12.12.2013

Another non-environmental wonder

A spate of recent coverage highlighting systemic discrimination against women in business (Silicon Valley, pregnant women everywhere, financial services) can only be enhanced by this gem - it's hard to imagine a new male CEO taking over one of the world's largest industrial businesses being described in this way (via NY Times):

"'Mary was picked for her talent, not her gender,' Mr. Akerson [current CEO, GM] said in a conference call with reporters. But on a personal note, he said, promoting Ms. Barra to become chief executive was an emotional moment for him. 'It was almost like watching your daughter graduate from college,' he said."


12.11.2013

Another non-environmental wonder

In the spirit of what PR firm Bell Pottinger does best - as agency of record for a long list of luminous clients including Alma al-Assad, Rebekah Brooks, the Egyptian government and BAE Systems - allow me to misquote Chairman Tim Bell (via interview in the Guardian)

"[At Bell Pottinger] We tell...lies. We work for people who want to tell their side of the story."


12.09.2013

Gem of the day

Two cases of classic business dysfunction, illustrating the scale of the challenge surrounding data for decision-making (via the comments page of the Guardian, who knew life beyond trolls existed there?)
  • Glossy reports are great for coffee tables - not as a theory of change. "At AT&T we sat down with the company’s main futures group to discuss how they were working to ensure that AT&T kept on top of important unfolding trends and used them to its advantage...We then interviewed the AT&T Vice President who was in charge of the futures group as well as other responsibilities... He looked at us rather blankly, considered for a moment what we had said, and then said words to the effect, 'oh you mean the people who do all those long reports! I can’t actually say I have time to read them because I’m spending all my time trying to figure out how we can make a profit on all the copper wiring we have strung across the country and are now taking down.'" 
  • Designing tomorrow's solutions to fit into today's structures = backwards strategy. "[At Royal Dutch Shell] we sat in the New York offices of the company and had another fascinating discussion with a key executive in charge of futures analysis. He showed us an organizational chart that was absolutely stunning. The chart depicted the Shell group as being made up of 240 or so separate companies representing an incredible array of functions. It was obvious that while it was possible to create the superbly detailed organizational chart, it was impossible for anyone to understand and synthesize the activities of that many discreet actors and create a coherent strategy that incorporated their behaviors." 

12.05.2013

Gem of the day

An inspirational view of "how HR helps the bottom line" from the MD of Centrica Energy:

"Our £1.6bn acquisition of Venture Production last year was a hostile takeover, but we treated it as a merger, so it was crucial to quickly engage and retain a large number of people who had previously thought of us as the enemy. The HR approach from reward to internal communications helped us to change that perception. We’ve retained all our key people and created a top 3 oil and gas business in the North Sea."

Charming.

12.03.2013

Gem of the day

More jargon from the vortex that is the "sharing economy" (via BSR):

"Companies like Airbnb, Lyft, and Kickstarter are using technology and community networks to create new business models and unlock value. Gorbis...kicked off the conference by giving a name to this sea change: 'socialstructing'. As networks become a more powerful force in our economy, socialstructing is how organizations and individuals are 'creating value by aggregating micro-contributions by large networks using social tools and technologies.'"

Translation: businesses are learning that the way people traditionally have gotten by pre-capitalist globalisation - through trusted social connections, within communities - might have something to do with how value is created.

12.02.2013

Another non-environmental wonder

More insight into the wonder that is Walmart's role in America's downward spiral of chronic unemployment, wages too low to stay out of poverty on, and a broken social safety net (via Businessweek):

"In the U.S., Wal-Mart’s lower-income customers are struggling amid persistent unemployment and higher payroll taxes. Many seem to have fled to dollar stores in search of even lower everyday prices."

A growing segment of customers that can't afford Walmart's products, and more than half of Walmart workers making less than $25,000 a year, ultimately costing taxpayers more.

The solution - higher wages - and its knock-on benefits to the wider American economy, is so obvious that even Ashton Kutcher can do the math.