By accessing this specific research or running a study on a job you are hiring for, to fine tune the specifications, the level of understanding is increased greatly. The end result is a single number, based on research that constitutes a probability of success in that job (success = high performance). Selection decisions can be made MUCH more accurately. Just in the last couple years, leading companies such as MasterCard, Travelers, Qualcomm and hundreds of others have begun adopting this approach to select their people.
Contributed by People Optimiza... on 1st of May 2014 02:54:03 PM
What does people optimization entail? In some of our discussions and feedback on our website, we've received comments along the lines, "You can't optimize people..." To which our response is, REALLY! Further, we say, if you are a manager over a group of people and you don't have a mindset where you are consciously trying get the most from or make the most of the productivity of your people, then you are probably a bad manager.
Contributed by alan on 19th of December 2013 10:21:27 PM
Statistical thinking is the ability to understand a situation by accurately assessing probabilities, understanding variation and dealing effectively with uncertainty.
I just finished teaching a graduate-level statistics class where the textbook material was the conventional hypothesis testing, confidence intervals and n/z/t/f/chi2 distributions... This is all valuable stuff in assessing samples and providing proof of the validity of your data. Far more valuable, I believe, is the ability to actually think statistically, which actually has very little to do with this.
Contributed by admin on 27th of May 2013 09:40:47 PM
With the proliferation of ERP, BI, BPM, Data Analytics and other business systems, the key selling point is the concept of having a dashboard such that everything you need to drive your business is in front of you. Just read the "gauges" and step on the brake or accelerator… It's a miracle of modern management, a simple, "powerful" , prioritizing, management by exception system that does what we need to have done. Or is it?
Let's consider a few key points.
Contributed by alan on 25th of January 2013 06:25:48 AM
Does HOW you do things matter? Think of anything significant you do- think of HOW it can best be done. Now, consider HOW you do it currently. This is a great line of thought for business leaders to instill in their managers but before you go down that road, you need to ensure they are focused on the right processes. Not all processes are important but the ones that have the following characteristics are:
Contributed by Process Optimiz... on 11th of January 2013 10:41:29 AM
The Gallup organization recently did a study that concluded that disengaged (i.e. unenthusiastic, unmotivated etc..) employees cost, on average, an additional 33% of the money spent on salaries. That is, if you’re a small business with a $1 million dollar payroll, you are incurring a $300,000+ cost burden if you do not have highly engaged employees.
How do you get there?
First of all, you have to have an understanding of what engagement is and how you measure it? Engagement is a condition in the culture of an organization by which your employees ..
Contributed by admin on 2nd of September 2012 10:17:15 AM
The objective of a planning process, in marketing or elsewhere, is typically to pick the most worthwhile goals and figure out how to get there in the most efficient way possible. Usually, the most significant barrier to effective planning for many is oversimplification and basing decisions on assumptions and "feel-good" information that has no or little relation to reality. This leads to really bad decisions and I believe is a primary reason that statistically, most businesses and plans fail.
Contributed by People Optimiza... on 10th of July 2012 01:30:14 PM
Here are a few question to address your organization's problem-solving effectiveness:
Do the leaders in your organization understand accurately the underlying values and mindsets regarding addressing root causes or solving problems?
How much fear/paranoia (really) exists in surfacing problems, in other words, when employees see a problem or an opportunity to improve, how likely are to surface that problem even if they may believe they may have some "blame"?
How does this contribute to employees preferring to keep problems they see to themselves?
When problems occur, are employees supported in their effort to determine root causes or find solution or does the blame game kick in?
Is there a divide between those who create and those who solve problems?
Contributed by alan on 31st of March 2012 12:43:18 PM
Today, I attended the Wall Street Journal series of events entitled How I Built It. As a follow-on to their ongoing column where they profile entrepreneurs who have built successful enterprises, they are doing a small "nationwide" tour where their small business editor (and the audience) interviews a group of 6 of these folks in an attempt to better understand their experiences, success models etc…
At today's even t(3/31/11), attendees included the founders/co-founders from the following firms: Popchips, One Kings Lane, Thrillist.com, Ouidad and Reef.
