Author Archive for Graeme Codrington

Talent management as a competitive differentiator

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 30, 2008
in Future Trends and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 0 Comments

The Adecco Institute does ongoing studies into the Future of Work. Last week, they released the following study (see the Executive summary below).

Study: Talent Management to become key differentiator for companies competing in global marketplace

Globalization boosts demand for skilled labor - growing skills shortages require new role of HR to succeed in competition for qualified workforce.

Finding talent, developing talent and keeping talent will be the new role of Human Resources (HR) management in the future. This “talent management” - the assessment and long-term planning of a company’s workforce needs - rather than the traditional filling of vacancies, will become a key differentiator for companies competing in the global marketplace.”This new role of HR management comes as a consequence of three trends converging: Globalization, demographic change and skills shortages”, says Donna Murphy, Managing Director of the Adecco Institute, referring to the result of a study based on interviews with 5,000 HR professionals. Globalization in developed countries increases the demand for skilled and highly qualified labor, while the demand for unskilled work shrinks.

Continue reading ‘Talent management as a competitive differentiator’

Competing for Eco tourists

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 25, 2008
in Environmental Issues, On the Move - Travel and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

The Strategy+Business blog and website always has insightful content. It’s the online moutpiece of consulting giant, Booz Allen Hamilton, so that should be no surprise. Subscribe to their e-zine here.

This month’s “Leading Idea” was about eco tourism, and how to maintain a competitive advantage in this space. There are lessons for every business trying to use corporate social responsibility as a strategic tool. Read the full article here, or see a summary below.

Competing on the Eco Front
by Jürgen Ringbeck and Stephan Gross

4/01/08
Environmentally friendly countries have a leg up in the competition for international travelers, but sustaining that advantage takes work.

Eco tourismWhy do travelers — be they on business or just visiting — prefer to go to Switzerland rather than, say, Ukraine? It’s no surprise: Switzerland offers a much more attractive combination of factors. It’s easy to get there and to travel within the country, it’s clean and visitors feel safe there, and Switzerland’s combination of traditional culture and natural beauty is justly famed all over the world. Yet the continued popularity of Switzerland and other desirable destinations is by no means a given. Maintaining the relative purity of the environment while promoting and growing tourism is critical as competition intensifies among regions to attract the ever-growing number of travelers.

A recent study by Booz Allen Hamilton (part of the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008) found that environmental factors may determine whether travel and tourism sectors thrive or falter in the coming years. The report evaluated the health of the tourism industry in 130 countries based on 14 pillars important to travelers, private operators, and public authorities — including regulatory framework, infrastructure, and cost to natural, cultural, and human resources. This year, for the first time, the index also ranked each country according to its environmental sustainability. Among the items examined were the stringency of environmental regulations and the extent to which they are enforced, carbon dioxide emission levels, and the percentage of the country’s species that are endangered.

Continue reading ‘Competing for Eco tourists’

Load shedding lessons (and opportunities)

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 23, 2008
in Articles, Connection Economy and Leadership
. 4 Comments

Dr Graeme Codrington offers insight for South Africans (and others) on how not to be left in the dark when it comes to strategic planning as well as attracting and retaining talented young people with creativity - particularly when traditional solutions aren’t working. Consider how you could use the current load shedding to your advantage!

Continue reading ‘Load shedding lessons (and opportunities)’

The Multitasking Generation

Published
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Graeme Codrington
on April 17, 2008
in Millennial generation, Talent - Bright Young Things and Technology
. 0 Comments

Every now and again, TIME magazine has a seriously excellent, long and in depth, feature article that grabs my attention. I am not a subscriber, but always check TIME editions out on the newstand. These features are well researched and worth keeping.

I missed one about 2 years ago, and was recently given a copy of it by a friend. I found it online, and it is available here. It is about the generation of young people that are growing up with pervasive technology, and the impact of multitasking from a young age.

It’s long, but it’s worth a read. Extracts are available below…

The Multitasking Generation
TIME magazine, Mar. 19, 2006
By CLAUDIA WALLIS

It’s 9:30 p.m., and Stephen and Georgina Cox know exactly where their children are. Well, their bodies, at least. Piers, 14, is holed up in his bedroom–eyes fixed on his computer screen–where he has been logged onto a MySpace chat room and AOL Instant Messenger (IM) for the past three hours. His twin sister Bronte is planted in the living room, having commandeered her dad’s iMac–as usual. She, too, is busily IMing, while chatting on her cell phone and chipping away at homework.

