Management Today articles from April 2010

Management Today archives from April 2010

Time to Bite the Bullet
April 1, 2010... I have to admit that when I first read Andrew Wileman's step-by-step guide to cutting back the public sector, I was a bit nervous. MT is not good at acting callous. However righteous the act required, those who wish to set about the public...

Contributors.
April 1, 2010... ALICIA CLEGG - For our feature on how to sell to supermarkets, Clegg persuaded a group of up-and-coming entrepreneurs to talk about the risks and rewards of doing business in the British aisles. An early convert to Tesco.com, Clegg says online...

In My Opinion: Chartered Management Institute
April 1, 2010... Michael Bichard, executive director of the Institute for Government and a CMI Companion, highlights the challenges leaders face in a resource-strapped public sector. There may be different views about whether the recession is over, but there...

The MT Diary
April 1, 2010... Bet on a bloodbath; Tweedlewho for chancellor?; Mandy's mechanicals; bracing Brum. As if they didn't have enough problems - what with missing the recession and all - professional economists (plus a few amateurs like me in tow) have added to...

Don't You Believe It ... Solutions Are Better Than Problems
April 1, 2010... How many times have you heard someone say: 'Don't bring me problems, bring me solutions'? Yet the grain of truth in this aphorism is buried under a whole bushel of caveats. It may be good to encourage people to think on their feet, but it's very...

Do it right: Tame your ego.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... KEEP IT BUTTONED. Learn how to work as part of the team rather than insist on being a leader. Start by attending meetings as an observer: you'll glean important information while you practise participating without speaking. SHOW...

Slogan Doctor: Lib DeMs: 'Change that works for you'.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... Naughty Liberal Democrats. 'Change that works for you', introduced for the election campaign, is not a bad slogan, but it's not new. The tagline was used by President Obama during his 2009 election campaign, for a two-week tour around the US...

Critical List: Blockbuster
April 1, 2010... Founded in 1985, video rental store Blockbuster was going gangbusters in its 1990s heyday. Its shelves groaning with the latest releases (plus a wide selection of teeth-rotting snacks), it was the go-to destination for anyone wanting to settle...

Decisions: Sophie Cornish and Holly Tucker.(notonthehighstreet.com)(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... notonthehighstreet.com - Co-founders of the online retailer. OUR BEST... A hard decision was to turn away applications from businesses wanting to join the site whose products weren't up to scratch. We were not paying ourselves a salary and...

Ten ways to ... Ask questions.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... 1. Begin broad.. 2... but keep your core query in mind 3. Build rapport 4. Watch your tone 5. Don't try to be clever 6. Keep it simple 7. Avoid too many 'whys' 8. Be sincere 9. Listen 10. Be ready for unexpected answers Did you find this...

Suffering from ... Cyber-disinhibition?(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... Coined by the psychologist Daniel Goleman, cyber-disinhibition is what happens to humans separated from others by a computer screen. Shy people become flirtatious and quiet people noisy, and bullies are big beneficiaries of the disorder. At...

Earning curve: April showers.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... Tony Wray, CEO of Severn Trent Water, salary (2009): pounds 450k Des Coleman, BBC weatherman, salary: pounds 33k Trainee water treatment worker, starting salary: pounds 10k Factory worker making waxed Barbour jackets, per week: pounds 175...

Why business is like ... Blue Herons.(Tesco PLC)(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... When fishing, the Inuit don't look for fish because they can't always see them. Instead, they look for a blue heron flying above the water, indicating the presence of a shoal. In business, as we search for commercial opportunities - that 'gap in...

Words-worth: Transparency.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... 'Transparency' is one of the great business mantras of our day. To be transparent is to be open, accountable, honest. Transparency is the opposite of secrecy. In management, it means not only informing colleagues, suppliers and customers of your...

Your Route to the Top: Listen Well
April 1, 2010... Stop multi-tasking. Effective listening requires absolute focus Ignore your computer, switch off your BlackBerry, and push other concerns to the back of your mind. They can wait. Choose your hat. Does the speaker want a devil's advocate, a...

Workplace rights: Data dangers.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... How many laptops and memory sticks does your organisation lose a week? If you're not worried about it, you should be. Sanctions for non-compliance with data protection laws get much tougher this month The Information Commissioner's Office can...

Stat of the month: Dirty business.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... It's hard to put a price on global environmental damage, but the UN has been trying to do just that. Trucost, the consultancy that carried out the study on its behalf, found that the cost of pollution and other environmental damage caused by the...

How he made his pile: Tiger Woods - Philandering golfer.(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... Who is he? Famous for all the wrong reasons. He was the highest-paid professional 'athlete' in 2008, pocketing circa dollars 110m from winnings and endorsements - handy if his wife decides to divorce him after revelations of sordid affairs with...

Francis Baron: If I Had to Start Again
April 1, 2010... I had no real aspirations to play sport at a high level, but I regret not getting a rugby Blue at Cambridge; I just missed it two years running. I studied mechanical sciences at university, so I trained as an engineer. I worked for Marconi...

