Just look this one, what are you thinking then ?
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
Brilliant, isn’t it?
And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=123456789 87654321
Now, take a look at this…
101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:
What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER
100%.
How about ACHIEVING 101%?
What equals 100% in life?
Here’s a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
If:
H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K
8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%
And:
K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E
11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%
But:
A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E
1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%
THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%
Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It’s the Love of God that will put you over the top!
It’s up to you if you share this with your friends just the way I did.
Investors/readers have probably already heard all of the bad jokes regarding Six Flags.
"Things are so bad at Six Flags, it's now called Three Flags."
"The only thing rising at Six Flags is the rollercoaster."
"A contest offered a vacation prize. First Prize: a day at Six Flags. Second Prize: two days at Six Flags."
O.K., that last one was borrowed from arguably the greatest comedian of all time, Groucho Marx, but you get the point: times are tough for Six Flags (NYSE: SIX).
Six Flags has more than $2.4 billion in debt, hasn't posted a profit in years, and has a big hurdle next summer: a $288 million payment to preferred shareholders, The Wall Street Journal reported (subscription required). Six Flags' stock closed Friday down 10 cents to $1.02.
Attendance, down 3% in Q2, is expected to "decline by at least that percentage, or come in even lower" for the year stock analyst C. Leonard Bauer told BloggingStocks, adding that it's not an elaborate mystery concerning why Six Flags is becoming less of a destination of significance.
Investors/readers have probably already heard all of the bad jokes regarding Six Flags.
"Things are so bad at Six Flags, it's now called Three Flags."
"The only thing rising at Six Flags is the rollercoaster."
"A contest offered a vacation prize. First Prize: a day at Six Flags. Second Prize: two days at Six Flags."
O.K., that last one was borrowed from arguably the greatest comedian of all time, Groucho Marx, but you get the point: times are tough for Six Flags (NYSE: SIX).
Six Flags has more than $2.4 billion in debt, hasn't posted a profit in years, and has a big hurdle next summer: a $288 million payment to preferred shareholders, The Wall Street Journal reported (subscription required). Six Flags' stock closed Friday down 10 cents to $1.02.
Attendance, down 3% in Q2, is expected to "decline by at least that percentage, or come in even lower" for the year stock analyst C. Leonard Bauer told BloggingStocks, adding that it's not an elaborate mystery concerning why Six Flags is becoming less of a destination of significance.
A mission shift at the wrong time
"They're caught in the middle of a brand repositioning at a time of decreasing disposable income for most families. It's not a combo for success," Bauer said. Bauer added that he does not have a rating on nor own shares in any amusement park or entertainment company. The Reuters F2008/F2009 EPS consensus estimates for SIX are -$0.99/-$0.73.
Bauer said Six Flags has not transitioned quick enough from being "a date night, teenager-oriented, thrills amusement park" to "one that attracts more of a family crowd." Competitors bested it in the younger demographic, but it hasn't installed enough family-oriented rides and activities or implemented an effective marketing plan, for its new role, he said. As a result, it lost many teenage parkgoers, but hasn't made up for it in family attendance. This year's doubling of gasoline prices -- which substantially cut disposable income -- magnified Six's woes.
Bauer's prescription for Six Flags? At least a 20-25% cut in peak admission prices, with larger discounts for families, and closing the worst two to four of its 20 amusement parks, if attendance does not improve.
“Leadership” is big business. Google brings up over 171 million results for the word. There’s principle-centred leadership, spiritual leadership, post-modern leadership. Some experts pair leadership with ethics, gender, trust, even Santa Claus. All are undoubtedly clever people, if only for finding endless ways to milk the same, teat-chaffed, cash cow.
And one can understand why. In Roffey Park’s Management Agenda 2007 survey, 70 per cent of its senior-level respondents identified leadership as the most pressing business issue they faced. The survey shows organisations that develop leaders are twice as likely to over-perform against financial expectations as those that don’t, so it’s little wonder that, according to the CIPD’s 2008 Learning and Development survey, 90 per cent of HR professionals believe their organisations need to focus on developing leadership skills to meet their business objectives in the next two years.
But, first, one must choose one’s definition. So what exactly does leadership mean to you? Depending on your guru de jour, managers maintain the status quo, while leaders challenge it; managers are efficient, leaders effective; managers work within an organisation, leaders work on it; managers do things right, leaders do the right things.
Although it has the makings of a wonderful Cole Porter number, this is a specious argument, a combination of semantics, smoke and mirrors. Isn’t it possible, indeed desirable, to do the right things right?
Rather than “either/or”, surely management and leadership form a continuum? A successful firm needs people who are capable of being both transactional and transformational, with the precise blend and balance dependent on the business requirements.
Too many companies confuse leadership with seniority or long service. One has to act, think and feel like a leader and, most important, be seen as one.
If true leaders are born, can you thrust leadership upon others, or at least train them in it? First, question how many leaders your organisation needs, and at what levels. Hank McKinnell, former CEO of Pfizer, once said he wanted a company of 85,000 leaders. In the sense that everyone has some unique talent that should be developed, all are indeed leaders. However, how many chefs does one kitchen need before the broth is spoilt?
As for whether leadership can be learnt, I believe that while unconscious qualities – vision, inspiration, courage – can’t, leadership skills, such as visioning, empowerment and conflict management, can and should. Leadership development has to go beyond training to more informal, unstructured means of learning: mentoring, coaching, secondments, sabbaticals and action learning.
Leaders need to be responsible not only for their own development but also for enabling others to grow. The way they are developed will have a critical effect on how they motivate and engage their own staff.
However, if only 6 per cent are rewarded for developing skills, according to the CIPD’s 2007 Learning and Development survey, it’s scant surprise if 94 per cent have other priorities. Alas, as this wasn’t probed in the 2008 survey, we can’t tell if the situation has improved since. Everyone, whether they are leaders or not, should be measured and incentivised not only on what they achieve, but how they do so. What message does an organisation that allegedly “listens to its people” send if its leaders combine permanently closed doors with never-shut mouths?
The Government is cracking down on rogue employers - with a new phone helpline. That'll teach 'em...
The idea of the new Government helpline is that workers who are being mistreated or illegally underpaid can report their employer more easily, allowing the authorities to clamp down on nefarious management practices. There'll also be a high-profile publicity campaign, plus a new Fair Employment Enforcement Board of business and union representatives, tasked with co-ordinating the existing groups that enforce different bits of the current rules (like the Health and Safety Executive and HMRC).
The campaign, announced today by employment relations minister Pat McFadden, is an (admittedly rare) example of unions and businesses joining forces for the common good. Their joint report on the exploitation of vulnerable workers found that many were unaware of their rights and didn’t totally understand which public body was which (we can’t say we blame them – neither do we). Hence why McFadden has promised to spend £6m on an awareness-raising campaign, and brought in a single helpline to allow for a more co-ordinated official effort.