By all standard space-time calculations, the four members of the family occupy the same three-bedroom home in Van Nuys, Calif., but psychologically each exists in his or her own little universe. Georgina, 51, who works for a display-cabinet maker, is tidying up the living room as Bronte works, not that her daughter notices. Stephen, 49, who juggles jobs as a squash coach, fitness trainer, event planner and head of a cancer charity he founded, has wolfed down his dinner alone in the kitchen, having missed supper with the kids. He, too, typically spends the evening on his cell phone and returning e-mails–when he can nudge Bronte off the computer. “One gets obsessed with one’s gadgets,” he concedes.

Continue reading ‘The Multitasking Generation’

A great carpark innovation at Joburg airport

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 16, 2008
in Innovation, On the Move - Travel and Technology
. 1 Comment

I spend a lot of time in carparks, specifically at airports. Normally, I am rushing to park and get checked in. And, at most airports around the world, there are not enough parking spaces, and it can take a lot of time to find an empty bay. But, at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, the carpark has added a wonderful new feature.

Above every parking bay a small unit has been installed in the ceiling. This has the ability to detect whether something is parked in the bay, and turns a bright light from green to red if the bay is full. This is a remarkable improvement - you drive into the parking area and scan the ceiling for green lights. Search time is dramatically reduced, and from the far side of the parking garage, you can set a course for an open parking bay.

Thanks ACSA. This is one of your best innovations ever!

Answering the climate sceptics

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 9, 2008
in Environmental Issues
. 0 Comments

The BBC News website recently carried a great article about climate change and answers for the sceptics. It is available online here, or read a summary below.

What are some of the reasons why “climate sceptics” dispute the evidence that human activities such as industrial emissions of greenhouse gases and deforestation are bringing potentially dangerous changes to the Earth’s climate?

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finalises its landmark report for 2007, we look at 10 of the arguments most often made against the IPCC consensus, and some of the counter-arguments made by scientists who agree with the IPCC.

Continue reading ‘Answering the climate sceptics’

Five Ways Generation Y May Reinvent IT

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 9, 2008
in Millennial generation and Technology
. 0 Comments

I was sent a link to Baselinemag recently, that took an interesting look at the Millennial Generation from an IT industry perspective. Read the original article here, or see a summary below.

They’ve been called everything from narcissists to “Generation Me,” but those wily post-Gen X employees might just show their elders how to revamp an enterprise.

They depend too much on their parents’ money, they need constant hand-holding, they have no job loyalty, but do show remarkable acumen for demanding more than they’re worth, showing disrespect for older employees, and displaying stunning naiveté about corporate culture.

The backlash against Generation Y seems to be in full swing while the ink on their college diplomas is still drying.

Much discussion has centered around the expectations and work habits of this particular generation, with some pundits fretting about whether their casual attitudes will sink enterprises in the long run.

Continue reading ‘Five Ways Generation Y May Reinvent IT’

A Place for Mom to Work

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 9, 2008
in Future Trends and Gender issues
. 0 Comments

This was sent to me by email yesterday:

In the same way that freelancers are flocking to shared working spaces, stay-at-home moms are happy to find a third space that accommodates both them and their offspring. In London, private members clubs like Maggie & Rose and Cupcake Mom, offer mothers a place to convene and relax, where they’re welcome to come and go as they please, 7 days a week.

Maggie & Rose, based in Kensington, features several play areas and offers children’s lessons in art, cooking, dance and more, as well as a weekend movie club and birthday party services. Parents are catered to with a comfortable and quiet café (with wifi access, of course), as well as seminars and access to a family advisory service: “well researched info on nannies, tutors, schools, holidays, etc.” Memberships are priced at GBP 500 per year.

