Informal networks are competing with established business structuresThe cost of informal networks getting together, creating something and then splitting apart again has gone down considerably because of the internet and the collaborative and co-creation tools it now offers to these organizations. The economies of scale which once heralded the birth of corporations no longer holds … Continue reading On informal networks and established businesses
Category: Stream of Consciousness
Independence, objectivity and proximity
ContextThere is discussion ongoing at the Belgian federal government level about the (minimal) independence requirements for internal auditors active the Belgian federal administrations. I want to weigh in with some thoughts on that. This article is partly based on a recent position paper by the IIA on independence and objectivity, which I found very clarifying.A … Continue reading Independence, objectivity and proximity
An interesting article on risk management by Matthew Leitch
Matthew Leitch has posted an interesting article on what integrated risk management actually means on his site, here. This analysis is based on a survey he executed and I participated in. As usual, his methodology as well as the scope of his analysis is well defined and well executed.I believe his conclusions are well founded … Continue reading An interesting article on risk management by Matthew Leitch
Reengineering and customer satisfaction
The focus of reengineering and process optimizationMany organizations have invested significant time and means in internal process optimization. Often for all the right reasons, such as performance improvements which were essential and reduced organisational bloat. Occasionally for the wrong reasons, such as the reaction the stock market will have on the intent to reengineer: management … Continue reading Reengineering and customer satisfaction
A quick comment on slideware
Listening to a recent back to work here and Merlin Mann’s comments on slides, I started thinking:“If we don’t use slideware to tell stories to children, why do we insist on beating to death adults with PowerPoint presentations when in essence we are doing the same thing: telling stories?”
Clearing and cleaning organizational processes
Process waste managementRecently I came across an article on David Allen’s GTD Connect site. In essence, what David was talking about was the need to perform regular waste management tasks on personal processes. Quite often a process that served a specific purpose in a specific context no longer serves that purpose or no longer represents … Continue reading Clearing and cleaning organizational processes
The 80-year bubble – the end of management consulting as you know it
The origins of management consultingAfter a slow start in the 19th century, management consulting came into its own during the Great Recession, in the early 1930’s. If you want to read more about the dynamics behind the growth of the profession, there are worse papers to read than Christopher D. McKenna’s paper on The Origins … Continue reading The 80-year bubble – the end of management consulting as you know it
Extending the “Gruber-Mann” theorem
What is the Gruber-Mann Theorem?I’m again returning to the excellent talk Merlin Mann and John Gruber gave in 2009 at the famous South by SouthWest conference (SxSW). In their talk, they defined by means of a simple formula the key requirements for consistent delivery of quality work. It requires obsession feeding voice and voice working … Continue reading Extending the “Gruber-Mann” theorem
Risks associated with measuring impact and likelihood
Subjectivity is all around usAny evaluation, however objective you want it to be, is necessarily subjective. Just read some of Nassim Nicolas Taleb’s books which provide ample illustration of how easily we start to act based on subjective assessments. Now, contrast this to new risk management methodologies and applications which frequently tout new and improved … Continue reading Risks associated with measuring impact and likelihood
The three categories in a Risk Identification Model
Why use categories?A way of structuring a risk identification model is by using categories. A category is a risk cluster which clusters risks according to area of (possible) occurrence. I use the following three categories, and do further clustering within a category according to types (a post on this to follow later): Environment (risks related … Continue reading The three categories in a Risk Identification Model
Exploring The Black Box 