Points of Productivity
Turning Corporate Pain to Gain
by
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The Margaret Syndrome
And then I met Margaret. This 68-year-old woman had been with the club for more than 30 years. She knew all of the members, as well as their parents and children. As she openly opposed the implementation of the new system in our planning meetings, she assured the club manager that she knew the preferences and buying habits of the members and that, frankly, the new system was a waste of money. Her open resistance continued throughout the project and led to more than one confrontation with the manager. Margaret simply refused to participate or learn anything about the software or the computer. The project team began to call this behavior the "Margaret Syndrome." I’ve used the term many times over the years as I cautioned business people about the failure to embrace change.
Much like the concept of rising to your "level of incompetence," it is also possible to rise to your "level of irrelevance." Margaret could have made an important contribution to the project and to the future stability and viability of the club by transferring her impressive knowledge base to the new database. Fear certainly might have been a motivator in Margaret’s case, but whatever it was made her a disabler and her value to the club rapidly diminished.
As you take your stroll around the enterprise, consider whether there are corporate commandos in your midst. Try to understand the value to the enterprise of their knowledge base. Begin to think about how you might go about changing their attitude. And make no mistake their attitude needs to change.
The Worldwide Worry
I must admit that, like many people, I spend a great deal of time on the Internet. I’ve discovered that the Web is an incredibly effective research tool, for instance. In fact, I’ve spent several hours on the Web doing research for this book. It’s quicker than the library, very inexpensive and entertaining to boot.
The entertaining aspect is my first concern with a general deployment of the Internet in the workplace. Even when you’re doing research, the pleasing graphics, constant motion and even music are compelling and sometimes mesmerizing. Just the distraction can be a productivity disabler.
As you continue on your walk around the workplace, you might notice an interesting phenomenon. When you pass an employee or associate’s work station or desk, how often do you see a quick shift of the hands on the keyboard and a rapid change in the contents of the computer screen? I call this the "Internet Shuffle."
Just in case you would like to have the opportunity to sing along (or more properly rap along) with "The Internet Shuffle," I’ve provided the lyrics. It’s done to the tune of "The Super Bowl Shuffle" as performed by the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears. Remember "the Fridge"? Anyway, let’s kick it off -- Jim you rap, Walter you scratch --
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About the Book
Sometimes each of us feels as if our career is very much like a runaway train. We have no control and yet we are afraid to jump off. Gaining control of our own destiny through a renewed commitment to productivity is at the core of Points of Productivity. Author Phillip G. Perkins takes a fresh look at the painful realities of the workaday world and offers solid and time tested ideas that managers and employees alike can use to invigorate the work place and be noticed for their efforts.
Subjects as diverse as the proper deployment of information systems and the importance of mentoring create a vision of a "culture of productivity". Humorous anecdotes and touching vignettes illuminate key concepts. Using real life stories from his long and varied professional and management career, Mr. Perkins pokes fun at people at all levels of the organization as he guides the reader through the process of crafting a Personal Productivity Plan to improve individual and corporate effectiveness. Every chapter offers one or more concepts that can fundamentally change the way the reader approaches his or her career. A must read for people serious about getting ahead and staying ahead.
About the Author
Phil Perkins is President and Chief Executive Officer of ACUMEN corporation, an international supply chain and ERP consulting and software development firm based in Richmond, Virginia. He is also the founder and principal consultant of Strategy Island, Inc., an executive peer consortium promoting life-long learning.
Mr. Perkins is a noted speaker and author whose approach to managerial and industrial productivity™ is refreshing and innovative. His Points of Productivity vision forms the basis of a seminar series and has been well received by business owners, executives, and practitioners nationwide. His articles on management and information systems strategies have appeared in international, as well as regional, publications.
During his successful career he has been a technology manager in the Fortune 500 environment, as systems designer, independent consultant, and ground-breaking CEO. He has served on numerous boards of directors, has been an active member, chapter director, and contributor to the international conference of APICS, The Educational Society for Resource Management. He was a founding member of the Business Advisory Board for the Institute for Enterprise-wide Solutions at Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition, he has taught management courses for the University of Richmond Management Center and is a member of an international think tank on best practices.