Set to open in Wandsworth next month, Cupcake also aims to provide a grown-up but child-friendly environment. Its focus, however, is mainly on pregnant women and new mothers. In addition to a crèche and an organic café, Cupcake also offers personal trainers and a spa. The top floor of the club, where the spa is located, is a “baby-free zone” and features treatments tailor-made for pregnant women and new moms, from the “Cupcake in the Oven Massage” to the “Mermaid Wrap.” Cupcake also plans to install a sleep pod for much-needed powernaps, and will offer a concierge service to help busy moms complete their to-do lists. Membership is GBP 149 per month. Founded by Karen Hastings, an American MBA graduate who lives in London, Cupcake is backed by Trapezia Capital, a UK venture fund that solely invests in women-led businesses. Hastings plans to open clubs in affluent areas across the country. We’re pretty sure British moms (and dads) aren’t the only parents who would gladly pay for access to a being space, a community of peers and the opportunity for some pampered me-time. Entrepreneurs across the world: start planning.

Websites: www.maggieandrose.co.uk — www.cupcakemum.com
Contacts: studio@maggieandrose.com — info@cupcakemum.com

Olympics, controversy and you

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on April 8, 2008
in Environmental Issues, Ethics, Future Trends, Global View and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

The Olympic torch has left Athens, Greece on its traditional torch run around the world until it eventually arrives at the Beijing Olympic stadium during the opening ceremony. Right from the first day, it has been met with something that the Chinese officials did not anticipate: protestors. In an unprecendented move, the torch was actually extinguished in Paris so that it could be loaded onto a bus and rushed away from growing violence amongst the protestors. TV news scenes from London, Paris and San Francisco show police beating protestors, dragging them into prison vans and frog marching them away - none of these are scenes that add to the Olympic brand and mythos.

This is becoming a major news story - a BAD news story. It’s China Inc that’s on the receiving end. But it could be you and your company next. We have been saying for some time now that there is a new generation of young people and global citizens that are going to rise up and become activist customers and ethical consumers. This Olympics needs to be YOUR company’s wake up call that this can happen anytime, anywhere. You have been warned - get your act together, and ensure that all the skeletons in your closet are well sorted out!

V-day

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 27, 2008
in Boomers RetYrement, Innovation and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

Viagra pillToday is the tenth anniversary of the little purple pill. Although I personally think that big pharmaceuticals should spend more time trying to cure diseases that are part of the scourge of poverty (like malaria and TB), it is noteworthy that one of the biggest money spinners over the past decade has been Viagra - the erectile dysfunction pill developed by Pfizer.

Viagra is one the best case studies for what companies must do to benefit from the ageing Boomer generation. As the generation born after World War II, who came of age in the swinging 60s, they were never going to be coy about sex, and certainly did not want a mere biological issue like “getting old” stand in the way of their preferred lifestyle. They are a generation that believes in choice - their choice! So, medicines that deal with hair loss, sagging skin, sexual slowdown and other age-related conditions were always going to be successful. Pfizer got there first. Others have - and will continue to - follow.

The Boomers are the “youngest”, healthiest, richest and most powerful retiring generation of all time.

Continue reading ‘V-day’

Need a mission statement?

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 25, 2008
in Organisational Design
. 1 Comment

In one of my favourite presentations, “Mind the Gap“, I often do a vignette about how Baby Boomers use away days (or offsites, or visioning retreats, or bush councils, or whatever they’re called in your country) to develop strategy, visions, missions, purpose statements, strategic objectives and KPAs, KPIs and all manner of corporate-speak systems. You can see a video of this vignette at YouTube.

I found a great website today which takes the lampooning of this part of Boomer management lore a step further. And it will save you about $ 25,000 in consultant’s fees, and two days of your time. The Dilbert website has a corporate mission statement generator that does a brilliant job of churning out the standard garbage that most away days do. Check it out here.

Green Homes Concierge

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 14, 2008
in Environmental Issues and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

At last, some smaller entrepreneurs are beginning to understand that there is a growing market for environmental products and services. One of the easiest and obvious ones is to help people who want to be greener to, well, be greener… with minimal fuss. It’s a simple concept, but not many people are doing it. I just picked up info on one such service in the UK, called Green Home Concierge. It looks good.

They’re not the first. They won’t be the last. But, at least they’re doing it. Well done!

Millennial kids - now old enough to be enlisted

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 14, 2008
in Millennial generation
. 1 Comment

I am not talking about the scourge of child soldiers, ruthlessly recruited by rotten guerrila armies around the world. The Millennial generation are the group of young people born in the digital, wired age. Depending on which definitions you use, these young people were born from 1984, 1989 or 1990 through 2000, 2005 or 2010. In general, these are the children and teenagers of today. And the oldest of them has started finishing school.