McFadden insists there will now be no hiding place for rogue employers: ‘There are still dark corners of the labour market where rogue employers seek to mistreat their workers and more needs to be done to safeguard people's rights. We want to prevent unscrupulous employers who undercut honest competition and prey on people who are fearful or so desperate to earn a living that they are open to exploitation,’ he said today.
However, the government has resisted union pressure to extend the remit of the current laws. The Gangmaster Licensing Act, which was introduced back in 2004 in the wake of the Morecambe Bay cockle-pickers disaster, only covers the agricultural and food-processing industries – but the TUC argued that workers in the construction, healthcare and hospitality sectors (which are often low-paid and staffed with vulnerable immigrant workers) were equally at risk. ‘The GLA is cleaning up the agriculture and food sectors it covers, and good employers in those sectors have welcomed the assurance that they will not be undercut by the rogue agencies and gangmasters,’ said general secretary Brendan Barber today (although he did welcome the report more generally).
Although the idea of another government body to manage a bunch of other government bodies (a super-quango, if you like) might fill you with horror, the move should increase the pressure on rogue bosses – and that has to be a good thing. After all, agencies that operate like this give everyone else in the sector a bad name...
Can the Beijing Olympics inspire Britain's slothful office workers to liberate themselves from their desks?
With the Beijing Olympics upon us, you’d expect to see a huge upswing in sporting activity among your fellow office workers, inspired by the sight of their athletic heroes endeavouring (and usually failing) to win gold. But, if anything, the opposite has been happening – or not happening, as the case may be. According to new research, the average British office worker is a physically inactive workaholic.
We’ve known for some time that UK workers are bad at taking breaks, often powering through lunch and regularly working beyond contracted hours (two-thirds of us are guilty of this). But a new study, conducted by ICM for Canon UK, has calculated that we’re now spending a decidedly unhealthy 34 working weeks a year sitting at our desks. In fact, the average office worker spends a posterior-numbing five and a half hours every day sitting at his workstation, with one in five spending seven to eight hours in exactly the same position. And while these ‘immobility skills’ might be highly sought-after in some professions – guarding Buckingham Palace, say, or standing in for something at Madame Tussauds – it all points to a growing, girth-expanding problem in the British workplace.
What’s more, 20% of workers admit that their health is the last thing on their minds when they’re in the office, with a quarter admitting they also find it difficult to eat healthily during working hours. And our workaholic culture means that family and friends are also being forsaken along with exercise. Numerous studies have shown that taking breaks and exercise lead to increased productivity, lower rates of absenteeism, and improved staff retention. In other words, happier, healthier workers are good for the bottom line. But workers in the UK seem to be finding it very hard to get it right.
Canon’s solution to this perennial problem is a new ‘Office Olympian’ guide, which contains tips from independent experts on staying active, eating properly and maintaining good posture in the office – and we clearly need all the help we can get. Even going to make a cup of tea or picking up documents off the printer will at least get you away from your desk briefly, it suggests – while better diet and posture will also save your employer money in the long run.
Some of you may be tempted by Beijing’s celebration of sporting excellence to institute a Beijing-inspired Office Olympics, including events like the photocopier high jump, stapler archery, corridor sprinting, canteen table tennis and so on. But to be honest we wouldn’t recommend it – your health and safety people would have a fit...
How to communicate key decisions to your team
Involve your team. Ask people what information they need and how they want to hear about it. Use your intranet for free two-way communication. Let your staff air their gripes without fearing the consequences.
Keep it fresh. Don't recycle old material - your staff aren't stupid, and they'll soon stop reading. Be inventive, rather than relying on cut-and-paste.
Make it relevant. People should know why they're receiving a message and understand how it relates to their job. Pick appropriate media, and make sure when they're reading it they're not wondering 'who is this person?'
Ditch the jargon. No-one wants to read about helicopter views, blue skies and low-hanging fruit - unless they're planning a holiday. Keep the language clear and instantly understandable, without being patronising.
No spinning. Keep your communications straightforward and backed up by facts. Your readers will be quick to spot any attempts at gloss, and you'll struggle to win back an untrusting audience.
Don't shy away from bad news. We live in a cynical world, and no-one believes that everything is all sweetness and light. Tell them what has gone wrong, why it didn't work, and what you're going to do to fix it.
Avoid clashing messages. Do you really want to announce a cost-cutting initiative to people who've just read about the chief executive's bonus? Think about the timing.
Business is booming at Biggin Hill, the former WWII fighter base that is now London's fastest-growing airport. All thanks to the increasing number of travellers who forsake the hurly-burly of Heathrow, Gatwick et al for the speedy, tranquil and exclusive world of private aviation. Andrew Saunders samples a day in the life of the executive jet set.
The runway has been checked, the fire-fighters have tested their safety equipment and, up in the 1950s-era control tower, the air-traffic controllers have donned their headsets and checked the weather and visibility. It's not yet 7am, but Biggin Hill airport, situated in the leafy Kentish suburbs 12 miles south of central London, is open for business.
Parked out on the tarmac are some 15 executive planes with a combined value getting on for a third of a billion dollars. At the front are the entry-level VLJs (Very Light Jets) - $1.5m craft so diminutive that some of them don't even have a loo - and behind them the range goes right up to the ultimate in high-altitude status symbols, the intercontinental machines. Planes like the Bombardier Global Express, Dassault Falcon and Gulfstream G550 are as big as a Boeing 737 and can fly a dozen or so passengers over 6,000 nautical miles non-stop, in an atmosphere of utter privilege. Price? A cool $40m-$90m, depending on model and specification.
Welcome to the upper reaches of 'general aviation' (GA), a catch-all industry term used for privately owned and operated aircraft: that's everything from weekend pilots and flying-club members right up to medical evacuation flights and - the bit we're most interested in here - executive jets. If a flight isn't available to the general public (and you don't see much of the general public round here), it's probably a GA flight.
0715: Inside the modest passenger terminal, Pauline Kent is ready at her snack counter. She hasn't had many takers for breakfast yet. Although Biggin Hill is open from 6.30am, operating restrictions imposed in deference to local residents mean that things don't really get cracking until after 7.30.
But don't let the peace and quiet fool you - the executive flying business is booming, according to the airport's business development director Robert Walters. 'Our typical traffic is now 50-60 movements a day - 100 if it's busy. That's 50% up on two years ago, and 80% of it is business flying.' At weekends, Walters claims, Biggin Hill can be busier than Heathrow - in terms of aircraft movements, at any rate.
As for the planemakers, order books are full and production of exec jets is expected to almost double to 1,700 aircraft a year over the next decade.
0742: A mid-sized Cessna Citation jet - $15m to you, squire - touches down, inbound from Kortrijk in Belgium. It's the first 'movement' of the day, but there are no passengers on board - they will be along later. The plane parks up and its crew prepare to pass the time until their customers arrive. This is probably the only branch of aviation where the aircrew wait for the passengers rather than the other way round.
