Death by Meeting

"Meetings," the economist John Kenneth Galbraith once opined, "are indispensable when you don't want to do anything." Most meetings are a waste of time, or worse. Patrick Lencioni in his book Death by Meeting (Jossey-Bass, 2004) says it need not be so. "I never accepted the premise that meetings themselves were bad," he says--just that most meetings are done badly.

Some basic principles according to Lenconi:

• Start on time: When meetings start late, you've already lost people's attention.
• Encourage conflict: Great meetings start with an issue worth getting stirred up about. While consensus may be rare, more participation yields informed decisions.
• Involve the wallflowers: One of the biggest problems is having meaty discussions. By encouraging involvement from those normally reticent, more thoughts surface.
• Don't overdo it: It's impossible to see the forest and the trees at once. By focusing on one set of issues at a time, you’ll deal better with both day-to-day issues and future strategy.
• Stick to it:Most groups try to shake off the discipline of a regular meeting. Make a plan and stick to it.

http://www.tablegroup.com/our_books/death_by_meeting.php

The 10 Business Excellence Principles

The 10 Business Excellence Principles - Geoff Bell

Geoff Bell has written a classic based on Australian and overseas business excellence frameworks.

Geoff explains that the real difference that makes some organisations more successful than others is the 10 Business Excellence Principles:

1. The senior executives’ constant role-modelling of the 10 Business Excellence Principles and creation of a supportive environment are necessary to achieve the company’s potential.

2. Clear direction allows company alignment and a focus on achievement of goals.

3. Providing what your customers value – now and in the future – must be an essential influence in your company’s direction, strategy and action.

4. In order to improve the outcome, improve the system and it’s associated processes.

5. Effective use of facts, data and knowledge leads to improved decisions.

6. All systems and processes exhibit variability, which affects predictability and performance.

7. The potential of a company is realised through it’s people’s enthusiasm, resourcefulness and participation.

8. Continual improvement and innovation depends on continual learning.

9. The company’s action to ensure a clean, safe, fair and prosperous society enhances the perception of its value to the community.

10. Sustainability is determined by a company’s ability to create and deliver value for all stakeholders.

Geoffrey Bell. "The Competitive Enterprise" 10 principles of business excellence for increased market share, McGraw Hill. 2002.