Tag: business strategy development

Customers first or employees first?

Putting the customer first, focusing all your actions on helping the customer doing his/her job is indeed conventional wisdom. But is it wisdom?
The Xpragmatic View #174 - May 23, 2011

It's not about complexity: it's about trying to find simple solutions

When trying to address complexity, we always try doing it in a logical way. We first try 'understanding' the problem at hand and then, we take 'logical' action. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. You have to counter complexity with complex response.
The Xpragmatic View #170 - March 5, 2011

Do companies need the conversation?

Social media are a reality and companies should take them into account. However, engaging in the interaction in an intelligent way might turn out to be a lot more complex than expected.
The Xpragmatic View #169 - February 11, 2011

Knowing why drives behaviour, not knowing how

Even without formal policies, most employees are likely to make 'appropriate' use of the tools that are given to them. Still, companies can do a much better job to maximize the likeliness of such behaviour by communicating about how certain capabilities drive business success.
The Xpragmatic View #163 - December 18, 2010

Unfortunate destinations

Implementing change in an organisation is difficult, very difficult. There are numerous reasons or excuses for failure. However, the primary reason for failure is choosing the wrong destination.
The Xpragmatic View #162 - December 6, 2010

In search of excellence

Numerous studies try identifying what is needed to become an excellent company. However, is our perception of excellence the correct one?
The Xpragmatic View #140 - April 4, 2010

Reaching for the edge

Real solutions and progress emerge when we are able to unify apparently conflicting views on the same reality. Do emergent social software platforms (ESSPs) provide a context for this to happen?
The Xpragmatic View #129 - October 25, 2009

Direction is a consequence, not a choice

While discussing the pros and the cons of different methodologies, we often tend to forget that the methodology will only be a minor part of the whole solution. Therefore, in most cases, the choice of a certain methodology will not be a real choice but merely the logical consequence of an existing context.
The Xpragmatic View #122 - August 25, 2009

The chaordic dream

If the human race wants to survive on this planet, it will have to change its behaviour, its institutions, its government structures and its way of doing business. The chaordic theory carries the promise of the better organisational approach that will support this. Can it really work that way?
The Xpragmatic View #115 - April 29, 2009

Designing the enterprise

If there is one lesson that we must learn from the current crisis, it is that management will have to be different in the future. The greed culture that we have known over the past decades must be replaced by something else. What are the options?
The Xpragmatic View #113 - March 30, 2009

Looking at the past

Facing today's difficult economic conditions, companies are considering any solution that will allow reducing costs or that will strengthen their operational effectiveness. However, before moving further, they better know why they didn't use such solution before.
The Xpragmatic View #112 - February 24, 2009

Do we even try?

Every organisation is continuously confronted with the dilemma of conflicting interests. Some initiative might help us progress in a given direction, yet it complicates things for other plans that we have. As in life, it is a matter of finding a balance. However, sometimes, we have to accept that certain things simply cannot go together.
The Xpragmatic View #111 - January 25, 2009

The moment is: now!

Given the current economic slowdown, most organisations have an increased focus on cost reduction. Layoffs, ending temporary contracts and postponing projects are the traditional remedies. While some of these might be unavoidable, companies must not forget that they have to prepare now for what will come after the recession.
The Xpragmatic View #110 - December 12, 2008

The wave-particle duality, kind of

In quantum mechanics, there is a well-known concept, called the wave-particle duality, which essentially means that all matter exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties. In modern business, we have a similar duality with management and creativity. Well, almost.
The Xpragmatic View #107 - October 5, 2008

Business as usual - 2

Every behavioural change is difficult, especially when we have the luxury of choice. As a result, self-controlled behavioural change is one of the main reasons for the failure of business initiatives. Is there anything we can do about it?
The Xpragmatic View #96 - February 17, 2008

The employee's dilemma

In a competitive business environment, safeguarding the continuity of the company often requires starting initiatives that will result in a fundamental discontinuity for the social structure of the organisation. Do we have a choice?
The Xpragmatic View #89 - July 29, 2007

The silent running

Developing an innovative business strategy is difficult. Very difficult. However, the most difficult part awaits you at execution time. Often, you will find that your fantastic idea fails. Not because this idea was unrealistic, but because it was unrealistic for your company.
The Xpragmatic View #87 - June 9, 2007

Empowering the knowledge worker

More innovation is the remedy of the last resort that will save Europe’s economic position and welfare. At least, that’s what they say. As a result, European corporations are frantically looking for ways to improve the productivity of their knowledge workers, assuming this will increase their innovation ability. Are they looking in the right direction?
The Xpragmatic View #68 - July 2005

Outsourcing your strategy

In the previous Xpragmatic View we briefly discussed how our improved communication capabilities are the enablers for new business practices and new organisational approaches. However, is this only a matter of eliminating or rearranging some part of your business activity or are there side effects that require some special attention?
The Xpragmatic View #65 - March 2005

How important is IT? - The sequel

The May edition of the influential Harvard Business Review magazine gave us an interesting article written by Nicholas G. Carr, entitled "IT Doesn't Matter". In this article, Carr argues that information technology has largely become a commodity resource and therefore, no longer yields real competitive differentiation. Do we agree?
The Xpragmatic View #55 - July 2003