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<title>Cafe Mazarin</title><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/index.html</link><description>Innovation and Thoughts for organisations in the noughties</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2006 andrew trickett</dc:rights><dc:date>2006-08-04T21:30:25+01:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2006 21:40:51 +0100</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>Andrew Trickett</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Mazarin</itunes:name><itunes:email>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:category text="Business"/><itunes:summary>This site primarily will discuss knowledge management issues. However&#x2c; I won&#x27;t restrict myself and  will also tackle other management issues such as strategy and also look at demographics.</itunes:summary><itunes:image href="http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/podcast_channel.png" /><item><title>Many apologies</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-08-04T21:30:25+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/14292b5987f9e7a5de9661db3e3b120e-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/14292b5987f9e7a5de9661db3e3b120e-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm sorry to those who have been looking at my site and wondering when I was going to update.  Just to say that I've recently commenced a full time position with a major law firm.  So until I get some guidance as to the comfort level they feel about me blogging.  I haven't felt able to write - but I do hope to re-commence my blogging fairly soon via my new blog courtesy of Blogger at  <a href="http://andrewtrickett.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Knowledge and the Cardinal</a>

Many thanks for those who have read my slots over the last 6 months.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Knowledge &#x26; growth</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Knowledge Management</category><dc:date>2006-05-23T16:25:44+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/7083c2aa55c2d8d6dcac205b3f6d7831-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/7083c2aa55c2d8d6dcac205b3f6d7831-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I was reading an article in the Economist over the weekend in advance of a book by David Warsh called Knowledge & the Wealth of Nations and it was interesting to me in my Knowledge Management area by coming up with a somewhat worldly response which I think professional service firms might wish to heed.

...- I have said in other blogs that companies need to invest in time and it may be that if you charge billing hours that this model needs to change....  One option in my initial thesis was that the billable hour if still retained should be reduced by 10% and that the lawyer should be charged with undertaking some 'renewal learning' and prove how it had benefited him and the firm.

...Import ideas from abroad - I'm constantly doing this via the internet or just browsing in a library - for example today i looked at new scientist and considered how flocking birds could be used to tag items in a knowledge management database.

...Protect their intellectual property - I think that when people come up with ideas, they should be rewarded by recognition and that maybe that if their idea is taken up, they get a cut of what it has produced in added value to the firm.

...Just a few thoughts for people to think about - by the way i hope to do a new podcast over this weekend - not sure of the subject yet.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Kaizen &#x26; Knowledge Management (Episode 2)</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Knowledge Management</category><dc:date>2006-05-17T15:07:05+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/31c259df3ed14822751389e763573b9b-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/31c259df3ed14822751389e763573b9b-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I was re-reading some of my notes on this subject following yesterdays discussion and realised that there was more of a link than i had first thought.

...How many of us as managers due to time pressures simply repeat old and trusted practices rather than taking the time to review what we do from time to time and see what may or needs to change.

...There are various definitions of this - but I've picked on David Garvin's as a good starting point as it has some rigour in it which he and I think most organisations fail at and incorporates Santayana's admonishment

...However, the initial steps that organisations need to take is breaking down the barriers and breaking down the internal chinese walls that stop people talking - I'm watching with interest some work that Herman Miller is doing in this area in re designing the office to encourage collaboration.

The most important area is that of time - human beings tend to behave like hamsters if we are on the treadmill of work and feel that we have to engage in the cult of presenteeism.  If our noses are stuck to the grindstone to mix metaphors for a moment, then we can't look up and see the stars This is in knowledge management terms a bit like the thuggee cult in India slowly strangles the organisational innovation & knowledge pipeline to death especially if we are working in a time measured world.]]></content:encoded><enclosure url="http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/podcast_42.mp3" length="18307287" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Andrew Trickett</itunes:author><itunes:category text="Business"/><itunes:keywords>Knowledge Management</itunes:keywords><itunes:image href="http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/podcast_image_42.png" /></item><item><title>Quality Management &#x26; Knowledge Management</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Knowledge Management</category><dc:date>2006-05-16T16:25:03+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/5e82f53e74a99c4e86a84ba627c55d3f-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/5e82f53e74a99c4e86a84ba627c55d3f-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[She was interested in talking to me as she was aware that I'm also a quality auditor and am particularly interested in the value chain as it relates to administrative systems.

...If you are working in a knowledge intensive business and can't get access to the knowledge that you need be it in codified or tacit format then the process of change is likely to be delayed as the input requirements are holding you back.

...however if your competitors have a better and speedier access to knowledge, then this will affect your competitiveness with your clients as they will move to the organisation that quickly accesses and recycles information to their needs.

Intriguingly enough in todays Financial Times (16/05) there was an article by a McKinsey's partner that talked about managers needs in knowledge intensive firms to increase the range of tacit interactions where people have to exercise not only information management but the ability to exercise judgement and the ability to deal with complexity to deal with a clients request.  As I mentioned in my research, organisations are now looking at technology that supports collaboration rather than trying to shoehorn the organisation around the IT.

Future measures of success will be around levels of organisational change, learning and collaboration in the organisation rather than the rather clumsy manufacturing age metrics.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Information vs Knowledge (Episode 1)</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Knowledge Management</category><dc:date>2006-05-12T15:49:52+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/eaa042d05970a5c1142b258a2e8766a7-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/eaa042d05970a5c1142b258a2e8766a7-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today, I completed my very 1st podcast covering one of the areas that I blogged last month - just to get an insight into the process.

