Watch for Deborah Peck’s June 2011 Leadership Power Group presentation
“Things Are Different Now: Leveraging the System –
Identify Social Capital in Your Organization”

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Dr. Deborah Peck

In today’s economic climate, many business leaders are thinking about how to do more with fewer resources. Cutting budgets, delaying projects and layoffs can only help so much. Old methods are not producing the desired results and it seems like there are no alternatives. Decision makers want real solutions to tough problems and need a different approach.

While the economy is down, it is a great time to embrace innovative methods for moving a business forward. How can productivity be improved? How can the best and most influential employees be retained to get the work done efficiently and maintain intellectual capital? Obvious options include restructuring or reevaluating current resources. Workers are asked to do more and more for their organizations to meet goals and remain competitive. But is this effective? There are ways to work smarter, not just harder.

Let’s consider a new way to view people as resources in an organization.

A typical view of an organization relies on an organization chart, which shows the rules , how knowledge is organized by function and authority. We often relate to the functions of an organization based on this view of people as resources; they support the organization and produce business results. But is this how work really gets done: by following the organization chart flow? Don’t answer too fast.

We all have work relationships. It is part of human nature to develop relationships – even at work. These informal relationships develop organically based on trust, interdependencies, and according to work circumstances. This is the social capital in an organization. Exploring these relationships explains how the work actually gets done in any organization. The workplace is dynamic and difficult to get a complete view, a systems view of how the organization functions.

How do you stay on top of an ever-changing business environment, business demands, and increased competition? The best answer is to make informed decisions based on objective information about how the work really gets done in your organization. A KĒS Network Analysis unlocks hidden information about an organization’s current and most valuable resources – its people. An Organization Network shows the ropes , how knowledge and information really flows among internal work groups.

Once an organization’s network is accurately analyzed, it is possible to prepare and position the business now so the company is ready to respond when the economy improves.

The who, what, when, where and why of understanding the power of informal networks in the workplace are:

Who: All people in an organization no matter level or title

What: A network analysis of how the work really gets done in an organization

When: Now – for those looking to remain competitive, increase business results, do more with less, make informed decisions and manage based on information unavailable through any other method.

Where: Within any company/organization

Why: To identify and address the causes, rather than the symptoms of organizational issues

As an example, a business owner is making budget cuts but still wants to move forward with some plans put in place for employee development needs that cannot wait. Some communication issues (a symptom) among departmental groups are apparent. A teambuilding session could offer a resolution to this issue while providing some teamwork training for employee development at the same time. To most, this may sound like a good plan and good use of the company’s precious dollars. Never before has it been so critical that the money spent produces the desired results.

Therefore, it’s important to consider: Is communication really the problem (the cause)? Could it be something else? Is there a way to be sure? There are some options.

1. Do nothing (there is still a cost associated with doing nothing)

2. Go ahead with the team-building session and hope for the best

3. Address the cause, not the symptoms of the communication issue

Addressing the causes, not the symptoms of issues in any organization is best done using the Knowledge, Experience, Skills (KĒS) Network Analysis© system. The invisible webs become real through maps (figure 2). Patterns emerge and the maps are combined with metrics that offer a valid interpretation of what is really occurring in the organization. The KĒS system uses NetForm™ to map the networks and identify the key influencers – the top 5% in the organization that can make or break the organization. There is other information gained from the analysis to help leaders make informed decisions that reduce the risk of wasting budget dollars.

KĒS Network Analysis is useful for several applications in the workplace including such things as organization restructuring, succession planning, change management, leadership development, and mergers and acquisitions to name a few. The analysis provides rich information and recommendations about what is or is not working in an organization. Networks are dynamic and provide a snapshot of what is occurring real-time for objective information to make informed decisions.

As a business leader, you can continue to base your decisions on the organization chart (do the same thing and expect different results). Or, you can use the network and make informed objective decisions that will exact change and results that are swift and essential. Which will you choose?

Dr. Deborah Peck is the president and principal consultant at Seityinsight. (www.seity.com). She is the developer of the Knowledge, Experience, Skills (KĒS) Network Analysis© system, which physically maps work relationships and productivity paths within organizations and offers solutions to address the causes identified. Dr. Peck analyzes the human capital in relation to the social capital to provide a systems view of the organization. Dr. Deborah Peck may be reached directly at 480.922.7102 or dpeck@seity.com.

• @DebPeck #BusinessLeadership seminar: "Creating Effective Power Networks Within Your Business" – leadershippowergroups.com #
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Watch for Norma Huibregtse‘s January 2011 Leadership Power Group presentation
“Customer Service is the New Marketing”

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Are you spending all of your marketing dollars attracting new customers? If you are, have you considered what happens when those same customers encounter a customer experience with you that rates low on their satisfaction scale? For some small businesses, those marketing dollars are a waste. Perhaps it is time to take a new approach and build better customer experiences.

My name is Norma Huibregtse. I am a Customer Experience Strategist with Captivated Customers LLC. I am dedicated and passionate about helping small businesses in the retail and service industries to create an extraordinary, unprecedented and unanticipated customer experience to drive more sales.

I want to help you develop your Customer SMARTS. Watch these series of videos which will help you understand the service perception gap that exists today between businesses and customers and what you can do about it.

Join us for the Leadership Power Groups Sessions where you will hear more about how to build better customer experiences.

