value
• Crystal-clear interdependencies
• Doable roles
• Empowerment requires specific freedom to act
• Clear definition of concurrent accountabilities and tiebreakers
• Teams are also held accountable

How accountable is your organization?

Posted by Heath Row at 2:43 PM | 1 Comment