Leading the conversation on digital connected work
One of the fields to benefit from the uncertainty that has characterized the UK economy since the Brexit vote in 2016 has been consultancy firms. PwC has announced its biggest profits in a decade, led by a huge increase in demand for consultancy services from firms worried about how Brexit will affect their business. The...
Communication in the workplace can be a minefield with the ability to either elevate or sink productivity, depending on how good it is. So, it’s quite understandable that it’s one of the most important project manager skills. Getting positive results from direct reports can often require a delicate mix of encouragement and pressure, the right...
Researchers at McKinsey&Company have found that in order to achieve organizational agility (in order to be agile)—which the firm defines as “…the ability to quickly reconfigure strategy, structure, processes, people, and technology toward value-creating and value-protecting opportunities”—organizations need to have an appropriate balance of dynamism and stability. Dynamic practices are those we often think of...
Having effective leadership skills means being able to get the best out of your team and guide them to deliver on your goals and objectives. For successful project managers, this most often doesn’t mean adopting one specific management style, but rather being adaptable and adjusting their approach depending on the team and context. Some organizations...
Growth is supposedly the goal of all young businesses, later being leveraged into profit as processes are streamlined and cost-bases regularized. However, like any successful seed, growth at all costs and at any time can leave you dying on the vine rather than blossoming in the sunshine of success. Companies face many challenges when seeking...
From aerospace to retail, every industry is impacted by disruption, whether it’s from new technologies, new customer experiences, or even new business models. Many companies have responded to these threats by reinventing themselves—often from the inside out. When the metamorphosis includes an innovation platform, leaders are typically left to determine not only how to leverage...
The year was 2001. Seventeen software developers gathered together at the Snowbird ski resort in Utah to ski, network and discuss ways to improve what had been until then, standard processes for software development. The soon-to-be founding fathers and mothers of agile development were tired of the late deliveries, blown budgets and unsatisfied customers that...
In the first two posts of this series, we discussed how to get started with continuous improvement: First, how to prepare to practice continuous improvement, by setting up a Kanban board that enables you to track and measure your team’s work. Then, we shared how to gather, prioritize, implement, and measure the impact of your...
Remote workforces are increasingly becoming the norm, with more than eight million Americans now working from home. Though remote work can create some obstacles for the traditional way teams and offices work, it also presents new opportunities to enhance business agility for those who are willing to embrace it. This has been greatly helped by...
How do you prioritize your work? Do you have a process to figure out what to do first or to identify the work that will bring the most value to the business? If your answer is “no,” keep reading; and if you answered “yes,” there is always room to improve. You may be surprised by...
