January 2017 – Management Library

January 31, 2017June 7, 2022

A.I. for E.M.?

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Artificial intelligence is being designed to assist with everything from making breakfast to driving our cars. In other words, the technology is flexible, and that’s exactly what makes it so attractive to researchers who are working to develop ways to apply AI to assist in emergency situations. In what is likely to be an interesting read for anyone in the fields, the below collection of data from EKU Online takes a look at how AI may be able to help with disaster and emergency management:

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

January 30, 2017January 27, 2022

Mistakes Made by Strategic Planning Facilitators

Here’s a list of the biggest mistakes that I have seen made by strategic planning facilitators over the years:

1. Not getting sufficiently trained on how to do facilitating, e.g., planning the meeting, goals, ground rules, which techniques to cultivate complete participation, doing interventions, managing conflict

2. Not learning a variety of strategic planning models, e.g., conventional, issues-based and real-time planning – and instead “pushing” one model all the time, everywhere.

3. Not partnering with a small Strategic Planning Committee to ensure a high-quality planning process (the Committee’s role is not to put content in the plan)

4. Not planning the planning process beforehand, e.g., what’s the purpose of the planning, what was learned from previous planning, what cultural considerations are needed, what model should we use, etc.

5. Not encouraging ongoing strategic thinking and instead mistakenly focusing on one-shot inspiring and motivational experiences

What do you think?

(The Consultants Development Institute provides an online Series “Facilitating Strategic Planning” that addresses these mistakes.)

Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, faculty member of the Consultants Development Institute.

January 23, 2017June 7, 2022

Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations (Part 3 of 3)

a-consultant-having-a-session-with-two-worker-in-an-organization

See Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations (Part 1 of 3) and Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations (Part 2 of 3).

8. The focus of consultant projects can change frequently.

Smaller organizations, like larger organizations, are dynamic and complex. New and different problems can arise at any level in the organization. However, in smaller organizations there are few internal systems to reliably notice the problems and solve them. Thus, there usually is little time between when an issue arises and is felt by everyone in the organization. As a result, they might seek consultants on an emergency basis. However, soon after starting a project to address that emergency, another priority might arise so that the client wants to change the project or abandon it altogether. Thus, the consultant needs to be patient and adaptable, yet useful and persistent.

9. When management consultants are hired, it usually is for focused and short-term needs.

At different times, the CEO has to undertake strategic planning, business planning, product development, marketing, staffing, supervision, financial management and property management. Outside expertise, at times, is often a must for the success of the organization. The consultant can help leaders to see the necessary integration and alignment of various management functions and the need to instill best practices in all of them.

10. Even when needed, it can be very difficult to “sell” soft skills.

Leaders in small organizations often see noticeable and measurable activities as being directly aligned with producing sales. Consequently, the soft skills that are needed for employees to thrive are often undervalued. When consultants perceive a clear need for certain soft skills in the organization, they might help indirectly with occasional advice about these skills and by modeling those skills themselves.

(The above information is adapted with permission from Sandra Larson, previous Executive Director of The Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits, St. Paul.)

Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, faculty member of the Consultants Development Institute.

January 16, 2017June 7, 2022

Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations (Part 2 of 3)

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See Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations – Part 1 .

5. The organizations are often too small to justify or pay for expensive outside advice.

Even when struggling with recurring issues, many small organizations hesitate to spend money on what is seen as diverting valuable dollars from sales and services. So when they do hire consultants, it is usually for specific, low-cost technical advice – and that advice had better solve the organization’s problems and fast. So consultants might form relationships with these organizations primarily by promoting their technical skills.

6. Small organizations usually need low-cost management and technical assistance.

Because of the tight resources in small organizations, they usually cannot afford high-priced consultants, even if those consultants would be very useful to the organizations. This situation is made even more challenging because Boards and CEOs often do not budget necessary funds for professional development. Thus, these organizations usually seek low-cost consulting services – and hope for the best. So consultants might consider offering a schedule of fees for various levels of services and also plan their projects to include different phases, each with a different fee.

