In the wake of unrest by Turkish youth over what they consider to be a blatant misinterpretation of democracy by Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the question of formal vs. moral authority has been raised. In a recent Times op-ed, Thomas Friedman quotes executive consultant, Dov Seidman. “There are essentially just two kinds of authority:…
You cannot have a conversation about internal communication (IC), without having a conversation about the brain, about social media, about employee engagement, about leadership, and about culture. So, how do you begin to formulate an IC strategy? Which of these subjects do you tackle first? In what order? Who do you bring into the discussion?…
I once had the pleasure of meeting Maria Shriver. I was invited to a party that she and her (then) husband, Arnold were hosting at their weekend retreat outside of Washington, D.C. She struck me as an unusually strong and down-to-earth person. Capable of great empathy and yet totally driven. Ms. Shriver recently delivered the…
I’m intrigued by the countless connections between science and business. Organizations are organisms impacted by relational and environmental conditions. So, how do we as OD professionals help create alignment, or synchrony, within organizations? What conditions are necessary to align energies and behaviors that accelerate growth? In the online science publication, io9.com, author Robert Gonzalez shows how 32…
When I was publisher of a city newsweekly, we hosted a regular editorial board meeting with political candidates. I listened intently during these sessions, so I could ask good questions and tease out a little truth from among the sound bites and scripted responses. On one such occasion, incumbent DA candidate Lynne Abraham paused midway…
A friend of mine swung through town the other day after having moved to Colorado to take a job with DaVita, one of the nation’s largest dialysis companies. DaVita is renowned for its atypical company culture. My friend made that immediately apparent–he blew me away by voluntarily and enthusiastically rattling off DaVita’s values (service excellence,…
In an recent post, we talked about the rise of the culture of wellness in the corporate world. Companies are realizing that not only can you save money by having healthier employees, but also your employees become more productive. Fitbit is poised to capitalize on the rise of the wellness culture. They sell clever little devices…
…that should be applied to business. Is it economically viable? Can it be done in a timely manner? Is it commercially viable? Will people buy it? Is it possible to produce?
We hear that from time to time. During initial discovery, we’ll hear employees say things like “they say they want to do things differently, but when push comes to shove, they’re averse to change.” Or, “great ideas, but who’s going to do it….we’re short-handed as it is.” Or, “changing the system would mean completely retraining…
Today is National Walk@Lunch Day, so grab your Fitbit and get moving. An increasing number of companies are incorporating wellness and activity into their culture as a means of improving the health of their employees and reducing health care costs. Plenty of research also shows that wellness programs have a significant impact on productivity and…