It did take a few minutes to write up a script and it was a bit strange but i hope that if you do listen then you will enjoy and provide me with some feedback.  Thanks for listening]]></content:encoded><enclosure url="http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/podcast_40.mp3" length="4636940" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Andrew Trickett</itunes:author><itunes:category text="Business"/><itunes:subtitle>This episode talks about the difference between knowledge and information.</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary>This episode talks about the difference between knowledge and information.</itunes:summary><itunes:image href="http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/podcast_image_40.png" /></item><item><title>It&#x27;s nice to have something confirmed</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Knowledge Management</category><dc:date>2006-05-02T19:44:19+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/7a32d1b924da07461e4974a83175d555-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/7a32d1b924da07461e4974a83175d555-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As this is the first blog of a new month - new readers can read previous months blogs by clicking on the Months on the side bar.

As readers of this blog will be aware, I've talked about knowledge sharing and how people will hoard knowledge.

Well some new research from Catherine Connelly at McMaster University in Canada highlights that co-workers hoard their best ideas and will even take steps to hide it from their co-workers.

...This backs up the work in my thesis on the subject of knowledge sharing in a law firm in the UK and it is a little gratifying that her comments do correlate with some of my findings and I put her comments below for review:-

...In a recent McKinsey study, chief executives have highlighted that knowledge sharing is important, the opposite is happening.  Yet more proof that something isn't right in the world of business, particularly in the way(s) that we work.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>West Wing Series 7&#x2c; Birmingham and demographics</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2006-04-28T19:05:58+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/3932134ce4a10f5e7a28c77bdd40e80d-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/3932134ce4a10f5e7a28c77bdd40e80d-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[One of my favourite series of all times is the West Wing, which is coming to the end of it's final series (7) and this series has been dealing with the election of the successor to President Bartlett (magnificently played by Martin Sheen).

...But his total of 272 electoral votes, two more than needed, included 63 from five states with growing Hispanic populations: Texas (34 electoral votes), Arizona (10) Colorado (9), New Mexico (5) and Nevada (5).

...Now a few days after reading this I attended a diversity conference at a local law firm and they repeated a demographic trend that I'd heard before in that by 2020, the ethnic minority will be the ethnic majority in either Birmingham or Leicester.

Now intriguingly enough looking at the Hispanic population by the same year 1 in 5 of Americans will be Hispanic or more pertinently $763 bn of disposable income to be tapped into.

I think that this is a great market for progressive law firms in Birmingham to consider tapping into by reviewing it's diversity policies to ensure that we encourage more people from ethnic minorities into our firms so that they can enhance our knowledge pool as well as provide insights as to how we in Birmingham can attract and retain our graduates as well as how to tap into this new and growing market with links not only in the region but also to other parts of the globe.

...Digby Jones mentioned this at a recent talk in Birmingham at Aston University when he highlighted that Birmingham has been at it's best because it has welcomed people of diverse background to the city and has provided them with fertile ground on which to grow.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The first stone of Clementi rolls down the hill</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-04-21T16:55:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/8abc7d00ca4cd79a41eac12a8f295dd9-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/8abc7d00ca4cd79a41eac12a8f295dd9-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As previous blogs have alluded to, the law firms in this country are being liberalised following the production of the clementi report last year and the publication of the white paper prior to government sponsored legislation this year.

Well the first non-legal organisation has set out it's plans - it is the Co-operative Group which is going to take advantage by launching law services to cover easy retail law such as conveyancing, will writing, probate and accident management services.  Initially it will work with a law firm panel system, but as soon as the legislation allows it will have lawyers in-house.

As I have previously mentioned outside competitors will look at work that is done by sole practitioners/small firms covering what Mr & Mrs Jones need on a retail basis.  This is looking at legal work that can be systemised as they only plan to employ 150 people - the commoditisation of the law in the UK may have started today with future casualties likely to occur....  <a href="http://www.legalweek.com/ViewItem.asp?id=28537">Legal Week article</a>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Return of the notebook</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-04-18T19:38:24+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/914054e59b13b2beca06079c62b80a0d-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/914054e59b13b2beca06079c62b80a0d-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Well in one respect they are right and one application that is always open on my iBook is a programme called Notebook - by a company called Circus Ponies (Mac only I think) at www.circusponies.com - which I use to capture thoughts mostly from the internet.

I was rummaging around the other day and came across an old filofax which was good for capturing information on the hoof rather than me going for my Palm.

This got me thinking about another trend I've seen recently which is the return of the notebook - usually a Moleskine for people to jot thoughts about things down.  Perhaps people like the slight effort that it takes to write something down - me I still use an ink pen in the office or when seeing a client because it slows me down a little and gives me some time to reflect.  I also like the serendipity about flicking through an old notebook and coming across a long lost thought or idea that wasn't just right at that moment - but now might be worth the effort.

So why not take the plunge and buy a little notebook and jot a thought down now - you never really lose it and it does make you reflect a little which isn't a bad idea.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Women are the pillars of the Earth</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-04-17T19:05:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/85510758f2e6b380f490e0b6be922dfd-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/85510758f2e6b380f490e0b6be922dfd-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We were chatting last night and I highlighted to him an article in this weeks Economist regarding the rise and rise of womenomics and how law firms need to get a grasp on this.

In the developed economies, girls do better at school than boys, more women achieve university degrees than men and females are developing as the most powerful engine of economic growth.

...however, over the next few years there is likely to become a bulge - where more and more qualified women are pushing up at the 'glass ceiling' and ultimately the pressure will tell and they will take more of the top jobs in law firms.  I've always found it a bit foolish when so much money is expended by law firms in developing their staff that they find it cost effective to let a potential high flyer leave or that by deciding to have a family is seen as a potential bar to partnership.

