At a time when American businesses feel vulnerable its time to reflect on some personal recollections about IBM over the years, some of which are being recounted fondly today, 100 years of IBM. A culture that is shared and if you don't join in as an employee you are ejected pretty early . Sounds toughContinue reading “Congratulations to Big Blue IBM for 100 years of constantly reinventing itself”
Category Archives: Culture
Medium is the message: from theatre to movie and Print/TV to the Internet
If you have acted in a play, or have watched stage acters rehearse, you know what I mean, by medium is the message. A play or theatre needs you (the actor) to throw your voice to the last row , just in case the audio does not work. You also need to exaggerate your expressionsContinue reading “Medium is the message: from theatre to movie and Print/TV to the Internet”
What has Oprah’s last show got to do with B2B/Supply Chain Relationships? : Validation
Humor aside, one has to give it to Oprah: 25 years, over 4000 shows, millions of fans for a black woman who would have been at the maximum a “school teacher in a segregated school”(by her own words today) has a huge message for business. Oprah said that every one of her thousands of guests over 25 years had only one need. That was a need to be heard,understood and where possible appreciated or validated. This need irrespective of whether they were weak or strong, rich or poor.
Jack Welch GE’s 4 E and one P curve
Update and Caution: August 10, 2022: We are both elated and worried about the wild popularity of this post. Serious questions are being raised about Jack Welch’s style, as depicted in this post. See recent criticism by David Gelles in “The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America―and How to Undo His Legacy.” Some GE managers who worked during Welch’s time seem to agree though ex-Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli is still a steadfast supporter of Jack Welch’s leadership style. Welch was widely considered the manager of the century. The Jack Welch century was the 20th Century. Do check out what seems to be working in leadership in 2022.: Leadership Style 2022: Jack Welch or Satya Nadella?
To evaluate managers GE started a system of differentiating managers on performance but were hard pressed to identify the characteristics that differentiated managers on the “Vitality” curve which is essentially a “grading” curve or graph for managers. The word “vitality” is confusing because it refers more to being vital or essential to the organization rather than being “vital” in the “having high energy” sense. In fact,”Energy” is one of the 4 E’s but let’s go over the 4 E’s of GE leadership briefly:
Linkedin IPO and Granovetter’s “Strength of Weak Ties” job seeker
The Linkedin IPO is expected to go public on Thursday – so why should we remember Granovetter's 1973 article on "The Strength of Weak Ties"? Mark Granovetter is a Stanford sociologist, who wrote by some accounts, the most influential sociological article ever in "The Strength of Weak Ties". Keep in mind that the article cameContinue reading “Linkedin IPO and Granovetter’s “Strength of Weak Ties” job seeker”
Who is the “customer” in education?- well the next link in the supply chain…
The employment situation in the US is not getting better, particularly for young people out of college.And this brings us to the "Who is the "customer"in education?" question. It is certainly not the student as the authors suggest and the simple answer from this blog's pont of view is the next link in the supplyContinue reading “Who is the “customer” in education?- well the next link in the supply chain…”
TV marketing myopia as sales decline 2.2% and Internet usage zooms
As Gen Y grows up and broadband penetration increases the household TV is expected to decline. This is a huge shift for advertising,programming and journalism on TV as people take more to the Internet for streaming video and social media. Already 40% of all Internet traffic is from video according to CISCO and this isContinue reading “TV marketing myopia as sales decline 2.2% and Internet usage zooms”
End of Osama Bin Laden great endorsement for American spirit
Scenes of crowds of mostly young people cheering outside the White House even before President Obama’s address should assure the world about the spirit of America. This spirit was hugely evident, despite the massive deficit, unemployment, and concerns about future American economic competitiveness. Truly the killing of Osama Bin Laden is a great endorsement ofContinue reading “End of Osama Bin Laden great endorsement for American spirit”
Royal Wedding to give boost to several industries in the US – including US Post!
You really can’t avoid following the royal wedding with every US TV channel having positioned their top reporters in London who are reporting live for the last several days. The fascination of Americans with the royal wedding is amazing with the air routes busy to London as travellers spend thousands of dollars on travel,stay,souvenirs and so on. The US market for several industries should see a business spike. Some of these include:
What can you learn at a McDonald’s job or McJob ? Plenty…
With 50,000 jobs on National Hiring Day there were long lines of applicants today at McDonald's what with high persisting unemployment. The McJob is mocked in popular culture because it is seen as "flipping burgers" or saying hackneyed cross-selling lines like "Do you want fries with that?" Given that McDonald's have come forward with jobsContinue reading “What can you learn at a McDonald’s job or McJob ? Plenty…”