Tag Archives: Business

Who is creating the rotten barrels in your company?

Posted on August 7, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

In an earlier post, I discussed the myth of the rogue employee. The post focused on how the term was used when an organisation wanted to scapegoat an employee. When that happened, I argued that the organisation used the term to … Continue reading →

Posted in change, coruption, culture, leadership, learning organisation, management | Tagged Barclays, Business, Employment, Enron, LIBOR, Organization, Organizational culture, rotten apple, Senior management | Comments Off

Culture eats your structure for lunch

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

Peter Drucker allegedly said that culture eats strategy for breakfast. If strategy is for breakfast then your structure is for lunch. Culture will overcome any structural chart or any reorganisation. Companies fail because they believe that a restructure will change … Continue reading →

Posted in change managment, culture, leadership, learning organisation | Tagged Business, culture change, Double loop learning, Learning organization, management, Microsoft PowerPoint, Organizational culture, Peter Drucker, PowerPoint | 25 Comments

Systems thinking for middle managers: workplace democracy in action.

Posted on April 6, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

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 →

Posted in change managment, learning organisation, management | Tagged brendan mccarron, Business, Democracy, difficult conversations, Harold Jarche, Human resources, leadership, management, Middle management, Senior management, Thought | 1 Comment

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

Posted on March 8, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

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 →

Posted in change managment, leadership, management | Tagged Business, Chief executive officer, Project manager, Richard Nixon, Senior management, social media, Strategic planning, United States | Comments Off

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

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

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 Business, European Union, FBI, GPS, internet, Privacy, Radio Frequency Identification, RFID, rfid radio frequency identification, RTBF, technology | 2 Comments

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

Posted on October 31, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

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 →

Posted in culture, customer service, leadership, management | Tagged Business, Business Services, Chief executive officer, Complaint, Customer, Customer Management, customer service, Education and Training, leadership, United States | Comments Off

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

Posted on September 27, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

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 Active management, Business, claremont graduate university, corporate management team, management, Middle management, Passive management, Peter Drucker, Senior management | 7 Comments

Are you a filer or a searcher? Did your organisations teach you to file?

Posted on September 15, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

I know the title of this blog sounds like an obvious question and it may be a basic one. However, I wonder how many companies start from that basic level when developing their staff. How many teach their staff to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Archives and Records Management, Business, Business Services, change management process, Computer file, Consulting, enterprise-it, ICT, inflection point, it-security, NetApp filer, records management | 8 Comments

What you allow to interrupt you defines your priorities

Posted on August 24, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

We often hear management gurus advising us that effective and successful leaders know how to prioritise their work and the work of their company. To an extent, they are correct. What is left unsaid and not discussed is how those … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, learning organisation, management | Tagged Business, Chief executive officer, Effective Executive, leadership, management, management gurus, Peter Drucker, Senior management, United States | 5 Comments

Are we all managers now?: the rise of the self-organising organisations.

Posted on August 4, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

The future of manager is connected to the future of work. There has been talk of the self-organising organisation, which would cut or end the need for managers. Instead, we are all managers now. The future of work will be … Continue reading →

Posted in change managment, culture, learning organisation, local government, management | Tagged Active management, Business, Decision making, management, management firm, Organization, Passive management, self organising, social media | Comments Off