Crash Course in ... Dismantling the Glass Ceiling
April 1, 2010... What leaps out from your annual report is the monotonous gallery of male faces in senior management, both young and old. You've got loads of women in the organisation, so why aren't they reaching the top, and what can you do about it? Get the...

Masterclass: Team-Building
April 1, 2010... What is it? Remove three letters and the word culture becomes cult The essence of team-building lies in strengthening the former without creating the latter. Most people have to work together in a team of some sort, sooner or later. These teams...

Leaders with a Long View
April 1, 2010... The best CEOs are those 'quiet gems' who focus on long-term aims, eschewing the quick fix and immediate gratification. With the general election imminent, I have been reflecting on what makes a successful leader. To compare and contrast the...

Books: A sketch but no big picture.(The Big Short: Inside the doomsday machine)(Book review)
April 1, 2010... The latest book from the author of Liar's Poker charts the banking crisis through the tales of three outsiders. Chris Blackhurst would rather be in the thick of it. The Big Short: Inside the doomsday machine Michael Lewis Allen Lane pounds...

Books: A new angle on succeeding.(Obliquity: Why our goals are best achieved indirectly)(Book review)
April 1, 2010... John Kay is a dependable economics commentator who wields a deft pen, but his 'obliquity' theory paints leaders as stark heroes or villains, says John McLaren. Obliquity: Why our goals are best achieved indirectly John Kay Profile...

The MT Interview: Jasmine Whitbread
April 1, 2010... The boss of Save the Children started her career doing PR for one of the most disliked of multinationals. Now her hard-headed corporate skills are at the service of the 91-year-old charity - and she has just been made its first international...

A Public Pruning
April 1, 2010... Whichever party wins the election, the new government will have a giant nettle to grasp. It must make urgent cutbacks in the state sector if it is to bring the UK's mega-deficit under control and clear the ground for growth. ANDREW WILEMAN has...

The New Ottomans
April 1, 2010... For decades, Turkey has been shaped by the west - culturally, politically and commercially. Now the Islamist government is revitalising the economy and re-engaging with eastern neighbours Prosperity is making it a force to be reckoned with on...

The Outsiders
April 1, 2010... Jeremy Darroch, boss of MT's Most Admired Company, and Dave Brailsford, mastermind of the medal sweep by the British Olympic cycling team at Beijing, plan an assault on the sporting world's toughest challenge: the Tour de France. With...

Storming the Supermarket Shelves
April 1, 2010... Dealing with the big retailers makes even the toughest of entrepreneurs quail. And no wonder: it's a hard-nosed game. But if you're ever going to make the big time, says Alicia Clegg, it's one you have to play. Psychological warfare, bullying...

Reputation in Recession
April 1, 2010... In the era of Dragons' Den and The Apprentice, business and entrepreneurialism gained a wide public fan base. But come the crash, trust in capitalism plummeted. Can it be rebuilt? MT invited a panel of experts to the discussion table... ...

Motor Mouth
April 1, 2010... It's deja vu again as Sathnam Sanghera rekindles his passion for the Range Rover TDV8, subtly made over. You know the feeling you get when you're out with your spouse, and she's been silent for a while, and you ask if she's OK, and she...

What's Your Problem?(labor relations)(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... Q: It was my boss's 40th birthday recently. We made a fuss of her, but perhaps the humour about her getting old went a bit too far. She has had a face like thunder for the past week and she's making our lives hell. What should we do? A: Let...

What's Your Problem?
April 1, 2010... Q: I work in HR in a medium-sized business. Our training budget was reduced to nothing for a year, so I started a 'learn from your peers' initiative, where any employee can take a session either on a project that they've run or a particular...

What's Your Problem?(work ethics)(Brief article)
April 1, 2010... Q: What is the etiquette with cycling to work? I have colleagues who leave their sweaty gear to fester on the radiators and it's a bit unpleasant, especially when we bring clients in. A: The problem isn't one of etiquette, it's one of human...

What's Your Problem?
April 1, 2010... Q: Help! My new manager (a male in his mid-fifties) flirts outrageously with me (I'm female in my early thirties). I've tried humour, stern words and the silent treatment, to little avail. I love my job, but at the same time I'm not sure how...

First-Class Coach
April 1, 2010... Q: After many years of going with the flow career-wise, I've decided that having always previously been chosen, it's time I did the choosing for my next job. Trouble is, never having done it before, I'm not sure where to start. A: Most...

Engaging Tactics
April 1, 2010... No longer is employee engagement a happy-clappy buzzword thrown around HR conferences. It earned a place on the Government's agenda when, last year, business secretary Lord Mandelson commissioned engagement consultant David MacLeod to...

The Sharp End: Inside the Glass Crucible
April 1, 2010... At Pilkington's vast glassworks, Dave Waller has a window on the fiery processes. I'm off to St Helens to visit Pilkington's glassworks. I know what sand is, and I'm familiar with glass, but I've no idea how you get from one to the other. I...