If you ask a business executive, can you manage something without understanding it? Most will say, "no" or "not effectively" and many (having done this a number of times) will cite the aphorism, "you can't manage what you can't measure." Of course, understanding a situation and having metrics that inform you on it it, quite often do not always equate. Typically metrics are a necessary but not really sufficient part of the understanding. Understanding comes from inter-relating and processing the metrics in a meaningful way- thought, discussion, etc… are usually involved.
Contributed by alan on 28th of August 2016 03:47:17 PM
When you want to improve your ability to select the right people for the job, or manage them more effectively, or develop them optimally, you need to realize that decision support tools have drastically improved in the last few years. Choosing the right employees and managing them effectively involves ongoing decisions that need to be supported with critical information. The validated information that is now available inexpensively is a really a game changer (in the game of management).
Contributed by alan on 21st of January 2016 09:55:44 AM
The Problems with Most Organizational Planning Processes
Many organizations waste large sums of time and money because they do not have all their key people on board with where they are heading. Many think they do because they have communicated some specific financial or growth goals but there is little understanding of the why and the how. As a result, execution is typically poor.
Contributed by alan on 29th of October 2015 02:11:16 PM
There are many trade-offs that need to be managed to be an effective influencer and leader. For managers, one of the most important is the paradoxical tradeoff between providing direction and achieving understanding (and planning).
Contributed by alan on 13th of November 2014 11:13:54 PM
Most of us will agree that understanding each other is important, but many can't really describe what you need to understand. Many will cite relationship styles, decision making styles, leadership styles and communication tendencies as key issues. In fact there are quite a number of additional issues that can cause conflict and misunderstanding if not accurately understood. In fact, the worst scenarios occur when people think they understand and they don't (incorrect assumptions).
Contributed by admin on 12th of July 2014 05:08:48 PM
When you make major decisions, like choosing a major business goal and strategy, selecting a new employee, starting a business or even buying a house, you typically need to process a lot of information to make the judgment in an effective way. We all know people who take it too far and are often paralyzed by analysis and can't make key decisions. On the other hand, many American business leaders are criticized, and often rightly so, for making major decision without enough preparation, without sufficient understanding.
When it comes to hiring and major decisions in management, the cost in time and money to understanding has been dramatically reduced.
Contributed by alan on 12th of July 2014 04:35:49 PM
By accessing this specific research or running a study on a job you are hiring for, to fine tune the specifications, the level of understanding is increased greatly. The end result is a single number, based on research that constitutes a probability of success in that job (success = high performance). Selection decisions can be made MUCH more accurately. Just in the last couple years, leading companies such as MasterCard, Travelers, Qualcomm and hundreds of others have begun adopting this approach to select their people.
