The Great Managerial Transfer
The coming transfer from hierarchies of individuals to networks of teams, an exploration of executive comp, and a look back to the 1950s.
Disruption is on Decline
I think it's because of org structure and approval processes. Implications for marketing organizations abound.
The State of Teaming: Most are bad. Some are really, really good
Researchers examined +200k teams to see how performance is distributed. There's a LOT of poor-performing teams, and a lot more exceptional teams than expected!
Are.na's About Page
Are.na is a place to collect content and work on ideas in private or with others – and their About Page is as good as I've seen.
Skills Maturity Matrix + Organizational Pace Layers
People love Skills-Maturity Matrices, and with good reason – they help bring clarity to next steps and learning opportunities. We can make them better by applying Pace Layers to them. Here's how.
Centralization (For Marketers)
Centralization isn't a good thing or a bad thing. It's a pendulum that swings back and forth, and the key is to centralize and decentralize with intention. And to learn from what you've done.
Pace Layers for Organization
Pace Layers help visualize, distinguish, and discuss different kinds of work and teams within an organization. Here, I bring together a bunch of great thinking into a single construct. Enjoy!
Use DICE instead of RACI
RACI is vague, hard to use, and reinforces the "what the hell is happening here" status quo. DICE is specific, easy to use, and shines a bright light on dysfunction.
Scheduling at Black Glass
I adore shared scheduling as a tool for designing business. tl;dr At Black Glass we're synchronizing five "office closed" weeks and four mandatory (at a minimum!) weeks of PTO.
Elections
Instead of having The Boss Decide™, use this facilitation method to make the wisest decision possible with the minimum amount of preparation and politics.
Role-Based Team Structure
Role-Based Team Structure is the best way to articulate expectations for your team. It provides durability, flexibility, and clarity. It builds a playbook for running your team. But perhaps most importantly, it helps divvy up the work in a more equitable, sane way.
Strategic Compression
Strategic Compression is a way to improve the usability of strategic thought. If your business, project, function, division or team are facing high uncertainty, you need an adaptable, usable approach.