...In today's knowledge based economies women are very good at team building teams and communicating and mixed teams are research has shown better at problem solving and seeing external threats.

I think that law firms of the future need to continue to develop the rise and rise of the female partner if only to slightly take over the macho culture that does occur at some of our law firms and replace it with a more consensual model which research has shown does bear better and longer lasting fruit.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Customers vs Vendors perceptions</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Marketing</category><dc:date>2006-04-10T19:12:52+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/032c25a914e839dfd501860de7ca570b-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/032c25a914e839dfd501860de7ca570b-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[But, when customers were asked to indicate their perceptions of the experiences they have in dealing with companies, they rated only 8 percent of companies as truly delivering a superior experience (James Allen, Frederick F.

...I've also been reading an article by Philip Kreindler from HBR on what B2B customers expect and I think that it will have some interesting reading for the law firms.

...However for some strange reason, vendors of services underestimate it's value and rank it at no 3 in the ratings and think that Professionalism is the number 1 item.

...The interesting one for me is the no 2 issue which is understanding of the clients business and industry and whilst both parties recognise that it is the 2nd most important area, it ranks towards the bottom of what vendors recruit for.

...It may be worthwhile for legal firms to discuss with their clients what skills and expertise they expect and deliver and recruit people who more closely match those attributes.

...Law firms want to get to trusted adviser status, but do seem loath to find out why clients leave or most importantly why they stay and doing everything that they can to ensure client retention especially in view of the hard work it takes to get a client.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Knowledge vs Information</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Knowledge Management</category><dc:date>2006-04-06T19:26:12+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/c74f4559b30a5d4e367bf90e985d5db1-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/c74f4559b30a5d4e367bf90e985d5db1-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He mentioned that he wondered whether any firm would require my services as surely all the knowledge was captured by either a document database or via the search mechanism on Windows.

I went on to explain that he was confusing information with knowledge and to prove the point I highlighted to him that I could via a Google search download the information to enable me to undertake a heart by pass operation and asked him if he would then be willing for me to anaesthetise him and perform the operation.

...This was the difference between information and knowledge as if I had been a doctor, then I would no doubt have spent time working with a consultant or in his case as a solicitor picking up the tacit knowledge that a mentor can pass on to an apprentice/trainee to enable me to have a higher success rate on his heart by-pass operation.  This is a time consuming and a costly process - but as of yet no one has made it a quicker process because we are dealing with human beings in this area.  Interestingly enough Lawrence Prusak has recently commented on this in HBR's April issue and he concludes with the following which law firms amongst others need to grab hold off

...This has been the major thrust of my thesis and it is nice to see that one of the greats of knowledge management is also quoted as highlighting this strategic error.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Never say Never</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Apple</category><dc:date>2006-04-05T19:02:45+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/69abec3de625555ba7fb06db83b6cdbc-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/69abec3de625555ba7fb06db83b6cdbc-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[One of my favourite bands are the Eagles and that all time favourite album of a lot of my generation "Hotel California" .  Well like a lot of bands, they split up and when asked if there would ever be a get together - one band member said that "Hell would freeze over".

...From the comments I've had from my other MMUG colleagues there seems to be a warm acceptance though, not many will carry Windows XP on their machines - still it may enable other users to see how both operate side by side and then join the cult of mac.

So what are the lessons of this for law firms - well never say never.  In this constantly changing world that we live in - it maybe that we have to drop old cherished sacred cows like hourly billing and move towards a project fee as the norm rather than the exception.  Occasionally we need to sup with the devil and suddenly make a switch that moves us closer to a blue ocean strategy and away from our competitors.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>This one is for my Dad</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Humor</category><dc:date>2006-04-03T20:49:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/116bdeda4ff7e64527b4e4ee492ea3f5-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/116bdeda4ff7e64527b4e4ee492ea3f5-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is from the Adam Smith Institute's marvellous blog and is dedicated to my dad who has his profound suspicions as to police priorities in the Manchester region.

...He replied they were not, only in his storage shed in back of the house.

...Well, you don't have to worry, as I just shot them all dead!"

Within seconds there were 3 police cars, an ambulance and fire engine at the scene.  After capturing the prowlers red-handed, the policeman asked the caller, "I thought you said you had shot them all?"  The man answered, "And I thought you said there were no police available.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Picasso&#x2c; Risk&#x2c; Honest Abe and Lawyers</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-03-29T19:12:44+01:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/522741efa4a54ffc674202bdc2ad6c2b-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/522741efa4a54ffc674202bdc2ad6c2b-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[One friend commented that it was quite a risky thing for me to do especially as he found lawyers to be very arrogant and thinking that they didn't need management training.

I replied that if we don't venture into new waters and experiment then the whole system of enterprise would falter and companies that changed the world such as Apple(Happy 30th Birthday for the 1st) and Microsoft would never have existed.

...It is the same with Management training for law firms - they rely on the same methods that have served them well and slowly and surely their exposure to new ideas that help them come to terms with change in their industry.

...It is the same with the legal industry here, a number of firms do recognise the need but they are in the minority of bringing in outside help who can bring new ideas to their partners of the future.

...Organisations are evolutionary beings and if they don't adapt then like the creatures of the Cretaceous era they will disappear and be replaced by new creatures better adapted to their new environment.

Also lawyers need to understand that even if they do send their people on training courses to improve their management skills it is only effective if they are allowed to practice and utilise those skills on their return and that their voices are heard in the managing councils of the firm and help to bring new ideas to those at the top so that everyone's knowledge and skills can be updated and adapt.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The individual and liberty (not)</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-03-22T06:59:44+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/f49ec6a85e73cde1bca4807bbc05e32f-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/f49ec6a85e73cde1bca4807bbc05e32f-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I very rarely move out of my field of management, but as Donne said - no man is an island and there are other things to pass on.

