Category Archives: Intangibles
Hiring and Acquiring – Two Sides of the Same Coin?
It is hard to imagine two organisational activities that result in more high profile, costly failures and reputational damage than corporate acquisitions and senior level recruitment (although culture change probably comes close). Situations where high hopes and strong rationale underpinning an acquisition or senior level hire can quickly give way to the realisation that a big mistake has been made are all too common. At first glance they may not seem to be too similar; yet both activities share some of the same fundamental problems and issues. Given that failure in these activities is hugely damaging to businesses, isn’t it time businesses changed their approach to hiring and acquiring? Continue reading
HR and Big Data; Jumping the Gun?
Big Data is unlikely to lead to the breakthroughs in understanding of what makes success unless organisations start to take into account the key intangibles such as relationships and culture. To understand performance or lack thereof, we need to look far beyond the capabilities, characteristics or behaviour of individuals. Instead, relationships, culture, other intangibles and contextual factors play a larger role in understanding performance. Continue reading
Rethinking the War for Talent
Despite advances in technology, selection methods and years of cumulative experience; organisations continue to struggle squaring the recruitment and talent puzzle. Arguably, with all the tools currently available to them, businesses are no better at recruiting than they were 20 years ago. Whilst new technologies and social media have widened the net, there is little evidence to suggest that decision making is improving or that organisations are better at understanding what makes a successful hire. Maybe it is time that we re-frame the talent question and look at recruitment decisions through a different set of filters? Continue reading
Actionable and Predictive Team Analytics
The significance of actionable and predictive team analytics cannot be understated. Tools that offer decision makers simple, actionable, valuable and consistent advice is key. Additionally, these capabilities have arguably been missing from the practice of anyone wanting to improve the engagement, well-being and performance of their staff or team members. Continue reading
A Physics of People and The 5 Criteria to Transform Business
The idea of a Physics of People is both valuable and represents something potentially unique. Given that the idea has the potential to transform business, the following sets out the five criteria that a ‘Physics of People’ would need to have in order to have the best chance at achieving such a transformation. Continue reading
Peopleware and Social Business – A Missing Piece?
Despite the fact that the term ‘peopleware’ was first coined in 1977 and a book by the same name was published in 1987, there is little contemporary mention of peopleware today in social business circles. It’s going to be interesting to watch the changing role of peopleware in social business, not least the idea of what peopleware is and how it can help social business realise it’s full, transformative potential. Continue reading
Thinking about a ‘Physics of People’
Further to Stowe’s piece Socialogy and a Scientifically-Grounded Understanding of People and his Physics of People tag, I’ve been thinking about other people’s thoughts and ideas on the subject. What does the idea of a ‘Physics of People’ consist of and how it might take shape? The following extracts and quotes chart the thinking and writing on the subject over the past ten years or so. Continue reading
Socialogy and a Scientifically-Grounded Understanding of People
A scientifically-grounded understanding of people, such as 4G, has the potential to change business in hugely profound ways, perhaps on a scale comparable to the industrial revolution, the introduction of the PC or the rise of the internet. Such a statement is naturally loaded with many assumptions and implications, so it’s worth exploring both in further detail… Continue reading
Team Deficiency Accounts for Startup Failure 33% of the Time
Team deficiency accounts for startup failure almost 33% of the time. Whilst is it commonplace to speak in terms of mechanical, manufacturing, medical or construction related deficiency, there are precious few online articles dealing with team deficiency. If teams are said to be deficient in something, then this raises a whole series of other interesting questions, not least of which is ‘what is a team’? Continue reading
The Hidden Cost of Collaboration
If we assume that the hidden cost of collaboration amounts to 10% of people’s working week, then this suggests significant improvements in performance and engagement can be realised through better collaboration. Equally, the 10% figure isn’t too far out of line given that other research suggests that 10 – 40% of people’s performance is based on the quality of their relationships. Continue reading
