Management Blog

The benefits of a mesh economy

Our relationship with physical objects is changing with more people choosing to share their possessions rather than buy new ones, Lisa Gansky explains in this TED Talk.

Ganksy describes this notion as 'mesh', the idea that peer-to-peer consumption has the potential to deliver greater sustainability and to help the globe cope with population growth.

 

Boosting your willpower

Willpower may sound like an old-fashioned term, but a reinterpretation of the concept suggests focusing on self-control can ultimately lead to a less stressful existence.

According to the 800ceoread blog, a new book entitled Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F Baumeister and John Tierney offers a strong case in favour of willpower.

The outcome of several decades of research, the book argues the self-help doctrine of focusing on self-esteem rather than self-control often leads to less successful and less productive habits.

More specifically, the authors found managers who scored well in self-control were rated more favorably by their subordinates and peers, and were good at forming satisfying attachments to others.

Swiss group seeks to ban PowerPoint

A Swiss political party has been established to encourage businesses to ban PowerPoint presentations 'for the good of mankind', news.com.au reports.

This may sound like a joke, but the founder of the Anti-PowerPoint Movement, Matthias Poehm, is very serious about banning the presentation software, which he says alienates audiences.

Poehm claims many presenters at workplaces, schools and universities rely too heavily on PowerPoint presentations rather than talking to their (often bored) audiences.

It's suggested that banning PowerPoint may also have a financially beneficial outcome; the group claims avoiding the use of slides could save Switzerland up to 350 billion Euros a year.

The Anti-PowerPoint Party needs 10,000 petition signatures in order to run candidates, 300 have been collected so far.

Creating a political party to ban PowerPoint may be a bit extreme, but it does beg the question: are presentations better without slides?

The rise of e-receipts

The days of having a wallet or handbag overstuffed with store receipts may be coming to an end with e-receipts proving to be an increasing popular option for retailers, according to this NPR story.

The article says a growing number of US retailers such as Apple and Gap Inc are embracing e-receipts – proof of purchase emails that are sent when an in-store transaction is complete.

The benefits of the trend revolve around sustainability and branding.

Less paper doesn't just mean a leaner wallet or tidier handbag, it also saves a considerable amount of paper but still provides proof of purchase if customers need to return an item or a tax receipt.

In addition, branding experts say the e-receipt trend also bolsters relationships with customers as it's an opportunity to communicate product information and extend social networking relationships.

The benefits of timeless strategy

The world's most successful organisations have one thing in common: a focus on building a service culture with a 'timeless strategy'.

This claim is made in a recent BusinessWeek article on how to build a business strategy that focuses on long-term customer engagement rather than jumping at fads.

For example, it's suggested Disney has achieved decades long success with its mission to bring joy to people, while Apple is credited with delighting customers with progressive innovation.

The following tips are offered to help businesses of all sizes build a strategy-focused service culture:

• Have a service mentality – managers must lead by example to show the importance of a service culture
• Relationships matter – policies, procedures and rules don't amount to much if they are not focused on building client relationships
• Business smarts – offer staff ongoing service education to ensure they have the skills required to build effective relationships
• Ongoing improvement – when it comes to customer service there is never an end point, so it's worth holding focus over the long term

How to build a leadership presence

Professionals with a knack for rising up the corporate ladder don't just possess skill and intelligence, they also exude 'executive presence', according to this Wall Street Journal article.

But rather than being a gift that is bestowed on some and not on others, it's suggested presence – the art of making an impression – can be learned and honed.

Executive coaching experts say the first step towards creating an executive presence is to carefully consider both your strengths and weakness.

Once areas of improvement have been identified it's suggested professionals keep a journal to note and learn from the behaviours of those who excel in making an impression.

The article also describes executive presence behaviours, such as varying vocal patterns and gestures when speaking, sitting upright in meetings and 'marking territory' at conference tables.

Transparency app rates online brands

Online shoppers will soon be able to access a snapshot of a brand's health and environmental credentials if a new consumer driven transparency trend takes off, Fast Company reports.

The GoodGuide service, an iPhone app that offers details about the ethical and environmental impact of personal care products, food, household items and clothes, is an example of the trend.

The US focused service also offers a 'transparency toolbar' that sits at the bottom of a computer screen allowing online shoppers to check the credentials of a brand when shopping online.

According to Fast Company, GoodGuide makes it easy for consumers to easily understand often complex product information ranging from resource management to corporate governance. 

While yet to make a mark in Australia, it appears mobile and online consumer advocacy is a gamechanger in the making for increasingly powerful consumers.

The extinction of SMS predicted

For the past 15 years most of the developed work has been in love with text messaging but experts claim the communication channel will be eliminated within the next three to five years.

According to thenextweb, the proliferation of app enabled smartphones has allowed people to message each other for free via a plethora of services rather than paying telecos for SMS messages.

At the forefront of the trend is Facebook driven messaging that allows people to easily connect with those in their social network; Twitter and Blackberry also accommodate direct messaging.

It's claimed change won't happen overnight as there is a high degree of fragmentation within the direct messaging space; in other words, not everyone is tied to one particular messaging system.