I was reading an article by Eamonn Butler on the Adam Smith institute following the passing of the ID Card bill, which I for one are concerned about.

...It is the key to a National Identity Register (NIR) that will give you a unique number, and will hold images of your fingerprints, a scan of the back of your eye, and your photograph (you will have to turn up at the authorities' convenience to be fingerprinted, scanned, and photographed).

...There is plenty of space on the database to capture other information on you too, and ministers will be able to add new details without going back to Parliament.

...Pubs, discos, and traders selling alcohol or cigarettes will want to swipe your card to make sure you are not under age, so they do not get fined.

...Buy a mobile phone or a London Transport Oyster Card and that will enable the authorities to track who you talk to and where you travel to.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Customers - The Revenge of the Dissatisfied and how</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Marketing</category><dc:date>2006-03-16T10:29:43+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/b803f339c0e8d440d44ee62606e5faf4-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/b803f339c0e8d440d44ee62606e5faf4-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We have all experienced it at one time and another shoddy service in a store and you vow when you go out, never to darken their doors for some period of time or ever and we share that experience with friends and family.

...He and a consulting group in a retail survey highlighted that "only 6% of shoppers who experienced a problem with a retailer contacted the company, but 31% went on to tell friends, family or colleagues what happened.

...We also look at the way that we get service but also don't like it if we feel that we are being ripped off, even if the shop has a policy that says they will refund the difference.

...She saw shopping as a pleasurable experience to be enjoyed even if it was window shopping whereas she felt that shopping in that store was a bit like her hunting for an elusive prey.

...One way would be to have a set of slips on the checkout desk so that if you have a problem, but you are too emotional about it at the time, then leave some details i.e. telephone number or e-mail address and let the company come back to you the following day to see how they can resolve the issue before you have blown off steam to friends and family and lost that store a number of current or potential customers.

...So this is not an idea virus that any customer facing organisation wants to have out in the wild, so look to reduce those dissatisfiers before they are unleashed and you have a Darth Vader attacking your business.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another new course developed.</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-03-15T19:04:26+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/202cf747a6efd1676c3e50ee6d4d5c13-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/202cf747a6efd1676c3e50ee6d4d5c13-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The final element of my MBA was my thesis on knowledge sharing within professional service firms.  I didn't look at the ICT element, but looked and considered why human beings in a law firm shared information.

A number of my colleagues in law firms have asked me to why I haven't yet done a module for law firms as they would find it useful.

Well after a couple of weeks work, I now have prepared a module and this is available now under the training courses section of the web site.

I'd welcome any feedback on the outline that people might have and any areas for improvement that they would like me to cover.

...However, knowledge management is the key management competency for this century - don't believe me but that was Peter Drucker's observation also.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The reason to be Mazarin</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-03-12T13:13:41+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/b511f1af49d5d252dab2b24ea0bef63f-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/b511f1af49d5d252dab2b24ea0bef63f-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I actually responded to him that yes money was of interest to me - but that I wanted to earn what is called an elegant sufficiency - enough for me to do some of the things that i like to do, like watching a cricket match when i please or the odd holiday to say France with someone special.

However the major reason why I took this step was to utilise the skills that I was provided with without the hindrance of corporate politics and also look to find like minded people who wanted to fully utilise their gifts in a collective endeavour to bring management training in all areas to people.

...There is a joy that I get when I am working in this way - yes it is difficult as I struggle to find my feet and initially there is the need to survive, but as the organisation grows there needs to be another underlying purpose that gets us out of bed in the morning.

...I have believed that corporate life stifles people opportunities to express their inner skills and that organisations that look to control people to the nth degree are left with the equivalent of corporate zombies.  These are people who have been so conditioned that they are at a stage where they refuse to take action and rely on other people to take decisions for themselves.

Mazarin will always be an organisation that will encourage people to deliver a superior product and so long as it is of their highest standard and that they take responsibility for success or learn lessons if it has not delivered, isn't a bad corporate epitaph.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What&#x27;s in the toolbox</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2006-03-10T13:05:45+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/eafe61f44b61d6392a5b9967c12f5245-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/eafe61f44b61d6392a5b9967c12f5245-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I was at my graduation ceremony on Tuesday for my MBA and 30 of us went up and shook hands with the vice chancellor and received a certificate that we were now a Master of Business administration.  I was reflecting on this when talking to a potential client a few days later when he asked what I offered.  It was if he was looking for a solution that he could quickly implement within his organisation.

To me what I've learnt over the years is that all I can offer with any training that I provide via Mazarin is to give those people a toolbox that they can use and that they have a better insight as to what tool to use when.

It isn't the case that you can use a hammer to butter a slice of bread - it is a case of harnessing the knowledge that you have gained or it has been highlighted to you and recognising when the right tool is required for which job.

So when i come and do the training, that is why I spend a lot of time talking to the firm so that I can tailor the course accordingly and give them the right tools.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Mad March Hare - or why companies sow the seeds of their own destruction.</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-03-03T20:29:10+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/a1b75fae94d505ce7ae850f02261d2e0-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/a1b75fae94d505ce7ae850f02261d2e0-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Occasionally if we are successful then we always dream that we are on a long running winning streak and like Icarus we fly to close to the sun the wax melts and we plummet to earth.

All companies start of with a dream of an idea and they do tend to to be cash poor and therefore tend to be highly focused on getting that first client before they run out of cash.

