workplace

A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Paul Glover — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:04:43 -0500

Remember the last economic “crisis”? It occurred in the 1980s. The response from companies was to cut staff and operate “lean.” As the economy improved and entered the extended growth period of the late 1990s and 2000s, most companies didn’t return to the staffing levels they had before the crisis.<

Innovating with Meaning: Elements of the "Innovation Field"

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:21:39 -0500

Often our clients ask us: how do we know if we are an innovative organization and how can we measure if we are improving? Based on our experience practicing, teaching, and consulting in Innovation Management, we developed an empirically-based model or framework to view innovation from a team and organization-wide perspective.

Innovating with Meaning: You Reap What You Sow

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:56:18 -0500

We would like to briefly share key lessons from the bestselling book, The Seeds of Innovation. From our experience conducting research, teaching, practicing, and consulting in Innovation Management for over 20 years, we see that innovative thinking can be enhanced by improving core competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills, an

Stop Trying to Teach the Pig to Dance!

Paul Glover — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:11:43 -0500

My father was a farmer, a blacksmith, and an electrician who worked the hoot owl shift at a General Motors plant to pay for his farming addiction. He was also a pragmatist. After observing me engaged in a passionate argument with a person who clearly was not listening to what I had to say and had no intenti

Innovating with Meaning: Build a Shared Understanding

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:54:00 -0500

Through our work in organizations, with clients, as well as with students in both public administration and business administration courses, we have witnessed a wide range of definitions of “innovation.” Some of these, of course, are better than others. These definitions typically include references to “creative thinking,” “brainstorming,” “new products and services,” “breakthrough technologies,” and/or “radical business models.”

Innovating with Meaning: It's Time for a Prison Break!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:37:45 -0500

If there ever was a time for a “can-do” attitude to help find innovative solutions to our personal and collective troubles, this is it! Many of you may remember the words uttered not too long ago by former U.S. Senator and economist, Phil Gramm, who downplayed the idea that the nation was in a financial recession; instead, he "diagnosed" the situation as a “mental recession,” likening the country's (and its citizen's) ills to what we all know as mental depression.

Sticking to the Standards

Paul Glover — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:46:35 -0500

I’m pretty hard core about things when it comes to the workplace.

The Unions Are Coming!

Paul Glover — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:05:38 -0500

Innovating with Meaning: The Power of Meaning-Full Engagement

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:52:55 -0500

Advancing Technical Women

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:54:11 -0500

What leads to women dropping out of the high-tech workforce and how can women find smart ways to overcome these issues? This blog, co-authored by a technical woman and a social scientist, analyzes the obstacles companies face today with the recruitment, retention and advancement of technical women. Each week, the authors will offer technical women strategies for overcoming barriers to their

Nature vs. Nurture - There May Be a Winner!

Paul Glover — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:55:34 -0500

Innovating With Meaning: Are You "Asking" For Innovation?

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:05:06 -0400

There is a well known saying, “You get what you ask for!” Many organizations identify or list innovation as a core value in their mission statements and then fail to follow up with the necessary action steps to ensure that innovation does, indeed, become a rallying cry throughout the organization.

Starbucks and Kaizen

Paul Glover — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:56:41 -0400

Innovating with Meaning: Designing Idea Programs That Matter

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:09:23 -0400

Over the years, we have consulted with many clients who have implemented idea programs as an integral part of their overall Innovation Agenda. The design and implementation of such programs must be well thought out, in order to build innovative thinking skills, participation, and trust among all employees. Here are just some of the idea program design principles to consider:

Wellness In Workplace

John Bates — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:26:18 -0400

All about Wellness In Workplace.

Bio and Interests: John Bates

John Bates — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:23:34 -0400

Health and wellness entrepreneur that owns and operates more than 150 health and wellness related websites including the following partial list of websites:

Workplace Wellness

John Bates — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:44:08 -0400

All you need to know about workplace wellness you can find here!

Can You Hear Me Now Deux?

Paul Glover — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:13:51 -0400

Innovating with Meaning: The Power of Focus

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:46:30 -0400

So often leaders think that they are communicating a focused message to the members of their team or organization but, in many instances, their message gets lost in the clutter. Often these leaders move on to the next message before the members of their team/organization fully and commonly understand the first one!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Paul Glover — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:21:35 -0400

Innovating with Meaning: What's the Big Idea?

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:36:38 -0400

Welcome back to the Innovating with Meaning Blog!

Innovating with Meaning: Missed Opportunities

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:27:17 -0400

Welcome back to the Innovating with Meaning Blog!

Life is about choices. Just like the contestants on the popular television show, "Deal or No Deal?", who have to choose between making a deal with the banker or carrying on with the chance of identifying a case containing a million dollars, we are all faced with making choices that send us along different paths in life. Often, these choices can lead to fulfillment or, alternatively, to feelings of "missed opportunities". These choices can be in our professional as well as in our personal lives.

Can Your Company Handle the Truth?

Paul Glover — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:09:55 -0400

“You can’t handle the truth!” Col. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) in “A Few Good Men”

Can your company handle the truth?

Innovating with Meaning: Mind the Garden!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:41:59 -0400

Arrivals and Departures in the Workplace

Kevin Ohannessian — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:56:07 -0400

When an employee leaves a company, whatever the circumstance, it creates chaos. Who will cover their duties? Will they be replaced? Will someone be promoted to fill the gap? When the person that goes is a manager, things get even more complicated because the many people under the departed manager are left up in the air.