Norma, The Loyalty Lady,is an innovative Customer Experience Strategist, Business Coach, Blogger and Speaker. She works with small business owners in the service industry to help them build an unprecedented customer experience that will drive customer loyalty and retention.

• Is your Biz ready for New Reality? Business owners return to school for new skills – http://tinyurl.com/2dnfw5x #
• Be one of only 12, hand-selected Phoenix biz's to prepare for success in the new biz reality, starting 9/8. leadershippowergroups.com #
• LeadershipPower @normah1's new biz reality seminar explores Customer Service is the New Marketing – leadershippowergroups.com #
• @fayfeeney's LPG seminar will explore Marketing, Branding and Other Strategic Issues in the New Marketing – leadershippowergroups.com #
• Ask an expert to answer your most important question related to succeeding in the new biz environment. – http://tinyurl.com/2d6c25z #
• @annvidean & @fvongraf cover "Social Media & Strategic Visibility in the New Economy" in a future LPG seminar – leadershippowergroups.com #
• Ask an expert to answer your most important question related to succeeding in the new biz environment. – http://tinyurl.com/2d6c25z #
• Employ 5 to 75 employees? Ready to get savvy about the new business reality so you can move to the next level? http://tinyurl.com/2bcx7qw #
• @Rozmo #BusinessLeadership seminar: "Financing a Growth Company/Measuring Cost of Growth & Forecasting ROI" – leadershippowergroups.com #

• Be one of only 12, hand-selected Phoenix biz's to prepare for success in the new biz reality, starting 9/8. leadershippowergroups.com #
• Upcoming seminar "The Leader’s Role in the New Business Reality" with @WindowSyl: leadershippowergroups.com #
• Upcoming seminar "Vision and Values Determine Your Level of Success" with @Kandi111 – leadershippowergroups.com #
• @HRGroup new biz reality seminars explore High Cost of Doing Nothing, & Critical Communication Acceleration – leadershippowergroups.com #

Business-Tribe Architect Ann N. Videan, APR

A cross-posted BizTribe blog entry on social media from Leadership Power Groups presenter Ann N. Videan, APR.

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*** Another business-tribe building technique from Lentis ***

Lentis, a sprite, representing LINC communication process Step #1: Listen

Videan Unlimited associates and clients often wonder about the marketing value of using Twitter. Here’s how owner Ann Videan responds to her three most-often-asked questions.

Q1: It seems like such a time waster. People Tweet what they ate for lunch. Who cares?!

A1: Yes, you will find a fair bit of twaddle (nonsense) on Twitter. Luckily, you can control your experience by monitoring who you follow. (For those who don’t know, you can’t see anybody’s Tweets unless you follow them. And, in turn, they can’t see yours unless they follow you.)

So, in the first place, be picky about who you follow. And, as soon as someone starts wasting your mind space with incessant ≤140-character garbage, simply “unfollow” them. Real pests and spammers, you can block permanently.

Just remember, people can unfollow and block you, too. So, make your information valuable. Value lies in the perspective of those following you. Provide usable, interesting, compelling Tweets, and no boring entries, spam, or sales pitches!

On a more positive side, you can follow and, therefore, gain immediate access to any industry Grand Poobah who has a Twitter handle. One of Twitter’s main benefits is relationship building, providing the opportunity to connect with key industry contacts on a level playing field. This can quickly and effectively raise your visibility when you post Tweets of real value.

Q2: How can I possibly find what I need among all those Tweets?

A2: Ann’s recommendation is to get a tool like TweetDeck (free online) to help you manage Tweets. You set parameters to see only the information of most interest to you. The Tweets fall into clear-cut columns organized by person or topic. For example, Ann reviews Tweets mentioning Ann Videan, Videan Unlimited, her clients and their company names, plus “word-of-mouth marketing,” “tribes,” and other favorite topics.

Narrowing your focus makes Twitter an incredible research tool, giving you the ability to listen to the marketplace, your industry or interests, and hear your customers’ timely comments.

Unfortunately, Twitter does not provide an intuitive Search link on your page, so to find what people have to say about a topic at any given moment, you’ll need to navigate to http://search.twitter.com. Type in any key words and the current buzz pops up in front of your eyes.

Q3: How much time should I spend on Twitter?

A3: Social media can suck the life out of your time. So, be judicious and plan ahead. To earn visibility, you should post Tweets periodically throughout the day. Ann spends about 5 minutes every time she logs in to her computer (usually two or three times a day). An associate of hers checks into Twitter for about 10 minutes morning, noon and night.

You can also take advantage of free Tweet-scheduling sites like Social Oomph (formerly TweetLater). You just spend time creating a number of Tweets, upload them, and social Oomph doles them out at the times you selected. Sweet!

Please keep in mind that Twitter – although grand for building relationships, expanding visibility and conducting market research – is really not a sales tool. You should not expect to be on Twitter to create direct sales.  Nor is it of value to you if none of your prospects and clients use it. Make sure your peeps are there so you don’t waste your time.

So, do you have any additional questions about Twitter? Comment below if there’s anything you need to know. Or, if you’d prefer a less public venue, Ann’s just a call (480.813.2408) or email away.

– Lentis

P.S. Ann N. Videan, APR, gives Lentis a voice as one of her team of mythical mascots representing the four steps in the Videan Unlimited LINC communication process (Listen. Illuminate. Nurture. Create.)