7. One-shot consulting often is not enough – the same consultant might be rehired.

While most consultants want to teach managers “how to fish” (to solve problems for themselves) rather than to give them a “fish” (to solve the problems for the managers), management skills are not something that can be learned in one, low-cost consultation. Thus, a management consultant might be re-hired on several occasions to help with a variety of different management activities.

(The above was adapted with permission from Sandra Larson, previously of MAP for Nonprofits in St. Paul, Minnesota.)

See Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations – Part 3

Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, faculty members of Consultants Development Institute .

January 15, 2017June 7, 2022

Keeping Doors Open after Disaster

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Time to take those first steps toward disaster preparedness

Roughly 40 – 60% of small businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster. If that’s not enough to get you moving I don’t know what is. Unsure where to start? You’re not alone, and FEMA has a host of resources, like this infographic on business resiliency, available at ready.gov/business.

[Click image to enlarge]

Roughly 40 to 60 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster. But you can. Learn more about protecting your business at ready.gov/business.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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January 12, 2017June 7, 2022

Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations (Part 1 of 3)

A-female-consultant-exchanging-pleasantries-with-a-business-man

Small organizations are often like small families, with all of the ensuing dynamics and challenges that we encounter in families of our own. This presents special challenges for consultants when working to help leaders of these organizations to solve problems and learn at the same time. However, this also presents opportunities for the consultants who understand the nature of small organizations and how to work with them. Here are some observations from working with many small organizations over the years.

1. Their leaders often work alone – they are not used to asking for help.

They often are so focused on their organization’s survival that they do not see themselves as having the time for other activities that actually might benefit them. For example, in the United States, there are many sources of assistance, such as the Small Business Administration, SCORE and numerous small business centers. These sources provide highly qualified personnel and very useful resources. Yet many leaders in small organizations might use these resources only once or not at all. Thus, consultants might be both proactive in promoting themselves to these organizations, yet judicious and tactful in how they inform the leaders of their potential value.

2. They are usually reacting to urgent issues, rather than planning about important ones.

These organizations do not have a lot of time, money and resources for proactive planning. Instead, they are reacting to the most recent and urgent priorities in the workplace. Thus, typical challenges for the consultant are basic training about planning, helping the organization focus its limited resources on planning, ensuring strategies are really strategic rather than operational, and helping the organizations to ensure that their plans are actually implemented. This is an opportunity for consultants who can orient leaders to the differences between urgent and important matters and about how addressing the latter can avoid the former. The consultants can stress how planning can be relevant, realistic and practical.

3. They usually are extremely busy and struggle to meet demands of consulting projects.

Consultants should design projects to include various phases, each of which might provide a pause in a project. Project activities also should be highly integrated into other current activities, so the project does not directly result in significantly more demands on the time and resources of personnel in the organizations. Also, coaching should be used to sustain momentum when implementing recommendations in the project.

4. Small organizations often hire by word-of-mouth.

They cannot afford the risk that a consultant will not have the expertise to solve their problems. They put a lot of faith in how well they trust the consultants that they already know. So they might re-hire the same consultants, primarily because of how they feel about them – and then hope that their consultants can be useful everywhere in their organization. So it is very important for consultants to work hard to sustain strong relationships with the leaders of these organizations.

(The above was adapted with permission from Sandra Larson, previously of MAP for Nonprofits in St. Paul, Minnesota.)

See:

Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations – Part 2

Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations – Part 3

Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, faculty members of Consultants Development Institute .

January 10, 2017June 7, 2022

Reflections on the Question: “Is it Group or Team Coaching?”

I started my first coaching groups in 1983 and since then, have worked with 100s of groups and taught hundreds of others how do design and coach/facilitate the groups. I’ve also read much of the literature about group and team coaching. Here are some of my lessons learned — sometimes painfully.