Ten minutes later, a trio of sober-suited corporate execs stride out of the terminal building and board a twin-engined turboprop - roomy and relatively cheap to operate, if less glamorous than a jet. The plane is operated by a 'large plc' and today it is flying up to Chester and then to the Channel Islands. Not only does flying save time, says Walters, but passengers can also do confidential work while they travel, because there are no other passengers around to eavesdrop. 'The aircraft acts as a flying boardroom,' says Walters. Only a minute or so after they board, the steps are pulled up and the plane is on the move.
You don't have to be Einstein to grasp the appeal of this way of travelling. Tests conducted at Heathrow last year revealed that passengers' heart-rates can exceed those of Formula One drivers during a Grand Prix race. The neuropsychologist who monitored the tests concluded that some aspects of the Heathrow ordeal are more stressful than being mugged.
By comparison, Biggin is a sort of anti-airport, a haven of polite, tranquil efficiency designed to deliver exactly the opposite passenger experience. So there's no hour-long queue for check-in or security, no forced shopping to relieve the boredom of waiting (and boost the coffers of the operator), and no 15-minute walk to the gate. You just turn up, have a word with the greeter at the desk, show your passport to the security officer (an ex-Special Branch man) and walk out to the plane.
'We're a port of entry,' explains Walters. 'We have all the facilities of a large airport - immigration, security, passport control - just on a smaller scale.'
Another thing Biggin does have in common with at least the older parts of Heathrow is the dowdiness of the building itself, a hotch-potch of conservatory-style extensions arranged around an institutional-looking 1950s core. But as the average time from arrival at the airport to boarding the plane is less than five minutes, the only people who spend any time in it are airport staff and waiting aircrew.
0922: The crash alarm sounds and the firefighters drop everything and race to their appliances. CAA regulations state that they have to be able to get from their depot to any point on the airfield, and to have started to fight any fire there may be, within three minutes of the alarm sounding. That's a pretty tall order, says training officer Mick O'Brien - Biggin Hill is a 500-acre site and the main runway is 6,000 feet long.
'We're very proud of the training we do that enables us to hit that target,' he says. It's a task made even tougher by the fact that when they aren't on fire duty, the fire team has to double - or rather triple - as baggage-handlers, ground control staff and paramedics, and even service the toilet and water facilities on the aircraft. Make no mistake, these guys are busy.
The call is for an inbound jet whose pilot has reported a problem with the landing gear indicator lights. After a low fly-past to confirm that the wheels are down, the plane lands safely. The fire tenders chase it down the runway just in case.
'That's how you want it to be,' says O'Brien. 'We train and train, but hope we never have to use our skills for real.'
Sometimes they do. O'Brien has attended several incidents - 'proper crashes' - and was one of the first on the scene when, back in March, a Citation crashed onto a house in nearby Romsey Close shortly after taking off from Biggin. All five people on board, including racing driver David Leslie, were killed, and the house - fortunately empty at the time - was destroyed.
Notwithstanding such occasional grisly reminders of what can happen, business-jet flying has a good safety record. One interesting comparison recently concluded that it is safer than driving a car and about as safe as travelling by train. But nervous sorts looking for the absolute last word in accident risk minimisation should probably stick to scheduled flights. Large, modern airliners travelling regular routes between large dedicated airports are statistically just about the safest way yet devised to get from A to B.
1105: A dark-blue helicopter clatters in to land in front of the terminal building. The ride from Battersea heliport takes only seven minutes. It's a sleek, twin-engined job - eye-wateringly expensive to run. Three passengers emerge, at least one of whom, I'm told, is a 'prominent banker' - names are strictly confidential. Airport staff escort them all of 50 metres to a waiting Hawker jet. It's taxi-ing to the runway for take-off a minute or two later.
The airport started life as a Royal Flying Corps base in 1917. It was home to Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons during World War II, but it's now owned and operated by Regional Airports Limited. Founder and chief exec is Andrew Walters, Robert's father. Walters senior, an ex-army helicopter pilot, bought a 125-year lease on the airport back in 1994 from its owner, the London Borough of Bromley.
'It was in a parlous condition - the runway surface was breaking up so badly we had to sweep it before every jet take-off,' he recalls. 'I think the council probably thought they could close it eventually and use the land for housing. But I could see it was a good opportunity for a commercial airport.'
Now, after 18 years of careful investment and repair work - 'we do occasionally come across the odd old bomb crater from 1941' - the airport finds itself in an increasingly strong position. All the other London airports are approaching capacity - landing slots for private jets at Heathrow are almost impossible to come by, and both City and Farnborough, traditionally the two most favoured airports for business fliers, are also congested and expensive to use. Farnborough in particular - licensed for 60,000 flights a year - is pretty much full. But because of its military origins, Biggin Hill is licensed for 125,000 flights per year and has plenty of room to spare. Consequently, it is now London's fastest-growing airport, as news spreads of its utility as a base for both the super-rich - from fashion designers to oligarchs, pops stars to industrialists - and the growing cohorts of corporate fliers. If the £100m sale of the firm's other asset, Southend Airport, goes according to plan, Biggin is set for a £35m cash injection in the not-so-distant future.
1215: Spotting his chance, the pilot of a newly arrived two-seater light aircraft threads his way between the rows of prestigious jets to park right by the terminal door. It's a bit like someone jumping the queue at The Dorchester in a Mini Metro, and a reminder that Biggin Hill remains a major centre for amateur and weekend fliers, too.
1430 Tomislav Radic is the pilot of a brand-new Cessna Citation XLS. He arrived yesterday and was diverted to Biggin because he and his crew missed their landing slot at Luton. He, his first officer and flight attendant are waiting for their passengers to return before they depart for the two-hour trip back to Belgrade. 'They are stuck in traffic,' he says. 'They could be here any time.'
Radic works for a charter company, which owns a handful of executive jets and hires them out - fully staffed - to its customers. 'We are very busy,' he says. 'I do 60 or 80 hours of flying a month and my firm is having to turn business away. More and more business people are flying this way.'
In recent years, executive jet use has been made more affordable by the proliferation of charter and fractional-ownership operations. Fractional ownership works like a timeshare, but instead of buying the same fortnight in July every year, you buy a chunk of flying time that you can use more or less at your own discretion. Firms like NetJets - one of Biggin's best customers - have used smart marketing and more reasonable economics to persuade many businesses of the benefits of having regular access to an executive jet without the pain of a pricey asset sitting idle on the books in between flights. But at upwards of $8,000 an hour, it's still not exactly cheap.
1550: A sleek BMW 750 limo with privacy glass draws up outside the terminal. Its chauffeur strides in, checks with the desk and breezes out again. The car proceeds to the tarmac, where the anonymous passenger boards the waiting plane, without having so much as set foot in the terminal.
