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I recently bought a new GPS. THIS ONE gives you “live” traffic updates, tells you the quickest route and allows you to report road adjustments online; I was wondering if it’s able to make coffee too! I would be able to make informed decisions based on accurate real-time data. The most basic 2-dimensional map is drawn on the back of the napkin – getting you safely to your friend’s house – or you could use a stan

Within the international risk community, there is growing concern on the approach and ethos being utilised when it comes to proper risk reporting. It seems that the monthly risk pack is often reduced to a tick-box exercise that gets one tenth of the focus and exposure it deserves. Most companies have established risk management programmes with entrenched policies and processes but few have a real appetite for reporti

The way work gets done in companies is not always obvious from organisational charts. Often tasks, functions and process maps are only seen from a mechanistic perspective. Processes and task performance are improved and often changed by social and influential relationships found in a company’s shadow network. Increasingly, a growing body of knowledge about the shadow organisation, the network effect and the role of r

Companies are continually searching for top talent to replenish their human capital requirements in order to cover their key man dependencies and to remain sustainable within very cut throat environments. Most of this talent will have to be mined from within the “Y” generation, also known as the millennial generation, as they are the fastest growing segment in today’s workforce. This generation is, broadly speaking,

As IT practitioners specialising in business consulting, we have been taught that the success or otherwise of business depends on three main components; Man, Method and Machine. Man is the human action and interaction on projects of change. Method refers to the techniques and intellectual tools that we use to solve problems. Machine refers to the technology used to determine a particular outcome. Now let’s take a clo

“I can’t change the direction of the wind. But I can adjust my sails.” — Anonymous People experience change in a very personal way; no matter if the organisation is fighting to survive or at the top of a growth curve. They need to do things differently or stop what they have been doing. Tomorrow’s uncertainty, confusion and vagueness replaces yesterday’s predictable and stable environment. In spite of logic, cr

The variety of discussion people have in elevators without any regard for the unknown audience amongst the rest of the vertical travellers often raises an eyebrow.  Last week however my reaction was somewhat more contemplative and left me pondering the subject matter for some time. I overheard two employees in a corporate client’s elevator discussing their performance appraisals. The one was astounded that her collea

Have you seen a Board of Directors “hop-and-skip” due to their compliance “grudge-purchase” adding tangible value to the bottom-line? Did you hear that stock-market analyst commenting on a share-price increase because of increased compliance? The consequence of non-compliance ranges between financial penalties, imprisonment and business closure. Additionally, non-compliance could cause long lasting reputational damag

Many Executives do not have an Electronic Profile or Electronic Identity. When last did you search for or Google your own name? Are you actively managing your own Electronic Identity and Profile? If not, I can guarantee that others are doing it on your behalf. Would it not be better if search results for your name displays content that originated from you? Would you even know if any of your staff, customers and even

Banking institutions across the world pursue coarse grained application level reuse as a means to achieve a higher level of agility and cost saving. The reality is that the cost of achieving this reuse often exceeds the actual cost and time-to-market benefit derived from it. The challenges associated with reuse in larger established banks are many and the solutions are far from simple. Many IT shops are trying to con