Networking: It’s time to go offline April 2, 2014 In the age of hyperconnectivity, don’t forget the importance of face-to-face relationships RESEARCHERS at MIT may have developed an algorithm that digitally transforms faces to be more memorable, but research from EY this week suggests that no conference call or email will ever capture the effect of meeting someone in person. Behavioural scientists have long [...]
Fire the bosses: How flat firms work April 1, 2014 A few companies are dispensing with hierarchies, but don’t expect the end of management MANAGEMENT theorists have long pondered the structure of the corporation. In an open economy, with resources distributed by the invisible hand, how can it be that the market’s bidding is carried out by these autocratic, centralised entities? Economist Ronald Coase supplied [...]
Office dilemma: The golden rules for sacking staff March 31, 2014 The experience is never pleasant, but there are ways to soften the blow IT TURNED out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” Steve Jobs once remarked. Unfortunately, not all employees will put Jobs’ positive spin on getting the sack. And the experience is little better [...]
Pros and cons of learning Mandarin March 30, 2014 There’s a cost to being lost in translation, but English is still the global language of business ON HIS return from China late last year, David Cameron called on British school pupils to forget about French and German, and to crack on with the scarily difficult business of learning Mandarin. It’ll be a struggle. Fluency [...]
The open-plan office debate: Pros and cons March 27, 2014 Man is a social animal, but some think sharing germs is a step too far DEMOCRATIC arenas for the open sharing of ideas, or chaotic workplace jungles brimming with a cacophony of distracting noises? Open-plan offices are divisive. But with square meters at a premium – London last year overtook Hong Kong as the most [...]
How music can boost productivity March 26, 2014 Plug in and watch your work rate come to a crescendo, but don’t fall for the Mozart myth The proliferation of portable music players and streaming sites like Spotify and Grooveshark means more of us are listening to music at work. Not all of us have this luxury, but academics at the University of Sheffield [...]
Four habits of the highly successful March 25, 2014 Waking up early, sticking to routines, and knowing the business case for family time can all help WHAT sets out the Warren Buffetts of this world from the myriad failed investors, the corporate empire builders from the miserable bankrupts? In 1989, Stephen R Covey published one of the most influential management books ever, The Seven [...]
Six tips for saying no to your boss March 24, 2014 Too much of a people-pleaser? But declining requests could be good for your career AS WARREN Buffett famously said: “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.” It’s a sensible mantra, but it’s also easier said than done. Most of us fear that declining [...]
All about talent March 23, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks to OgilvyOne’s EMEA chief executive Annette King WHEN WPP launched its “X-Factor” coaching programme for senior female executives across its European agencies, Annette King was an obvious contributor. She has worked at WPP media agency OgilvyOne for a decade, rising through the ranks to become EMEA chief executive, and was promoted both [...]
Four presentation mistakes to avoid March 23, 2014 From token pictures to complex flow-charts, Liam Ward-Proud lists the errors you may not know you’re making MANY of the classic presentation pitfalls are well-known, and relatively easy to spot – excessive length, overuse of jargon or text-heavy slides, for example. But with a reported 30m PowerPoint presentations given each year worldwide, a whole industry [...]