That means that they’re thinking of careers, and one option in most countries is to join the military. How will the army handle these young people? What does it have to offer them? And, how will they change the world’s militaries? I picked up a great article recently on this very issue. Read it at Strategy and Business here, or see an extract below.
Continue reading ‘Millennial kids - now old enough to be enlisted’

Training the Millennial Generation

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 10, 2008
in Education, Millennial generation and Talent - Bright Young Things
. 1 Comment

A new generation of students - those born Internet-ready - is working it’s way throught the school system, and is about to hit the workplace, with all of its training rooms and courses. This “Millennial generation” (sometimes called “generation Y”) has a distinctive set of characterizing traits and unique learning interests that presents a serious challenge to existing educational institutions and methodologies.

There are any number of really good websites set up to assist teachers and trainers to do a better job of connecting with this generation. One of the more comprehensive sites I have found can be found here, at MasterNewMedia.org. Read it there, or work through my summary and extracts below.

Continue reading ‘Training the Millennial Generation’

Learning from Nature (and disaster)

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 7, 2008
in Connection Economy and Environmental Issues
. 1 Comment

“Learn lessons from nature”. That’s what the world’s top thinkers all say. We need to learn from the natural, interlaced connections of ecosystems. We need to learn from the complex communication systems and overlapping symbiotic creatures, and find lessons there for new ways to structure corporate systems. I agree. But the problem is that most of these theorists only talk about the “good” side of nature. They never seem to mention that nature is brutal, violent and unforgiving.

One example of this caught my eye in the latest Economist magazine, about a controlled flood of the Grand Canyon. Conservationists have long argued that seemingly devastating events are necessary for the proper long term functioning of ecosystems. Some seeds only germinate after a fire. Rivers need floods to wash them out. In nature, death always brings life. I wonder how that applies to the emerging “quantum” and “fractal” workplace?

Read the article at The Economist (subscription may be required), or see an extract below.
Continue reading ‘Learning from Nature (and disaster)’

Perspectives & Forecasts from the Herman Group

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 6, 2008
in Future Trends
. 0 Comments

I used to receive regular newsletter from the Herman Group. For some reason, I didn’t get it, and then yesterday was sent this newsletter. You sign up for it free of charge at their website.

I always found their stuff to be short, succinct, and to the point. They may not be earth shattering observations, but they are great to use with your teams to get conversation started, or to just remind you of the obvious stuff you often overlook.

So, here is Herman Group’s latest Perspectives & Forecasts:

We are trapped in an era of escalating change. There is no question that we live in turbulent times. Everything is changing around us. The velocity of change is increasing. Trends, most of which we know something about, are interacting with each other to create fascinating challenges . . . and opportunities.

The past is behind us. Let it go. Concentrate on the present, with a strong focus on what the future holds for you. No company will succeed in the future if it depends on what it learned-and how it operated–in the past. The future will be dramatically different, but manageable.

Continue reading ‘Perspectives & Forecasts from the Herman Group’

Where’s my silver bullet?

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 5, 2008
in Education, Innovation, Leadership and Organisational Design
. 2 Comments

I am sitting in a full day session with Gary Hamel. I didn’t pay enough money to be alone with him, so I am sharing the hall with a few hundred other people, representing many of South Africa’s top corporates and leading businesses. Gary has been great. I enjoy his style (his PowerPoint slides are are shocker, but he is a relaxed and engaging presenter). His content is compelling. He knows his stuff. It’s been woirth the time and money investment.

But it’s now the afternoon tea break, and all around me I hear the same comment: “I’m looking forward to this last session….”. The reason for the anticipation is that Gary has set up things brilliantly in the morning sessions. He has explained the 21st century context, he has shown us why innovation in management processes is a key to sustained success, and he has inspired and excited us to want to innovate and make a change. But he hasn’t told us what to do yet. That’s what everyone thinks is coming now! I think they will be disappointed. OR, I will be disappointed in Gary. Either way, it’s going to be a disappointing end to a great day.

Here’s why.
Continue reading ‘Where’s my silver bullet?’