Since 9/11, security has become a big sell for executive aviation. Not only are airline security procedures onerous and time-consuming, goes the argument, but what about everyone else on the plane? Why travel in an airliner with 300 total strangers when you can fly in a business jet with half a dozen close colleagues who you are confident do not have Semtex hidden in the heels of their loafers? John Dugdale, another ex-Special Branch police officer, is in charge of security at Biggin Hill. 'Security at a large airport takes hours, even if you are flying first-class. What we offer is a quick, personal service - we can do full security screenings, but in minutes not hours.'
Walter Pellegrin, an executive jet pilot from northern Italy, agrees that the customer service at Biggin Hill is excellent. 'It's small and intimate, and being able to drive the car out to the plane is unique, I don't see that anywhere else.'
At 61 he's been flying for 41 years. 'I used to fly for a small Italian airline. This role is very different; it's more challenging than I expected. An airline pilot flies - and that's all. You never see your passengers. For an executive jet pilot, flying is the easy part. The main thing is to satisfy the customer. They are not flying Ryanair and they want the best service.'
1740: Behind his desk next to the snack bar, David Lloyd is taking a call from a Russian client. Lloyd runs the eponymous Lloyds of Bromley car service, with a team of 12 regular drivers and an all-Mercedes fleet dedicated entirely to the onward travel needs of Biggin Hill customers.
A pick-up that was supposed to have happened at 1630 in the capital's West End has just been put back to 1930. Lloyd calls the driver with the good news. 'He's just going to have to wait,' he says matter-of-factly. 'If I didn't have loyal drivers, I'd never cope in this business.'
But there are compensations. 'I get to know the customers, and what they like. We had Michael Schumacher in the other day; he knew exactly what he wanted. Air-conditioning at 22 degrees and all the windows shut.'
Celebs of both the business and corporate variety are a commonplace here, but mostly they don't like to shout about it. One big name who is not shy of letting his interest in Biggin be known is Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone. He owns a large chunk of the site - the part that used to be the RAF pilot training school - and keeps half a dozen aircraft based at Biggin.
Biggin is also popular with well-heeled animal lovers - Elton John among them, reputedly - as it is the only UK airport other than Heathrow to allows pets to travel without lengthy quarantine stays, via the pet passport scheme. Rumour has it that one of the larger jets based here has departed for foreign climes more than once with only the owner's two dogs and a manservant for passengers ...
1815: Radic and his crew are still waiting for their customers to turn up, but he remains sanguine. As far as he is concerned, it's all part of the service. 'Our passengers don't care about the cost; they just want to go where they want to go, when they want to go there. Our job is to give them want they want.'
American Productivity & Quality Center - APQC provides products and services to help your organization discover and implement best practices and obtain measurable results.
Benchmarking - About Management. The basics of benchmarking including what it is, why it's important and what to measure.
Benchmarking - Consortium - Consortium for Higher Education Benchmarking for academic environments.
The Benchmarking Network - Worldwide Benchmarking Resource Guide - information and links.
BenchmarkReport.com - Free, financial benchmark service for manufacturing companies. Learn how your company's financial performance measures up against your closest peers with detailed analysis in key metrics.
Best Practice Business Process Design - Includes a number of articles on four themes: production and inventory planning and control, supply chain, related IS /IT issues, and change management. Provided by SM Thacker and Associates.
Best Practices LLC - Gateway for executives and specialists seeking to improve their business processes through benchmarking leading companies and implementing best practices.
The Booth Company - The latest information about 360 degree feedback for measuring leadership, management and organization effectiveness. Secure web-based feedback surveys are featured.
BPR Online Learning Center - The learning center offers an index of BPR articles, an online tutorial series, benchmarking studies, yellow pages for BPR resources, and information on reengineering toolkits and document templates for project teams.
Broadcast Benchmarking Association - Association of professionals interested in benchmarking and identifying the best broadcast practices that improve the overall operations of their companies.
Business to Consumer (B2C) Benchmarking Association? - Assists business to consumer managers identify the best business practices and compare operating performance.
Capability Snapshot - Provides a technology-based survey methodology for organizations.
The Cost-Effective Organization - Provides best practices and resources for the reduction and control of business expenses.
Customer Service Benchmarking Association - Association of companies that conducts benchmarking studies to identify the best practices surrounding customer service issues that improve the overall operations of the members.
Ebenchmarking - A monthly newsletter provided via e-mail available to individuals employed by large corporations, higher educational organizations or governmental entities who are involved with benchmarking.
Electric Utility Benchmarking Association - An association of electric utility companies that conducts benchmarking studies to identify the practices that improve the overall operations of the members.
The Global Benchmarking Council - Comprised of benchmarking, quality, and process improvement professionals from around the world. Strives to enhance member initiatives through studies, networking, conferences, and other activities.
Information Systems Management Benchmarking Consortium - Brings together information systems professionals from a variety of companies to conduct targeted studies on issues related to improving performance and effectiveness.
International Call Center Benchmarking Consortium - An association of call center professionals to compare operating performance and identify the best business practices.
International Contract Management Benchmarking Association - Association of corporations with contract management processes.
International Council Of Benchmarking Coordinators - Brings benchmarking professionals together to share information to improve business processes in their industry.
International Institute for Internet Industry Benchmarking (I4B) - Multi-company consortium dedicated to identifying best practices in Internet Industry Strategies.
ISO Benchmarking Association - Brings professionals of companies that are ISO Certified or are seeking ISO Certification together to share information to improve business processes.
ISP Benchmarking Association - An association of procurement and supply chain organizations within major corporations. ISPBA conducts benchmarking studies to identify practices that improve the overall operations of the members.
Knowledge Management Benchmarking Association - Brings together knowledge management professionals from a variety of companies. Conducting benchmarking studies to identify practices that improve the effectiveness of Knowledge Management activities.
Online Quality Resource Guide - The Guide provides annotated links to online resources focused on Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge, System Thinking, Statistics, Continuous Improvement, Joy in Work, Customer Focus, Learning Organizations, Quality Management and Innovation.
Ravenwerks Best Practices Information Center - Articles on best practices in teamwork, leadership, finance, marketing, customer service and technology.
Shared Services Benchmaking Association - An association of shared services managers to compare operating performance and identify the best business practices.
Strassmann, Inc. - Strassmann offers consulting and analytical services for effective corporate information management. Site contains several resources including assessments and white papers.
Tresury Management Benchmarking Association - An association of treasury managers within major organizations that conducts benchmarking studies to identify practices that improve the overall operations of the members.
Upward Feedback - Web processed Upward Feedback and phased 360 Feedback - managers and teams plan improvement together. Self-Managing Teams, Best Practice and Benchmarking.