...However one of the dangers is that as companies mature and grow into middlesecence they do tend to focus less on innovation and can become separated from their customers .

...In an article I've written for MD magazine today, I also talk about decision making in organisations and how people can fall into the status quo trap where faced with a multitude of decisions then the status quo can look like the best decision.

...Then the organisation then starts to begin in breeding and starts only to recruit from within "as only insiders know our company", this then leads to the top management not getting an input of fresh genetic material to help it to learn to develop to meet the changing challenges as marketplaces evolve that can stop the organisation from collapsing in on itself.

There was once a programme on the problems at M& S under Sir Richard Greenbury towards the end of his management at M&S where the store was massaged and the corporate equivalent of a Potemkin village was constructed to hide problems and not to upset him.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>How to deal with an intimidating manager &#x26; the Ides of March</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-02-26T13:21:25+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/3d1a645d2457f057eabbd8b2cd885351-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/3d1a645d2457f057eabbd8b2cd885351-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I got to work with this manager and yes he was a hard man to work through and a number of times he really gave me a hard time for the work I produced.

...An intimidating manager looks for people with inner steel who can make the hard decisions when they need to when under pressure and isn't a straw man.

...I was sorry when I left working with that manager and sometimes when faced with a difficult manager we can be tempted to fold our tent and leave the field.  But the lesson he taught me was valuable in that it is easy to be mediocre as a manager - but always look at yourself in the mirror and stay committed to excellence at all times.

...The Romans had it right when at the hour of a successful generals triumph through the streets of Rome a slave stood in the chariot holding the wreath over his head and reminding the general - remember thou art a mortal man at regular intervals.

...Also the shouts and plaudits of the crowd can make you deaf and so like Julius Caesar on the ides of march you fail to listen to the warning of impending assasination from the enemies that this type of leaders do accumulate over time.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An updated fable courtesy of the Adam Smith Institute blog</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-02-19T21:37:57+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/5a4be18f31150d56ae76abfdb84f7123-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/5a4be18f31150d56ae76abfdb84f7123-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I saw this on the blog today and have placed it in full here - I leave it up to you the reader to see how true it is.

...The modern version: Come winter, the grasshopper calls a press conference to show the injustice of the ant being warm and well-fed while he starves in the cold.

...The Insect Justice Bill soon becomes law, with retroactive effect, raising ants' taxes and fining them for not using grasshopper labour to build their houses.  Unable to pay, the ant's home is confiscated, and he moves to France to set up a smallholding and live on EU farm subsidies.

...In response, the government sets up an Insect Inequality Commission, which says that more money is needed to tackle such social problems.  By this time the grasshopper has turned to stealing food from other insects, and dies of a drug overdose while on remand in prison.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Loose and tight coupling &#x26; a Hungarian piano teacher</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-02-19T14:16:32+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/e40875ca8aced7f21c4cd7e3e2715b7f-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/e40875ca8aced7f21c4cd7e3e2715b7f-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[An organisation that is tightly coupled means that if there is change in any aspect of the organisations design or the environment will compromise the performance of an organisation dramatically unless other areas within the organisation can also adjust.

...As the design is more flexible and can adjust when changes in the environment mean a change in the organisation can take place without incurring the massive restructuring that may occur in a tight coupling situation.

...Part of the training that all managers need is that of flexibility and the ability to sense their environment around them usiung for example as a basic the easy to understand STEEPLE model (Legal, political, social economic,environment, technological and a new one ethical) as a means of understanding environmental forces, this though is strategy 101 which is for beginners though there are more better and useful models that managers can use.

I've worked in organisations that found it difficult to change because they retained the same people who had got them into the problem in the first place and could not change their paradigm.

Many organisations don't remove managers and staff when a restructuring takes place on the grounds that they need to retain experience and whilst there is some merit in that, you have to ensure that the people retained have the ability to change otherwise you are left in a world of tight coupling when you need a loose and flexible coupling to survive.

This is why especially in public sector organisations, there is the problem in changing because they are still wedded to the tight coupling regime and are not fully exposed to the full winds that invigorate competitive enterprises which don't have the taxpayer as lender of last resort.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Podslurping &#x26; the Law</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2006-02-16T12:08:23+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/298e20e5ae7a168ba34429e3d6f7d935-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/298e20e5ae7a168ba34429e3d6f7d935-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Whilst iPods are considered by managers to be disruptive for work whilst people are listening to their music at their desk, have they considered that they might be connecting their iPod into their PC's and downloading confidential information at a fast rate and walking out of the building with it.

...considering that an iPod can hold 60 gb's of information that is enough to take every business document in a small and medium sized law firm.

...According to security experts there is little that can be done at this time and according to the FBI - the average cost of data theft is &pound;200k to a firm.

Of course the danger has been there ever since the invention of the floppy disc - however, it is the volume of information that can be stored that may be problematic.  I once read of a journalist disguised as a janitor who went round a major firm pod slurping on machines which had not been logged out of and downloading client files off the system

...Remember, that it is people who are downloading the information, so don't blame the technology, just wonder at the culture in your firm that makes people feel that they have to behave in this way.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Santayana paradox of truth and management</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-02-15T11:35:19+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/31bcd2eaefcac0b533dcbf43ff4eeea5-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/31bcd2eaefcac0b533dcbf43ff4eeea5-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, I don't think that they are like the dinosaurs - however there is a place for them especially when the organisation is going through major and scary change - and sometimes we need some tough love to help us get there....  I think that they really do come into their own when an organisation is either stagnant or declining and it took a "Simon Cowell' to shake them up and clear the corporate arteries before they had a corporate heart attack.  In their world these managers now that time is short, the stakes are the survival of the business and the measures that are required are drastic to break through the corporate nomenklatura that can frustrate any change.