Conferences with no power

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on March 5, 2008
in Education, Future Trends, Innovation, Technology and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

Here I sit, at another conference without power. Don’t get me wrong - I am not talking about the content. I am at Gary Hamel’s latest thing: “The Future of Management”, a full day session with the innovation guru himself. “Live and in person”, just as the advertising promised! The guy is good, and probably the best academic on the issue of innovation in business. So, the content is great.

But in just a few minutes, my laptop is going to die, because I don’t have a power supply near my table. I came prepared - I have two extension cables, and if there was a power outlet within about 20m of my table, I’d be OK (maybe creating a few health and safety issues, but nevertheless I could finish this blog entry without worrying about my battery). But once again the conference organisers have just not thought about people who don’t use paper. I have been given a deskpad and another pen. I don’t use those things. I want to be able to type notes directly into my laptop. I want to be able to work on my computer. I want power!

This needs to be standard practice at conferences! It is the 21st century, after all. AND, today, it is a conference on innovation! If only….

(Let’s not even talk about the fact that there is no free wifi available here. They are giving us free toilet facilities, free water on every desk, free pens and deskpads, free coffee and tea, but no wifi connectivity!)
Continue reading ‘Conferences with no power’

Lessons in attitude for the talented (or Ricky Ponting gets his just desserts)

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on February 24, 2008
in Global View, Talent - Bright Young Things and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

Regular readers of this blog will know that many of the contributors are passionate cricket fans. (For our American readers, that’s the mysterious game that, in its purest form lasts five days and can end in an exciting draw!) Our fanaticism for the game is shared by at least 1 billion Indians. The world’s largest democracy has just had an unprecedented auction for international cricket stars, for the newly formed Indian Professional League. In the league, a number of Indian provincial teams get to “buy” international super stars to play with them. Each team can only have a maximum of 4 of these stars on the field at any time. They must also have four players under the age of 22 from India in the teams. The rest of the team is Indian. The bids in the auction will be paid to the player as a salary (I think I saw correctly that the Indian players in each team will be paid the same as the top paid international super star in their team). The contract is for three years.

Nice idea. It’s for 20-20 cricket, so will be a great spectacle too. I can’t wait.

Continue reading ‘Lessons in attitude for the talented (or Ricky Ponting gets his just desserts)’

The Most Expensive Oil

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on February 20, 2008
in Global View, Talent - Bright Young Things and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

Today the world wakes up to the most expensive oil ever. Those who believe in market dynamics of supply and demand will have an interesting time explaining this. The problem with oil is not that there isn’t enough oil around, but rather to do with where the available oil is to be found.

Of course, supply and demand does have something to do with the record price. High growth rates around the world, in places as far flung as China, India, the Middle East and Africa, have seen demand for oil grow as their economies fly. At the same time, oil firms, in particular Western oil firms, are struggling to increase production - mane still producing at the same levels as they did two or three years ago. That has left little spare production capacity and, in America and other countries, dwindling stocks. Whenever storms brew in the Gulf of Mexico or chaos erupts in the Middle East or Africa, or Russia talks nasty, jittery markets push prices higher. Part of this has to do with speculators, rather than customers.

But there are other reasons for the higher oil prices, and the lack of supply.

Continue reading ‘The Most Expensive Oil’

Just Good Business

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on February 18, 2008
in Environmental Issues and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 1 Comment

In The Economist on 17 January 2008, this article on corporate social responsibility, “Just good business” appeared. It is one of the best summaries of the current state of play in the CSR world. A must read. See the original article, or read an edited version below.

IN THE lobby at the London headquarters of Marks & Spencer, one of Britain’s leading retailers, the words scroll relentlessly across a giant electronic ticker. They describe progress against “Plan A”, a set of 100 worthy targets over five years. The company will help to give 15,000 children in Uganda a better education; it is saving 55,000 tonnes of CO2 in a year; it has recycled 48m clothes hangers; it is tripling sales of organic food; it aims to convert over 20m garments to Fairtrade cotton; every store has a dedicated “Plan A” champion.

The M&S ticker says a lot about the current state of what is commonly known as corporate social responsibility (CSR). First, nobody much likes the CSR label. A year ago M&S launched not a CSR plan but Plan A (“because there is no Plan B”). The chief executive’s committee that monitors this plan is called the “How We Do Business Committee”. Other companies prefer to describe this kind of thing as “corporate responsibility” (dropping the “social” as too narrow), or “corporate citizenship”, or “building a sustainable business”. One Nordic executive glories in the job title of director, accountability and triple-bottom-line leadership. All this is convoluted code for something simple: companies meaning (or seeming) to be good.