Program Content
Fraud continues to proliferate across financial institutions, through multiple lines of business and banking channels (payments, account opening, online banking, etc.). Increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics and the proliferation of organized crime rings make detecting fraud difficult and preventing it nearly impossible. Adding to the complexity is increased globalization and growth through mergers and acquisition, which make it harder to effectively monitor multiple portfolios and business lines. During this discussion, we will identify and share best practices and ideas around the prevention, investigation, and detection of possible fraudulent activities.
Emerging trends in the market.
New technologies that support robust analytical modeling to better address the changing tactics for fraud.
Gaining a true enterprise view of fraud.
Increasing ROI through real-time prevention of losses.
Going beyond fraud detection and prevention.
Participant level of understanding
This program is intended for participants with a basic or intermediate level of understanding on the topic.
About John Geurts, Executive General Manager, Group Security, Commonwealth Bank of Australia; Steve Ledford, Associate Principal, McKinsey & Company; Dan Barta, Director – Enterprise Fraud & Risk Strategy, SAS
John Geurts, Executive General Manager, Group Security, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)
John Geurts has led the CBA Group’s fraud and security risk management function for eight years, and is accountable for global fraud & security risk management strategy, policy and operations for the CBA, its subsidiaries and joint ventures; including investigations, fraud and financial crime, protective security, business continuity management and crisis management.
Geurts leads a team of 180 staff and maintains a 24x7 fraud detection team and global incident monitoring centre servicing the Group and its Australian customers.
Prior to joining the Bank, Geurts enjoyed a 19-year career within the Australian Federal Police, with experience in major fraud, money laundering and organised crime investigations, retiring as Director of Technical Operations in 2000.
Geurts is a member of the Global Board of Advisors to the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators (IAFCI) and is a Senior Associate of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. He is also the past Chair of the Banking & Finance Infrastructure Assurance Advisory Committee and former member of the Australian Government’s Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council.
Steve Ledford, Associate Principal, McKinsey & Company
Steve Ledford has more than 25 years experience in the financial services industry. Ledford’s work has focused on payment systems and services in the US and international markets. He has provided consulting services to a variety of clients including technology vendors, payment associations and major banks in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia.
Ledford has been with Global Concepts since 1991. Global Concepts is a research and consulting group specializing in payments that became part of McKinsey & Company in 2004.
Prior to joining the firm, Ledford served as consultant, analyst and research director with a number of organizations, including the Lafferty Group, Bank Administration Institute, Deloitte, First Interstate Banks and South Carolina National Bank.
Ledford is a graduate of Wofford College with a BA in Economics.
Dan Barta, Director – Enterprise Fraud & Risk Strategy, SAS
Dan Barta is part of a team responsible for the development of SAS’ Enterprise Fraud program including the development and delivery of product solutions and consulting. He is also responsible for development of analytical software tools for detecting and preventing fraudulent activity, as well as, the development of tools to address alert management and operational needs of fraud detection and prevention.
Barta has over 20 years experience in fraud investigation, detection and prevention primarily in the financial services industry. Dan began his career in 1987 as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Dallas, TX as a member of the Bank Fraud Taskforce responsible for the investigation of numerous failed savings and loans in North Texas. He also investigated several white-collar crimes and defense procurement fraud matters.
In 1994, Barta became a manager with a Big Six accounting firm in their Business Fraud and Risk Services practice. His primary responsibilities included performing internal fraud investigations for client organizations and developing anti-fraud programs.
Barta spent approximately 3 years with Nations Bank/Bank of America in the Liability Risk Management department. During his time with the bank, Dan led the implementation of a check fraud detection software product across multiple sites within the bank. He also managed a team of fraud detection specialists.
From 1999 until April 2008 when he came to SAS, Barta worked for Carreker Corporation, later acquired by Checkfree Corporation, managing a delivery team responsible for the implementation of fraud software products. He also performed numerous consulting engagements for clients in the area of fraud and risk operations and optimization of fraud systems and resources. He was also responsible for the development of a fraud alert management product currently utilized by several banks.
Barta is a graduate of Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA with a BS in Criminal Justice and from Savannah State College with a BA in Accounting. Dan is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Barta lives in Irving, Texas with his wife Sheryl and children – Nicholas (9) and Kennedy (5). He enjoys tennis, golf and travel.
He joined SAS in April 2008.
The latest version of the NSM platform supports Juniper's SSL VPN products, Unified Access Control (UAC) NAC gear and EX enterprise switches. Previously the platform managed only firewalls and intrusion-detection products. Later this year, NSM will be expanded further to support Juniper M-Series multiservice edge routers and MX-Series Ethernet services routers under NSM.
The overhaul of NSM will help Juniper compete against Cisco for corporate business, says John Oltsik, an analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group. "Cisco has rich management of its devices," he says, "but it requires layering multiple software packages. NSM aggregates functions and is more elegant."
The ability to set policies across network and security gear will make it possible for businesses to set service-level policies across both domains, Oltsik says, giving added value to owners of broad Juniper portfolios. "They can set virtual-LAN and QoS and security policies from one central console," he says.
Many customers will want to keep management rights separated by role anyway, says Dave Passmore, an analyst with the Burton Group. They may want security staff to access only security devices and network staff to access only routers and switches, he says.
The expanded NSM will help out with the SA6000 SSL VPN gear used by IFC Corp., the commercial arm of The World Bank, says Glenn Hudler, an information officer with the company.
With 65 VPN devices and 73 Juniper firewalls, the new NSM will go a long way toward simplifying configuration and eliminating errors, Hudler says. "If we had to manually send configurations for the firewalls, we literally couldn't do it," he says. "There would be so many mistakes."
The situation is similar with the VPNs. "The chances of making a mistake without NSM are pretty high," Hudler says.
The platform also lets Hudler define a new configuration policy and compare it to current configurations. NSM tells him whether the proposed changes do what he intended, unintentionally undo other policies or replicate existing policies.
The new NSM required bringing together management of disparate products that were developed in-house or acquired. (Compare Network Monitoring and Management products.)
NSM was created by NetScreen, which Juniper bought in 2004. NetScreen came to Juniper with firewalls, IPSec and SSL VPNs, and intrusion-detection gear, some of which was acquired as well. For instance, NetScreen bought its SSL VPN gear when it purchased Neoteris in 2003.
To bring management of this smorgasbord of devices under NSM, Juniper instituted an XML interface called the device-management interface (DMI). NSM was adapted to talk to DMI, and that capability makes it possible for Juniper to add product lines to the management platform quickly, the company says. Formerly called NetScreen Security Manager, Juniper renamed the platform Network and Security Manager so it retained the familiar NSM acronym by which it was known.
New NAC capabilities
Juniper has made its UAC technology compatible out of the box with Microsoft's Network Access Protection (NAP) NAC technology. This means customers can use elements of one with elements of the other.
Rather than distribute Juniper's UAC client, the NAP client that comes built into Windows XP and Vista can handle reporting on the status of endpoints.
UAC has supported NAP for more than a year, based on public demonstrations, but that required complex configuration. Now, the support is standard with UAC.