They aren't bullies as such they see or believe that there is a way through the forest and like Alexander the great with the Gordian Knot they tend to be impatient to clear it and don't like the impediments be they structural or human in their way....  They don't rely on empathy they have a dispassionate, clinical view of people and harness them as resources to be leveraged to achieve the ends that they are required to achieve.

As Richard Nixon once said - "People react to fear not love - they don't teach that in church but it's true" If you read some of the books about the Nixon presidency - it was apparent that to Nixon leadership isn't about being liked and inspiration - it was about achieving tangible results.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Polish Plumber &#x26; the benefits of having one</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-02-09T09:14:20+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/ef6ffa1af897e890abeb0e645328cbbc-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/ef6ffa1af897e890abeb0e645328cbbc-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm sure that we can all remember the tabloids response to this in this country - that we would be swamped by Czech gypsies etc etc. Well in France it was the Polish plumber who not only dominated this area but also those who campaigned against the Euro constitution and feared - wait for it the 'ultra liberalism' of the EU - an oxymoronic concept at best.

...Thereafter, they could be renewed for a further, final period of two years, but only if there is evidence that labour flows had disrupted (or were threatening to disrupt) a country's labour market.

...Of course via the Schengen agreement people can travel fairly freely within continental europe and taking a fortress europe concept really is not going to work - just as Canute's exhortation to the tides didn't.  People will travel to where they think that they can do the best for themselves and their families - and it is best that they are in the open market rather than going to the 'black market' where they will compete with the official market and undercut by not having to deal with taxes and worker protection.

...it is interesting to note that the services directive this week that would liberalise the market became a victim of the Polish plumber as the proposed deal being struck at the moment gives added scope to countries to block new entrants in the service markets.

...We too have used golden shares to protect our privatised companies from take over - but these seem to be fading in to the sunset in the UK - see the potential bid for BAA by a Spanish company.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An interesting article re Law firm floatations post Clementi</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-02-07T07:36:18+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/730249c4b45f95ecd539c78e90525277-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/730249c4b45f95ecd539c78e90525277-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[An article in the lawyer regarding the possibilities of law firms floating.  All the more reason for better managerial training for current and prospective partners.  I'll comment on this later - here is the article:-  <a href="http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=118671&d=122&h=24&f=46 ">Lawyer Article</a>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Japanese Emperor&#x27;s dilemma and other baby issues</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2006-02-06T16:02:48+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/21e31446d3c35cff230df0163bcd345d-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/21e31446d3c35cff230df0163bcd345d-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A work colleague at my old organisation on Friday the 3rd February had two twin boys safely delivered in to this wonderful and intriguing world that we live in. That afternoon, coincidentally I was reading an article on the Internet about the problems that they are having in Japan with the succession to the Japanese Emperor.

...If there is no change in the current fertility rate of 1.3 children per woman of child bearing age, then in 2800, the last Japanese person will die.

...It maybe that in order to survive that we will have to raise the mandatory retirement age not only to cover pensions but also the custodians of years of technical and managerial skills.

...By 2020, Germany will have the lowest proportion of young people in Europe and it's birth rate is 1.4 children per woman of child bearing age and the age that a woman has her first child has gone up by nearly 3 years to just under 30 in just under 20 years.

...When I was studying geography in the 1970's we were being taught that the earth couldn't sustain the impending population explosion and that the earth faced a neo Malthusian dilemma as resources ran out and that this is what countries would go to war over.

However , we may have broken the link and moved away from where countries had to have high birth rates to try and offset the high mortality rates and moved where death rates are lower and women have better control of their fertility is now more common.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The danger of paradigms</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Marketing</category><dc:date>2006-02-02T20:12:13+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/2bd7493678433da814fadaf31f679c97-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/2bd7493678433da814fadaf31f679c97-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Before I start this piece for those of you who haven't used blogs much then, if you want to see previous blogs then click on the month link at the sidebar to read these articles.

The historian in me is always rather sceptical about paradigms and I've always been worried when everyone is running in the same direction as occasionally they can miss signals that can necessitate a change of requirements.  The Greeks and Shakespeare all believed in the concept of Hubris and this usually took place when everything seemed the most secure and safe - just look at M& S - once a market leader and lauded to the skies- now much shrunk and humbled

In businesses this can also be seen in the 'irrational exuberance' of the Dutch tulip boom, the South Sea bubble and at the turn of the century the dot.com bubble where a belief in the power of the new replacing the old took hold.

In fact as we have seen the old economy has adapted better and co-opted the new world of the internet- look at companies which have a physical and on-line presence to sell their products and services....  All businesses should beware the power of paradigms because situations can change - but if we look at the situation through current blinkers we are in danger of missing the large boulder coming towards us.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Parallels between a 15th century Chinese Admiral &#x26; Hu Jintao</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-01-30T19:57:05+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/74e7e73d369ea9d71c4252c0b5e2a353-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/74e7e73d369ea9d71c4252c0b5e2a353-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Previous readers of this blog will remember that i mentioned the trips of Zheng He who travelled to the shores of Africa and most of Asia mostly in search new alliances and trading routes to bring resources to the Chinese empire

...As we can see from the map the Chinese President has travelled far and wide, often in the pursuit of strategic partnerships with commodity-rich potential suppliers for China's industrial enterprises

...If we look at the oil market last year there was a major play by China and India for oil assets abroad As their governments became more and more concerned about the need for energy security Asian energy firms snapped up oil and gas everywhere from Ecuador to Canada to Kazakhstan.