Continue reading ‘Just Good Business’

Getting a generation out of debt

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on February 17, 2008
in Blogging, Generations, Innovation, Millennial generation, Talent - Bright Young Things and Technology
. 0 Comments

The Fast Company magazine of Dec 2007 ran a story that combines some of my favourite topics: young generations, technology and personal finance. It was called “Easy Money”. Read the full story here.

Here is a summary:

Americans under 35 spend 16% more than they earn, on average. College graduates leave school with an average of $20,000 in student loans and almost $3,000 in credit-card debt. This demographic, in sum, is sorely in need of an easy-to-use solution to their ample money woes. “There’s this dull throbbing sense of guilt that we should be doing something, but where do we start?” says recent Stanford grad Ramit Sethi, who draws more than 150,000 readers a month to his blog Iwillteachyoutoberich.com.

In the past six months, a slew of free online services has popped up to answer this question, offering widgets for budgeting, automatic bill pay, mobile alerts, and social networking. All are fighting to be the anti-Quicken. Although Intuit’s venerable personal-finance software commands 70% of the market, its $30 to $100 price tag, hundreds of features, and required hour or two a week of data entry are unlikely to appeal to a generation raised on Halo and diagnosed with ADD. Sure enough, Quicken’s 15 million users have an average age of 47. If personal finance for most folks is like personal hygiene–an unpleasant chore motivated by necessity–Quicken is Old Spice.

Meanwhile, the Axe Bodyspray of personal finance–cool, fresh, and even sexy–is an upstart named Mint. Its unique features, wrapped in an exceedingly clean and appealing design, are winning tech-industry plaudits and brisk traffic. …It signed up more than 40,000 users in the two weeks after launch. So has Mint cracked the code on getting Generation Debt to buckle down and take responsibility for its finances?

Continue reading ‘Getting a generation out of debt’

Greenopolis

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on February 13, 2008
in Blogging and Environmental Issues
. 2 Comments

I was sent this PR release today. I signed up immediately - looks like fun!

People band together online to date, discuss politics or lose weight. Now a US website called Greenopolis has created a community whose members help each other live in a more earth-friendly manner. After registering on Greenopolis, which is still in beta, visitors complete an online survey that analyses their daily activities to determine how ‘green’ their lifestyle is. Based on the survey findings users receive a coloured badge, which shows other members just how much of a friend to the earth they really are. Orange badge holders need to clean up their environmental act, and solid green badge holders are on the right track.

By participating on the site, users are awarded points, which are displayed for other members to see (sometimes, peer pressure can be used for good). More points—and corresponding changes in badge colour—show that they’re becoming more environmentally responsible. Plus, when the site officially debuts, points can be used to receive discounts on sustainable products. Greenopolis founders also want to make the badges portable, so that members can post them on their blogs and social network pages.

Click here to get someone else to do this work

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on February 6, 2008
in Organisational Design, Talent - Bright Young Things, Technology and The Quick and the Dead - case studies
. 0 Comments

Pfizer logoPfizer has recently launched a wonderful new initiative for their most talented staff: the outsourcing of the drudge work associated with most jobs. It’s quite a simple concept, really - top end, talented staff spend a fair proportion of their time doing admin or dreary work that does not best utilise their talents. If you could someone else to do that work for them, you’d free up your top talent, keep them focused (and excited) and get more out of them. Nice.

Here is a report from the latest Fast Company magazine. Read it here, or below.
Continue reading ‘Click here to get someone else to do this work’

Emerging market art

Published
by
Graeme Codrington
on February 1, 2008
in Global View
. 0 Comments

The latest Economist has a short note on an interesting trend: the massive increase in selling prices of artworks. This has been a great investment trend over the past few years. But, now, the trend has hit emerging markets, so to speak. Russian and South African artists, in particular, were singled out in the article (read it here, or below).

Irma Stern was a white South African woman of Jewish heritage who was able to evoke wonderful images of Africa. Read more about her here. Over 40 years after her death, her art is internationally recognised, and due to fetch remarkable prices at upcoming auctions around the world.

Continue reading ‘Emerging market art’