Along with NAP interoperability, new UAC software makes it simpler to install and deploy UAC client software. It also makes it possible for UAC to auto-remediate more third-party products, such as antivirus software, and enables UAC to scale to hundreds of thousands of endpoints at a time.
Juniper also has broadened the number of devices that can send security input to its Infranet Controller, the UAC policy controller, to isolate misbehaving endpoints.
The company's Coordinated Threat Control architecture enables various devices on the network to report to the Infranet Controller about significant security incidents. Based on the severity of these events, the controller's policies can call for quarantining the offending machine or restricting its access to the network. In extreme cases, its session can be cut and further access attempts denied until the attack can be analyzed.
Juniper has expanded this reporting capability to include the firewall within its Integrated Security Gateway appliance.
Juniper is also announcing two new Infranet Controller appliances, the IC 4500 and the IC 6500, new hardware that boosts performance of earlier models. The IC 4500 costs $10,000 for the appliance, plus licenses for concurrent users. The smallest license is for 25 users and costs $1,500. The IC 6500 appliance costs $15,000, plus licenses. The smallest license package is for 100 users and costs $4,300.
Another view is that to be a very effective member of an organization (whether executive, middle manager, or entry-level worker), you need skills in the functions of planning, organizing, leading and coordinating activities -- the key is you need to be able to emphasize different skills at different times.
Yes, leading is different than planning, organizing and coordinating because leading is focused on influencing people, while the other functions are focused on "resources" in addition to people. But that difference is not enough to claim that "leading is different than managing" any more than one can claim that "planning is different than managing" or "organizing is different than managing".
The assertion that "leading is different than managing" -- and the ways that these assertions are made -- can cultivate the view that the activities of planning, organizing and coordinating are somehow less important than leading. The assertion can also convince others that they are grand and gifted leaders who can ignore the mere activities of planning, organizing and coordinating -- they can leave these lesser activities to others with less important things to do in the organization. This view can leave carnage in organizations. Read:
Founder's Syndrome -- How Organizations Suffer -- and Can Recover
How Do Leaders Lead?
The Challenge of Suggesting Which Methods to Use
The particular competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) that a person needs in order to lead at a particular time in an organization depend on a variety of factors, including:
1) Whether that person is leading one other individual, a group or a large organization;
2) The extent of leadership skills that person already has;
3) That person's basic nature and values (competencies should be chosen that are in accordance with that nature and those values)
4) Whether the group or organization is for-profit or nonprofit, new or long-established, and large or small;
5) The particular culture (or values and associated behaviors) of whomever is being led.
Suggested Competencies Required for Leading in Organizations
The above considerations can make it very challenging when trying to determine what competencies someone should have in order to be a better leader. Perhaps that's why leadership training programs in institutions typically assert a set of standard competencies, for example, decision making, problem solving, managing power and influence, and building trust. The following lists of competencies was derived by examining a variety of leadership development programs.
Suggested Competencies for Effective Leadership in Organizations
- - - How to Use the Following List
- - - Leading Yourself
- - - Core Competencies to Lead Others
- - - Leading People -- Other Individuals
- - - Leading People -- In Groups
- - - Leading People -- Organization-Wide
General Advice (Tips, etc.)
Leading is Human Activity -- Everyone's Human -- Everyone's Got Advice About Leading
There are numerous -- often contradictory -- views on the traits and characteristics that leaders should have. The concept of leadership is like a big "elephant" and each person standing around the elephant has their own unique view -- and each person feels very strongly about their own view. Descriptions of leadership include concepts such as the "New Paradigm", "New Millennium". Descriptions can sound very passionate, even evangelical! It can be difficult to grasp consistent messages from articles about leadership. Many writers use different terms for the same concepts. Some interchange use of roles in the organization (executive managers) with competencies in leading (leadership).
Guidelines to Reading Literature About Leadership
Therefore, before you begin reading the following articles, it might help you to glean some guidelines about understanding articles about leadership. See
Guidelines to Understanding Literature About Leadership
Numerous Views About What Traits and Characteristics Leaders Should Have
To really get a good grasp on the "territory" of leadership, it's important to have a broad view of leadership. Therefore, if you haven't yet read Gaining Broad Perspective on Leadership, then considering doing so before reading any of the following articles.
Driving Forces of Change
Around the 1960s and on to today, the environment of today’s organizations has changed a great deal. A variety of driving forces provoke this change. Increasing telecommunications has “shrunk” the world substantially. Increasing diversity of workers has brought in a wide array of differing values, perspectives and expectations among workers. Public consciousness has become much more sensitive and demanding that organizations be more socially responsible. Much of the third-world countries has joined the global marketplace, creating a wider arena for sales and services. Organizations became responsible not only to stockholders (those who owned stock) but to a wider community of “stakeholders.”
As a result of the above driving forces, organizations were required to adopt a “new paradigm,” or view on the world, to be more sensitive, flexible and adaptable to the demands and expectations of stakeholder demands. Many organizations have abandoned or are abandoning the traditional top-down, rigid and hierarchical structures to more “organic” and fluid forms.
Today’s leaders and/or managers must deal with continual, rapid change. Managers faced with a major decision can no longer refer back to an earlier developed plan for direction. Management techniques must continually notice changes in the environment and organization, assess this change and manage change. Managing change does not mean controlling it, rather understanding it, adapting to it where necessary and guiding it when possible.
Managers can’t know it all or reference resources for every situation. Managers must count on and listen more to their employees. Consequently, new forms of organizations are becoming more common, e.g., worker-centered teams, self-organizing and self-designing teams, etc.
Traits of the New Paradigm
Marilyn Ferguson, in The New Paradigm: Emerging Strategic for Leadership and Organizational Change (Michael Ray and Alan Rinzler, Eds., 1993, New Consciousness Reader), provides a very concise overview of the differences between the old and new paradigm. (The following is summarized.)
Contingency Theory
Basically, contingency theory asserts that when managers make a decision, they must take into account all aspects of the current situation and act on those aspects that are key to the situation at hand. Basically, it’s the approach that “it depends.” For example, the continuing effort to identify the best leadership or management style might now conclude that the best style depends on the situation. If one is leading troops in the Persian Gulf, an autocratic style is probably best (of course, many might argue here, too). If one is leading a hospital or university, a more participative and facilitative leadership style is probably best.
Systems Theory
Systems theory has had a significant effect on management science and understanding organizations. First, let’s look at “what is a system?” A system is a collection of part unified to accomplish an overall goal. If one part of the system is removed, the nature of the system is changed as well. For example, a pile of sand is not a system. If one removes a sand particle, you’ve still got a pile of sand. However, a functioning car is a system. Remove the carburetor and you’ve no longer got a working car. A system can be looked at as having inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes. Systems share feedback among each of these four aspects of the systems.