...It is also rumoured that the same Chinese firm is now looking to purchase, a Canadian oil firm with assets in Central Asia, for a further $2 billion.

...It was one of my favourites and though a little dated it's premise was that most empires collapse when it as at its most hegemonic.

...Zheng He in 1436 was barred by imperial edict from constructing seagoing ships by the Ming Emperor as that empire began its slow collapse when it turned its back on the world.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>BRIC&#x27;s New Markets &#x26; Ozymandias</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-01-29T13:37:47+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/bae8d4413a08814e9b7f66d08556583c-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/bae8d4413a08814e9b7f66d08556583c-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I think that it is by being open that we will survive, but it is important that we educate our children that education doesn't stop at 16, it really is something that you have to do every few years or so in order to ride the surf waves of economic change

If we don't, then in 20 to 30 years will the UK be nothing more than a giant theme park for visitors from Asia to visit to see our heritage sites and will we be a living testament to one of Shelley's best poems about Ozymandias which if we do not adapt could be an epitaph not a sonnet.

...Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things, The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.

...The rise of the BRIC's was commented on by Jim Neill at Goldman Sachs but I do remember reading an article by CK Prahalad who highlighted the rise of the new market opportunities to the (to our concept) poor and rising middle class of the BRIC's.  (I will re read the article and post a blog in due course) They will want the services that we want such as cars and demand and this opens the opportunity to a market in the BRIC's of about 2.7 bn people

The competition is going to be relentless because the BRIC's are just the fore runner as other poor countries say in Africa see the success of these 4 countries an copy their examples to grab a share of the global economic pie.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hot update from China</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-01-26T09:50:52+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/21e47edc6917d77de31ca1e58c9ac51e-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/21e47edc6917d77de31ca1e58c9ac51e-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My own personal comment on this is that I can remember when studying economic geography in the 70's India and china were viewed as economic basket cases and seemed trapped behind inflexible command and control economies where the bureaucrat in Beijing/New Delhi knew best showed promise but no delivery.

Now by taking on board more liberal free market principles they are now feted as economic success stories and show that even the biggest economies can be turned round and you don't have to be a tiny nimble tiger economy to help increase your countries standard of living.

...CHINA&rsquo;S economy expanded 9.9 per cent last year, overtaking Britain and France to become the world&rsquo;s fourth largest, while income per head for China&rsquo;s 1.3 billion people increased to &pound;120 a year to make its inhabitants richer than those of Morocco.

...Consumption, which the government is trying to stimulate, accounted for 33.3 per cent of the increase in GDP while trade made up 17.9 per cent.

Statistics bureau chief Li Deshui said action was needed to brake investment and avert the risks of overcapacity, which could lead to a fresh crop of bad loans, wasted resources, bankruptcies and rising unemployment.

...Given its population and the Communist Party&rsquo;s ambition to transform China into an economic superpower, many analysts anticipate it will one day become the world&rsquo;s top economy.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Fish and the rise of the BRICS</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-01-25T08:52:21+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/bf68eea8aa459f43d034837bc7e840eb-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/bf68eea8aa459f43d034837bc7e840eb-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Over the next few issues, I'm going to start to look at the issues of BRICs which is an issue that a number of commentators have started to look at.

...The largest economies in the world (by GDP) may no longer be the richest (by income per capita), making strategic choices for firms more complex as well as having a major geopolitical implications.

...If you go to Wikipedia and look up the travels of Zheng He in the 15th century, you would wonder why the Chinese Empire did not follow up it's advantage in science and travel to become a leading economic power.

...That is why the European economies can't afford to be laggards over reform or leave their work force both now and in the future ill equipped to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

We will need to make hard decisions and move away from sunset industries and move towards either niche areas where a premium price can be achieved either in manufacturing industries or in service industries which will be able to tap in to the new economic areas increasing wealth and demand for up market products.

If i learnt one thing from my thesis on knowledge sharing it was that this is an area where retaining knowledge will be the major source of sustainable competitive advantage for organisations.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>40 second Boyd and the OODA loop for decisions</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Business</category><dc:date>2006-01-22T14:35:59+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/3e0440235c6aae1bf7de455ebcf69ebb-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/3e0440235c6aae1bf7de455ebcf69ebb-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I when smaller enjoyed making models and one of the last I made was a F-16 fighter jet as it was designed as a throwback to old planes like the Spitfire.

...Boyd was known as 40 second Boyd as he had a standing bet with any fighter pilot that even if he was at a disadvantage at the start of a simulated dogfight he would be in a winning position within 40 seconds.

...It is the same with organisations in today's competitive are you a F 16 - highly agile and able to outmanoeuvre your competition or are you a the corporate equivalent of Hercules Transport plane where it takes you a long time to react.

...If you can pull a tighter turn than another fighter pilot then it gives you the advantage for if you are acting quickly and out thinking and outmanoeuvring an opponent tends to generate confusion and disorder for that opponent.

...Where the corporate world is becoming more and more complex and we work in environments were the rules of the game seem to constantly change and time horizons alter, then perhaps we need to look at OODA loops.

What i am interested in is how leaders within the organisation can corrupt an OODA loop working within their organisation because they fear that they cannot handle in terms of complexity the constancy of OODA loops that keep running all the time.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Do we need St George in Management?</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Knowledge Management</category><dc:date>2006-01-19T13:49:11+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/a40b3c9ab0800d894a836012bd751707-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/a40b3c9ab0800d894a836012bd751707-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the two previous blogs we've been examining the question of how research has been showing that the best leaders tend to be humble and disdain the limelight if they can.  the final section looks at how leaders who are quiet tend to have four rules in handling the ethical challenges as well as making decisions.

