Where do organizational “white space” problems come from? Our DNA. But we can also use our genetic predisposition to solve them. Chances are you’ve experienced it. When you call a company for help, you get the proverbial runaround. After explaining … Continued
Some companies never seem to have their act together. Others run like well-oiled machines. How does yours operate? Organizational behaviors exist on a continuum. From most chaotic at the base to most disciplined at the apex, the maturity pyramid … Continued
“It’s just how we do things around here.” I still recall the conversation between the Hewlett-Packard worker and the Tellabs manufacturing VP. It was 1993, and we were on trip to HP’s Loveland Manufacturing Center, a key production facility in … Continued
Your new venture is catching fire and you need to ramp up operations quickly to handle demand. Where should you look for pointers? Try McDonald’s, Burger King or Wendy’s. The Start-Up Genome Project analyzed thousands of high tech start-ups and … Continued
Planning is easy. Execution is hard. How can a monthly meeting keep an organization persistently on track to achieve its goals? Nobody likes meetings, including me. People perceive them as time-wasters. Many have gone to “no PowerPoint” talks, got rid … Continued
Boston-based start-up Apptegic formally launched its new offering at TechCrunch Disrupt NYC conference last month, officially joining the fray in the emerging customer engagement measurement market. Given the very high cost of customer churn on revenue and profitability, tools such … Continued
Managers often perceive differences in how individuals perform sales and customer service, implementing management practices that make things worse. Faced with the challenge to improve results, many establish numbers-based, “pay-for-performance” systems to reward good employees and punish bad ones. Motivating … Continued
“I just signed up for this new software package,” my friend Dr. Grace Alessi said over Margaritas at a family outing on Mother’s Day. “It’s incredible!” Formerly an internist at a family medical group, Grace started an independent medical practice in … Continued
Most customers defect because of how they were treated, notably during the initial business relationship (see “What Starts Right, Stays Right”), but product and service design can also be a major factor in customer churn. In the cloud computing business, … Continued
Affectiva, an MIT-linked SaaS startup, uses technology to observe and analyze physical responses to determine emotional states. Positioned for media testing, Affectiva’s Affdex product uses webcams and facial recognition technology to test advertising spots for large clients. Gone are expensive … Continued