Let’s look at an organization. Inputs would include resources such as raw materials, money, technologies and people. These inputs go through a process where they’re planned, organized, motivated and controlled, ultimately to meet the organization’s goals. Outputs would be products or services to a market. Outcomes would be, e.g., enhanced quality of life or productivity for customers/clients, productivity. Feedback would be information from human resources carrying out the process, customers/clients using the products, etc. Feedback also comes from the larger environment of the organization, e.g., influences from government, society, economics, and technologies. This overall system framework applies to any system, including subsystems (departments, programs, etc.) in the overall organization.
Systems theory may seem quite basic. Yet, decades of management training and practices in the workplace have not followed this theory. Only recently, with tremendous changes facing organizations and how they operate, have educators and managers come to face this new way of looking at things. This interpretation has brought about a significant change (or paradigm shift) in the way management studies and approaches organizations.
The effect of systems theory in management is that writers, educators, consultants, etc. are helping managers to look at the organization from a broader perspective. Systems theory has brought a new perspective for managers to interpret patterns and events in the workplace. They recognize the various parts of the organization, and, in particular, the interrelations of the parts, e.g., the coordination of central administration with its programs, engineering with manufacturing, supervisors with workers, etc. This is a major development. In the past, managers typically took one part and focused on that. Then they moved all attention to another part. The problem was that an organization could, e.g., have a wonderful central administration and wonderful set of teachers, but the departments didn’t synchronize at all.
Chaos Theory
As chaotic and random as world events seem today, they seem as chaotic in organizations, too. Yet for decades, managers have acted on the basis that organizational events can always be controlled. A new theory (or some say “science”), chaos theory, recognizes that events indeed are rarely controlled. Many chaos theorists (as do systems theorists) refer to biological systems when explaining their theory. They suggest that systems naturally go to more complexity, and as they do so, these systems become more volatile (or susceptible to cataclysmic events) and must expend more energy to maintain that complexity. As they expend more energy, they seek more structure to maintain stability. This trend continues until the system splits, combines with another complex system or falls apart entirely. Sound familiar? This trend is what many see as the trend in life, in organizations and the world in general.
Basics -- Definitions (and Misconceptions) in Management (also includes 4 major functions)
Diposting oleh Revolusi DiriThere are a variety of views about this term. Traditionally, the term "management" refers to the activities (and often the group of people) involved in the four general functions listed below. (Note that the four functions recur throughout the organization and are highly integrated):
1) Planning,
including identifying goals, objectives, methods, resources needed to carry out methods, responsibilities and dates for completion of tasks. Examples of planning are strategic planning, business planning, project planning, staffing planning, advertising and promotions planning, etc. (See Planning (many kinds).)
2) Organizing resources
to achieve the goals in an optimum fashion. Examples are organizing new departments, human resources, office and file systems, re-organizing businesses, etc. (See Organizing (many kinds).)
3) Leading,
including to set direction for the organization, groups and individuals and also influence people to follow that direction. Examples are establishing strategic direction (vision, values, mission and / or goals) and championing methods of organizational performance management to pursue that direction. (See Leadership (Introduction).)
4) Controlling, or coordinating,
the organization's systems, processes and structures to reach effectively and efficiently reach goals and objectives. This includes ongoing collection of feedback, and monitoring and adjustment of systems, processes and structures accordingly. Examples include use of financial controls, policies and procedures, performance management processes, measures to avoid risks etc. (See Coordinating Activities.)
Another common view is that "management" is getting things done through others. Yet another view, quite apart from the traditional view, asserts that the job of management is to support employee's efforts to be fully productive members of the organizations and citizens of the community.
To most employees, the term "management" probably means the group of people (executives and other managers) who are primarily responsible for making decisions in the organization. In a nonprofit, the term "management" might refer to all or any of the activities of the board, executive director and/or program directors.
Another Interpretation
Some writers, teachers and practitioners assert that the above view is rather outmoded and that management needs to focus more on leadership skills, e.g., establishing vision and goals, communicating the vision and goals, and guiding others to accomplish them. They also assert that leadership must be more facilitative, participative and empowering in how visions and goals are established and carried out. Some people assert that this really isn't a change in the management functions, rather it's re-emphasizing certain aspects of management.
Executives
Usually, this term generally applies to those people or specific positions in top levels of management, e.g., chief executive officers, chief operating officers, chief financial officers, vice presidents, general managers of large organizations, etc. In large organizations, executives often have different forms of compensation or pay, e.g., they receive portions of the company's stock, receive executive-level "perks, etc. Chief executives usually pay strong attention to strategic plans and organizational performance, whether measured financially or from impact of services to a community. Many people think of the Chief Executive Officer as heading up large, for-profit corporations. This is not entirely true. The majority of businesses in the United States are small businesses, whether for-profit or nonprofit. Their top executives could be called Chief Executive Officers. For more information, see Chief Executive Role.
Managers
A classic definition is that “Leaders do the right thing and managers do things right.” A more standard definition is usually something like “managers work toward the organization’s goals using its resources in an effective and efficient manner.” In a traditional sense, large organizations may have different levels of managers, including top managers, middle managers and first-line managers. Top (or executive) managers are responsible for overseeing the whole organization and typically engage in more strategic and conceptual matters, with less attention to day-to-day detail. Top managers have middle managers working for them and who are in charge of a major function or department. Middle managers may have first-line managers working for them and who are responsible to manage the day-to-day activities of a group of workers.
Note that you can also have different types of managers across the same levels in the organization. A project manager is in charge of developing a certain project, e.g., development of a new building. (See Project Planning.) A functional manager is in charge of a major function, such as a department in the organization, e.g., marketing, sales, engineering, finance, etc. (For example, see Program Planning) A product manager is in charge of a product or service. Similarly, a product line manager is in charge of a group of closely related products. (See Product/Service Management.) General managers are in charge of numerous functions within an organization or department.
Supervisors
(This is a widely misunderstood term. Many people believe it applies only to people who oversee the productivity and development of entry-level workers. That's not true.) The term "supervisor" typically refers to one’s immediate superior in the workplace, that is, the person whom you report directly to in the organization. For example, a middle manager’s supervisor typically would be a top manager. A first-line manager’s supervisor would be a middle manager. A worker’s supervisor typically would be a first-line manager.
Supervisors typically are responsible for their direct reports' progress and productivity in the organization. Supervision often includes conducting basic management skills (decision making, problem solving, planning, delegation and meeting management), organizing teams, noticing the need for and designing new job roles in the group, hiring new employees, training new employees, employee performance management (setting goals, observing and giving feedback, addressing performance issues, firing employees, etc.) and ensuring conformance to personnel policies and other internal regulations.
Supervisors typically have strong working knowledge of the activities in their group, e.g., how to develop their product, carry out their service, etc. Many also use the term "supervisor" to designate the managerial position that is responsible for a major function in the organization, for example, Supervisor of Customer Service. For more information, see Basic Overview of Supervision.