...How many times have we as managers regretted precipitate action or been glad we reflected on a decision overnight when the heat of battle is not so hot.  Sometimes the issues need to be mulled over for a bit This buffer zone allows the quiet voice to come through and this can be done through 'strategic stalling" by dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's to gain that time.

...in organisations - this capital is the &pound;'s and pence of organisational life that we like squirrels accumulate by getting a reputation for say getting things achieved or by having a good network or just a good sharer of knowledge.

...If you stand your ground too rigidly even though you may be right in every way - you will snap like a tree in a high wind one day.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Radical change - the quiet way</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2006-01-12T13:56:38+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/a3a186f20dcee345e3b949037659f717-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/a3a186f20dcee345e3b949037659f717-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The next writer on this subject is Debra Meyerson who to adjust Teddy Roosevelt's famous saying says "Lead Softly and carry a big impact" She looks at organisations who are going through cultural changes - always the most difficult and getting round the question - how is this push not going to damage my career.

...So what is a tempered radical - they tend to be informal leaders who very quietly challenge the status quo and thus become the change they want to see in the organisation.

...I was looking at ways of saving waste in an organisation and by just showing and providing people with a set of instructions about how to set their laser printers how to do double sided printing and reducing font size by one point started to save the organisation money and by introducing that in one office and disseminating it through the organisation meant that paper waste was reduced.

...Finally - radicals look to work with allies who are of like mind and then look for opponents and rather than making them enemies - and being defensive - because they can be the best area for support and resources.  I have to say that for myself this can be best done if you can show people the value that it will give them as well as the organisation.

...I think that companies failures to deal with ethical issues is one of the reasons that trust levels in the public perceptions of companies is why legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley has come in as well as a sense of unease in the the CEO as emperor that I mentioned in my earlier blog.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Metternich and the concept of quiet leadership</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2006-01-09T20:12:13+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/6d5637c95c37506fd4a0f81465f5477e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/6d5637c95c37506fd4a0f81465f5477e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When i started work back in September 1980, it was emphasised to me that the manager was the fount of all knowledge when it came to running the office.  he was the leader he was the protector of the office from the dangers of a changing world - or at least it seemed that way to a very naive 18 year old at the time.

However one day I was re reading an article from an old history essay on Prince Metternich who was the diplomatic genius from 1815 to 1848 dominated European politics during this period.

...I have noticed especially in management magazines from the USA highlighting the rise of 'stealth leadership' in top performing US companies rather than the Jack Welch/Ken Lay/Bernie Ebbers high profile CEO's.

One of the leading writers on this form of quiet Leadership is Jim Collins who wrote 'From Good to Great' Collins calls this type of leadership Level 5 leadership and highlights the paradox of managers with deep personal humility - who 'look out of the window rather than the mirror to apportion credit .  What this means is that they take responsibility by looking in the mirror never citing bad luck or external factors when things go wrong.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ideas that last beyond 2006</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2006-01-05T19:27:55+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/7a0d336bf8cfe1e48f93b7102008dc97-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/7a0d336bf8cfe1e48f93b7102008dc97-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[this doesn't mean just concentrating on the key indicators in your organisation it is as I learnt at Dunlop tyres and in Barclays many years ago finding the small ways to improve, implementing the improvements, monitoring how they bed down and then repeat the process.

We have over the last 25 years of my working life made massive changes in the way that we work and we have made tremendous improvements in organisational productivity, effectiveness and attentiveness to opportunities.  organisations have found as i alluded to in my 'Big Beasts" article in December is to change both people and the organisational culture of their firms.

...So if we concentrate on making it real and having the mental and organisational flexibility to bring new and relevant business models to meet the demands of the times even if it appears somewhat contrarian - then that I think is the key ability to running a company now and use the great organisational tools that we possess in our armoury.

...Sustainable competitive advantage only can be achieved now by developing the learning skills of the people within their organisation and providing them with the organisational structures and means to collaborate.

It means not only sharing knowledge and skills but in everyone up and down the organisational structure to be dedicated to continuos improvement and to accept that junior colleagues can help senior colleagues to handle data redundancy.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What to do with the big beasts</title><dc:creator>andrewtrickett@mazarin.co.uk</dc:creator><category>Work</category><dc:date>2005-12-09T19:57:35+00:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/64a2003a39c82c6e1eb1a961032bedc2-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/andrewtrickett/Mazarin/page1/files/64a2003a39c82c6e1eb1a961032bedc2-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I was talking to a colleague recently in a law firm and we got to talking about the recent skipping of the generation in the Conservative Party election.

I highlighted that this was probably the last hurrah for the supposed big beasts of the Conservative Party and my colleague highlighted the number of lumbering dinosaurs of partners in the firm that were also a real block to progress because of an unwillingness to adopt modern working practices.

...They can if they want to, but the reforms will hand them the opportunity to structure themselves differently; as publicly-listed companies, multi-disciplinary practices or both.

I think that the smaller firms who deal in the bread and butter stuff that can be easily commoditised and dealt with by a call centre could well happen and sooner than we think.

...I think that maybe lock step may be replaced by a kill what you eat model and partners are going to be appraised and have to lead more from the front and be more aware of modern management practices and there may need to be less consensual management if your practice is going to survive.

There will be a need I believe for lawyers to hire in a non lawyer CEO/COO to run the practice, while new partners are trained up to provide the more rounded skills that the new speed of business will demand.]]></content:encoded></item></channel> 
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