I am still hearing managers talking about when or how they will return to pre-pandemic ways of working. “We need to get everyone back into the office – we need to manage performance.” “There’s no point investing in our hybrid working approaches, it’s just a short-term blip” “We are more creative when we all work…
When people talk about hybrid working, you usually hear the positives – better work/life balance, greater freedom. And if they do talk about the challenges, you’d be forgiven for thinking the main concerns are logistics: IT systems, satellite offices. Challenges around productivity are disputed as signs of an old-fashioned, controlling mindset. But what about the…
The recent Future of Work conference, Reinventing the Workforce, hosted by Management Today, featured great speakers and engaging ideas. I’ve pulled out some of the most interesting and important themes and ideas from the presentations that can help you with implementing hybrid working and creating workplaces and workforces that meet the demands of the future.…
When I was developing the 5C model for best-practice remote working, I revisited Ken Blanchard’s book which introduced us to the concept of ‘catching people doing things right’ – placing as much attention and energy on identifying when people are doing their job well (and praising them for it) as we do looking for and…
Industry 4.0 is not just about technology – this preliminary research identifies 3 key challenges for Organisational Development professionals to support managers build a workforce with the right skills, knowledge and approach. Photo by Lenny Kuhne on Unsplash. Recent years have seen such an ever-greater use of technology in manufacturing that some declare it as…
“When we were in the office I could always sense how people were doing, if they were overloaded, taking too long on something, or were happy and motivated. It wasn’t any formal system, I just knew.” Does this sound familiar? One of the biggest challenges of remote working has been maintaining staff performance. In one…
Since the pandemic began, many organisations have flagged up their fear of losing the creativity and relationship-building that came from chance encounters. The happenstance conversations that came from making a coffee, waiting for a lift, or getting some water are seen as vital for forging connections within and between teams and sparking novel solutions. And…
A few weeks ago, I heard a business leader referring to life at the moment as the ‘interim normal’ because he didn’t want to accept that this was ‘the new normal.’ I’ve got some sympathy with this approach – the last year has seen deeper and wider changes in organisations, management and leadership than we’ve…
Show your values in every communication: lessons from lockdown notices
Thinking about your purpose in life, and how it helps you succeed, prompted by ammonites on the beach.
10 key lessons in successful and innovative change under extreme pressure, from the NHS.
How to make sure learning and development activities actually generate the performance change you want.