Work Directors
Work directors directly oversee the work of their subordinates. They carry out their oversight role by specifically assigning work and then closely monitoring to ensure the work is carried out according to their wishes. Often, people work their way up through management levels by starting out as work directors. Over time, they develop skills in delegation, which frees them up from having to closely monitor the work of their subordinates and, instead, to attend to more high-level managerial activities. Work directors are not always at lower levels of the organization. For example, a middle- or upper-level manager who has poorly developed delegation skills might still be interpreted as work directing her or his subordinates.
Individual Contributors
This term is often used to refer to entry-level and/or first-line employees who do not have employees reporting to them.
Leaders
Very simply put, a leader is interpreted as someone who sets direction in an effort and influences people to follow that direction. They set direction by developing a clear vision and mission, and conducting planning that determines the goals needed to achieve the vision and mission. They motivate by using a variety of methods, including facilitation, coaching, mentoring, directing, delegating, etc. As noted above, one of the four key functions of management is leading (along with planning, organizing and controlling). Leaders carry out their roles in a wide variety of styles, e.g., autocratic, democratic, participatory, laissez-faire (hands off), etc. Often, the leadership style depends on the situation, including the life cycle of the organization. There are many views about what characteristics and traits that leaders should have. There are also numerous theories about leadership, or about carrying out the role of leader, e.g., servant leader, democratic leader, principle-centered leader, group-man theory, great-man theory, traits theory, visionary leader, total leader, situational leader, etc.
As note above, many people assert that leading is different than managing. See
Is Leading Different than Managing? (pros and cons of this debate)
(This term is commonly misapplied when people use the term mostly to refer to the top levels in an organization. The term has -- and should have -- much broader usage. Anyone at any level in an organization can show leadership; thus, almost anyone can be a leader in the organization)
Boards of Directors / Governance Development
Board / Governance development refers to the activities involved in enhancing skills of the corporation's board members to effectively fill their role in governing the corporation. Board development typically includes helping board members to understand their role of boards, build skills in recruiting and training board members, carry out effective board meetings, make policy decisions about strategic goals and finances, evaluate the board and chief executive officer, etc. For more information, see Boards of Directors.
Management Development
Usually, this term refers to the activities involved in enhancing leaders', managers' and supervisor's abilities to plan, organize, lead and control the organization and its members. Consequently, many view the term "management development" to include executive development (developing executives), leadership development (developing leaders), managerial development (developing managers) and supervisoral development (developing supervisors). For more information, see Management Development.
As mentioned above, there are people who assert a strong difference between "leading" and "managing". These people often refer to leadership development (developing skills in leadership) as apart from management (and managerial) development (developing skills in planning, organizing and controlling). See "Leading" Versus "Managing".
Executive Development
(Today's organizations are changing dramatically. Successful change requires strong leadership from top positions in the organizations. Therefore, writers often interchange use of the phrases "leadership development" with "executive development". They are not the same. As noted above, this is handy, but it can cause substantial confusion.)
Executive development refers to the activities involved in enhancing one's ability to carry out top-level roles in the organization. Some key skills for executives to have include understanding the external environment of the organization, leadership, strategic planning, financial forecasting and analysis, organizing, program planning and human resource management, etc. For more information, see Chief Executive Role.
Managerial Development
This term is not frequently used. When it is, it is usually used meant in the same regard as management development.
Supervisoral Development
Supervisoral development refers to the activities involved in enhancing one's ability to oversee, guide and evaluate activities of immediate subordinates in the organization. Supervisor development often includes learning basic skills in employee performance management, managing meetings, project management, etc. Good supervisory development should also include developing skills in time and stress management -- the role of supervisor is often quite stressful to those who are first getting used to the hectic activities of management. For more information, see Supervisoral Development.
Written by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC. Copyright 1997-2008.
Adapted from the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision.
Traditionally, the term "management" refers to the activities (and often the group of people) involved in the four general functions: planning, organizing, leading and coordinating of resources. Note that the four functions recur throughout the organization and are highly integrated. Emerging trends in management include assertions that leading is different than managing, and that the nature of how the four functions are carried out must change to accommodate a "new paradigm" in management. This topic in the library helps the reader accomplish broad understanding of management (including traditional and emerging views), and the areas of knowledge and skills required to carry out the major functions of management.
NOTE: There are two closely related topics in the library, including Basic Overview of Supervision and Leadership (Introduction).
Management in business and human organization activity, in simple terms means the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals. Management comprises planning, organizing, resourcing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.
Management can also refer to the person or people who perform the act(s) of management.
The verb manage comes from the Italian maneggiare (to handle — especially a horse), which in turn derives from the Latin manus (hand). The French word mesnagement (later ménagement) influenced the development in meaning of the English word management in the 17th and 18th centuries.[1]
[edit]
Theoretical scope
Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933), who wrote on the topic in the early twentieth century, defined management as "the art of getting things done through people".[2] One can also think of management functionally, as the action of measuring a quantity on a regular basis and of adjusting some initial plan; or as the actions taken to reach one's intended goal. This applies even in situations where planning does not take place. From this perspective, Frenchman Henri Fayol[3] considers management to consist of five functions:
planning
organizing
leading
co-ordinating
controlling
Some people, however, find this definition, while useful, far too narrow. The phrase "management is what managers do" occurs widely, suggesting the difficulty of defining management, the shifting nature of definitions, and the connection of managerial practices with the existence of a managerial cadre or class.
One habit of thought regards management as equivalent to "business administration" and thus excludes management in places outside commerce, as for example in charities and in the public sector. More realistically, however, every organization must manage its work, people, processes, technology, etc. in order to maximize its effectiveness. Nonetheless, many people refer to university departments which teach management as "business schools." Some institutions (such as the Harvard Business School) use that name while others (such as the Yale School of Management) employ the more inclusive term "management."
Speakers of English may also use the term "management" or "the management" as a collective word describing the managers of an organization, for example of a corporation. Historically this use of the term was often contrasted with the term "Labor" referring to those being managed.
Philip Kotler (born 27 May 1931 in Chicago) is the S.G. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He received his master's degree at the University of Chicago and his PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in economics. He did postdoctoral work in mathematics at Harvard University and in behavioral science at the University of Chicago.
He was selected in 2001 as the #4 major management guru by the Financial Times (behind Jack Welch, Bill Gates, and Peter Drucker,) and has been hailed by the Management Centre Europe as "the world's foremost expert on the strategic practice of marketing." In 2008, the Wall Street Journal listed him as the 6th most influential person on business thinking.
Kotler has consulted many major U.S. and foreign companies, including IBM, Michelin, Bank of America, Merck, General Electric, Honeywell, and Motorola - in the areas of marketing strategy, planning and organization, and international marketing.
He presents seminars in major international cities around the world on the latest marketing developments to companies and other organizations.
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