Category Archives: Organization Development

“Without the spur of a crisis or a period of great stress, most organisations — like most people — are incapable of changing” John F. McDonnell In a recent project, we worked with an executive team to develop a range of … Continue reading →

Each time you hire a new employee you potentially spend several million Euro. For example, a candidate currently earning €100,000 per year will cost your company about 6 million Euro over a 30 year working career when fully loaded employment … Continue reading →

Back in my GE days, the Finance Director was skeptical about the merits of the HR function which he labeled the‘Health and Happiness Department.’ He honestly didn’t believe that HR added any value. It was part of his worldview that social … Continue reading →

This blog format is relatively straightforward. Grab attention. Make the point. Move on. But every now and again, a slightly more difficult topic is worth exploring. Indulge me this week as you take a 5-minuteexecutive break! Avoiding Decoys: In the bad … Continue reading →

Picture the scene. It’s 8.15 am on a cold, wet Thursday. You’re working through an onslaught of emails when the corporate logo on a bulky envelope catches your attention. It contains a beautifully Desk Top Published document describing the ‘Key Management … Continue reading →

        There’s one management issue on which there‘s almost universal agreement: The senior team in an organisation needs to be ‘aligned’. Why? Because, fissures at the top become chasms of disagreement further down the organisation. It’s a … Continue reading →

Like everyone else, I was horrified by the killings in Paris.  130+ people went to a soccer game, a concert or dinner and never came home. Alongside that loss, countless additional people and families had their lives torn asunder. News … Continue reading →

Over the past 20 years, I’ve been involved in numerous team-improvement and problem-solving interventions, across every type of organisation imaginable (butchers, bakers, candlestick makers and a few others thrown into the mix). Do these interventions always work? Does the problem … Continue reading →

In a consulting career spanning 25 years, I’ve attended and facilitatied many types of organization interventions. Some were ‘cerebral’ e.g. dealing with questions like “should we enter the car insurance market and what competencies would we need to compete in … Continue reading →

Most people will be aware of the psychiatric condition Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). To oversimplify, it refers to set of behaviours whereby children or adults find it difficult to concentrate for extended periods of time and often become ‘hyperactive’. … Continue reading →