173 Posts found for Source: Optimize Magazine

We’re undeniably living in the era of globalization, but too often the strategic motivations for going global aren’t matched by operational approaches to meet enterprise needs. Nowhere is this truer than in IT organizations that remain under all of the standard pressures to innovate, deliver value, and contain costs while facing demands to meet various local needs, comply with local regulations and tax codes, and … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Andrew Rowsell-Jones, Mark McDonald | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Strategy

We talk about moral viruses, which are simply inaccurate or incorrect beliefs about the world or oneself. Almost all viruses stem from fear-based beliefs, which are usually irrational or inaccurate fears, such as the fear of an ethnic group.

Leaders have their own set of moral viruses. One that’s lethal relates to trust–the idea that you can’t trust people until they’ve proved they’re worthy. That’s a … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: Ethics

If you don’t tell people what your beliefs are, they’ll guess and hold you accountable for what they guess. Being forthright has the additional benefit of making people feel like they understand you, and it develops trust faster than any other way.

Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: Communication

Analyzing the tax implications of IT initiatives can deliver big benefits-and reduce your bills

Content: Article | Authors: John Norkus, Raffi Markarian | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Finance, IT / Technology / E-Business

A Q&A with industrial psychologist and author David Sirota

Content: Article | Author: David Sirota | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Companies are seeing returns from programs and initiatives that help measure and improve processes, quality, and customer service.

Content: Article | Author: Bob Violino | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Best Practices, IT / Technology / E-Business

‘Keystone’ business strategists share information across industry networks to assure revenue growth for all partners.

Content: Article | Author: Marco Iansiti | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Strategy

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Related to execution is integration. People gain knowledge in buckets. For example, if you’re a marketing person, the whole world becomes a marketing problem. Because of this, we need more integration. We need someone with a perspective, someone who understands various functions and parts of the company. The ability to integrate is essential to execution, and managers who can do this are very tough to … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: Execution

While much discussion centers on how CIOs will fare in mergers and acquisitions, their role in an ancillary event–the divestiture of a business unit–is rarely on the radar. Yet, these transactions are riddled with legal risks that can be costly if not addressed, and in the worst cases, can have serious operational impact. Early and aggressive CIO involvement is most urgent when an agreement involves … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Craig Garnett, Edward Hansen | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: IT / Technology / E-Business

There’s a simple, important principle at the core of the disruptive-innovation theory: Companies innovate faster than customers’ lives change. That’s why companies end up selling products that are too good and too expensive for many customers. This happens for a good reason: Managers are trained to seek higher profits by bringing better products to the most demanding customers. But in that pursuit of profits, companies … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Innovation, Marketing / Sales

Research using the CLEAR index finds effectiveness just as important as efficiency in improving productivity.

Content: Article | Author: Vish V. Krishnan | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: IT / Technology / E-Business

The essence of strategy is the close view of distant things and the distant view of close things.

Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: Strategy

Start with these keys for finding and interviewing candidates

Content: Article | Author: Harry Joiner | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Career, Human Resources

Moving to systematic technology management requires planning, not crisis management.

Editor’s Note: offers an interesting four-level continuum to benchmark a company’s progress in developing its technology-management capabilities…

Content: Article | Author: Chris Curran | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Management

Sometime in the last decade, IT passed a major risk inflection point at most companies. Today, it’s almost universally true that the cost of potential IT-related failures and other risks is far greater than the cost of the investment in IT itself.

Content: Article | Authors: Ellen Kitzis, Marianne Broadbent, Richard Hunter | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Risk Management

The pace of change and proliferation of product and service alternatives have overwhelmed traditional service models. For centuries, the model for outstanding customer service has been the concierge, which translated into a single point of contact. Each individual and entity has a point of entry to the enterprise that’s aligned with the products and services that represent normative interests. Unfortunately, the world has become far … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Jay Williams, Walt DuLaney | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Customer Related, IT / Technology / E-Business

In order to work, knowledge-management systems have to be kept live, and there have to be incentives to keep them live. In some sense, the most important source of knowledge is inside people’s heads. You don’t want an organization that’s leakier than necessary. You don’t want too many people cycling out. You need to set up team structures, so that the more experienced people teach … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Knowledge, Organizational Behavior

Despite years of discussion and debate, companies still typically use 340 applications for every 10,000 end users-most of them not integrated with one another, according to The Hackett Group’s recent research. This finding flies in the face of the generally accepted view that it’s critical to integrate multiple, disparate applications, data sources, and human resources to provide the necessary information and transaction processing for timely … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Beth Hayes, David Hebert | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: IT / Technology / E-Business

There are two thoughts that often get lost in the discussion about being effective in building and using influence: Don’t assume you have all the right answers-that’s why a strong team is essential. And, above all, do the right thing-not only for business or economic impact, but also for social and philosophical implications. Ultimately, power is the ability to influence and facilitate change, and people … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Power / Authority