Author Archives: lawrence serewicz

About lawrence serewicz

An American living and working in the UK trying to understand the American idea and explain it to others. The views in this blog are my own for better or worse.

To get better complaints: help the customer to complain

I read this HBR blog and thought about how it could be applied to complaints.  When a problem occurs, an organisation will often wait until someone before trying to fix the issue. As most organisations do not work actively to … Continue reading

Posted in customer service, management | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Systems thinking for middle managers: workplace democracy in action.

As middle manager, I have been thinking a lot about how I do my job. As a colleague explained to me, “We are the jam in the sandwich.”  I liked the idea because it shows a central, sweet, and connective … Continue reading

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In the age of social media, will your Chief Executive sort your mail?

The question is shocking, as it seems impossible. Yet, in today’s social media enhanced workplace, the potential is implicit within the technology.   We would not expect a Chief executive to open a company’s mail, sort it and deliver it. Yet, … Continue reading

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Tesco, horsemeat, and how to write an apology letter.

  Tesco has been at the centre of a food scandal recently in which value beef burgers sold under its label were found to contain horsemeat.  While other companies such as Aldi and Iceland have been involved, Tesco has received … Continue reading

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Privacy and the right to be forgotten: who owns your personal information?

Over the past year, the right to be forgotten (RTBF) has become a topic of debate and interest.  What began as an academic or theoretical issue has become a legislative proposal within the European Union.  From the perspective of the … Continue reading

Posted in change, change managment, data protection act, information management, innovation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is augmented reality the future for archives in a digital age?

I have been thinking about the future of archives for the next 20 years and how services will be delivered.  I am interested in how the public (archive users) will access the archives. In particular, I am interested in how … Continue reading

Posted in culture, information management, learning organisation, local government, records management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Need to improve your customer service? Have your Chief Executive sign the complaint responses

Sometimes you have trouble with customer service. Try as you might, you cannot find a way to improve it. What may exist is a gap between the senior management and the frontlines regarding customer service. In many ways, the senior … Continue reading

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Four questions for George Entwistle at parliament on 23 October 2012

When George Entwistle answers questions before the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee on Tuesday 23 October 2012, the committee will face several challenges.  First, the committee will show the public’s interest about the withdrawal of the Newsnight programme.  On the … Continue reading

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Are you aware of how your solution has unintended consequences?

In trying to manage, it is important to start by understanding the issue or the problem before trying to solve it. As Peter Drucker wrote, an effective executive asks, “What needs to be done?” Often times, a manager may believe … Continue reading

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The rise of the networked managers: sense making in the social media age.

The manager’s role is changing. The new organisation, connected and networked,  requires managers to deal with internal and external issues.  The required skill set is changing.  In the past, the focus may have been on service delivery based on top … Continue reading

Posted in change, change managment, knowledge worker, management | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments