Productivity Blog

McDonalds, Charles Schwab, PricewaterhouseCoopers and American Express. Very different organizations, yet there's one thing they all have in common. Yes, they're all high performers and set industry standards for talent management. But think more specifically. Give up? Each of these organizations...

Maybe economist Michael Mandel of BusinessWeek is right and current productivity figures are a sign of bad things to come, but count me both skeptical and amused (in a black humor kind of way). In essence, Mandel argues that U.S. productivity has been rising at a healthy clip over the last two years...

I'm not sure I know anyone who enjoyed getting graded in college "on the curve." It's strange and unnerving going into an assignment knowing that a certain percentage of students in the class are guaranteed to fail. Forced ranking leaves me with the same impression. Before the process even...

I was torn. On one hand, I was skeptical about Twitter. Despite its growing popularity as a social networking site, it struck me as superficial and geared toward narcissists. After all, users can post messages of no more than 140 characters, so they often wind up posting mundane details of their...

Engagement! Engagement! Engagement! The word continues to ring through the halls of business, hyped as a crucial weapon against attrition and a catalyst for improved employee productivity, both of which are especially important amidst workforce reductions and a struggling economy. i4cp research has...

Total Picture Radio's Peter Clayton recently interviewed i4cp's Lorrie Lykins about the June 5, 2009 TrendWatcher, Time to Tighten Your Social Networking Structure? Their discussion is now available in podcast format for download. The article examines the perceived potential and risks companies see...

"In the spirit of full disclosure" - it's a phrase that has come into its own in our modern world, which is fraught with covert operations and murky ethics. Perhaps it traces its origins to a dusty law-library volume somewhere, or maybe it bubbled forth from some politico or other. Either...

According to recent i4cp research, over half of employees rate management in their companies as ineffective. Fifteen percent said their managers were either "barely deserving the name ‘management'" or just plain "hopeless." Ouch. For more stats from the survey, watch this...

Senior leaders across the U.S. recognize the importance of managing organizational change and employee reactions to such changes. Change has always been something that organizations must deal with, but the current economy is accelerating the pace at which organizations must adapt, restructure and...

"May you live in interesting times." - Chinese Proverb/Curse In a typical year, summer months are the height of the organizational recruiting season. Folks prefer to switch jobs in the summer, especially if relocation is involved. The previous year's bonus has been paid, but you haven't...