1. The most important initial consideration, by far, is not whether a program is for group coaching or team coaching. It is answering the question, “What ultimate outcome(s) should the program help the members to achieve?” The answer to that question will drive all aspects of a program.

2. The conditions for the success of whatever you want to call it (team or group coaching) occur in the program design, well before the members even meet each other. Too often, the literature writes as if the members have already been selected and are coming together.

3. There are at least 9 different formats of the group or team: where 1, some or all get coached, or where 1, some or all do the coaching. It is not always a professional coach doing the coaching 🙂 The format (the structure) is determined by the desired outcome.

4. The vast majority of the considerations that the literature asserts are different between group and team coaching are actually much more in common between the two, for example: Is the program for solving problems for each person or for the entire group? Will members be from the same organization or different? Will the members’ supervisors support their involvement? Who will do the coaching and who will get coached? Will coaching be only questions or include advice, brainstorming and materials? How will trust be built between members? Will the program be integrated with other programs? How will the program be marketed? How will it be evaluated?

5. Approaching a program initially with the question “Is it team or group coaching?” can too often impose a binary framework that can detract us from initially focusing on the ultimate outcome and it also can blind us from appreciating a variety of secondary outcomes.

6. When designing a program in an organization, there usually is not nearly the freedom of design, agenda and flow of the process that the literature suggests. It’s far better to start out very specifically, and change it later on (if the client permits 🙂

? What have you learned about group or team coaching?

Also see:

Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, is a co-founder of Action Learning Source.

January 7, 2017June 7, 2022

[Infographic] Public Health Crisis Preparedness Tips

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Every business faces continuity issues at some point. Whether it’s a natural disaster or a break in the supply chain, these events can be devastating. One type of crisis that can impact any business is a public health scare. We always say one of the best ways to reduce the impact of crises is to educate yourself, and to that point would like to share this CDC infographic full of advice about public health crisis preparedness and response:

[Click image to see full-size]

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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January 5, 2017May 25, 2022

Communicating Via Visual Designs

Group of people receiving information through a visual design

We don’t always realize it, but sometimes we are being told what to do visually. Take these as examples:
• A zebra crosswalk on the road – we know to walk within the zebra crossing.
• A sign of a bicycle – we know the lane is a bicycle path.
• A light switch- we know that touching it will either turn the lights on or off.
• A bump in the road- we know we have to slow down.
• A gate – we know that we cannot trespass.
And so on…

Marketing

Visual designs are used quite often in marketing.Take these as examples:
• Showing pictures of items on sale entices buyers to make purchases or entices them to at least go into the store and to see what else is there.
• Showing a coin through a mail envelope or even a picture of a free item entices recipients to open the mail envelope and to see what else is inside.
• Showing lock holders on a door indicates that we need a lock to close the door.
• Showing parts of a movie can entice people to take notice and to go see or not see the movie.

Images

We don’t always have to use words to make a point. We can use images to communicate.
• We can use graphics and charts to show the ups or downs of a trend.
• We can use images to show approvals or disapprovals.
• We can use icons to indicate what applications exist on a laptop.
• We can use signs to show inclines and curves that will be coming up while driving.

Imagination

Being able to come up with an appropriate design for communicating takes a great deal of imagination. Where or how do we begin? You can:
• Just think of what you want or want to change.
• Just think of what would happen if you did something different or didn’t do anything.
• Just draw what is there or what you want or just doodle to create any image and make use of lines and arrows if you are creating some sort of process or procedure.
• Just begin slowly or simply. For example, start with a simple drawing of a dog and then have him growling to show danger or show drawings of children with an arrow pointing to a schoolhouse to indicate children crossing to school and to slow down.

You don’t have to be an artist. Drawing stick figures representing people or animals is fine. Drawing as if you’re in kindergarten is ok. Perfection doesn’t count at this point as long as you get your idea built. You can have professionals do what you need later.
Communicating through visual designs exists all around us. Simply look around the next time you take a walk.
If you have had experience developing visual designs for communicating please leave a comment. Thank you