Author

Carl Pritchard

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Carl Pritchard is a Senior Consultant with the Cutter Consortium's Business Technology Management practice. A recognized author and lecturer, Mr. Pritchard has traveled the globe speaking on the opportunities presented by risk management. Read more ...

 
The New Darlings of the Globe

It’s not going to be a pretty year ahead, unless you’re in the “doom and gloom” business. As one of the “risk guys,” I’m in a sweet spot for the year ahead, but I don’t think I have a lot of company. I believe a lot of businesses are going to retrench even more deeply, hoarding capital and waiting for some semblance of stability in terms of business regulation. I don’t believe that stability will be forthcoming, which means that the money that has been holed up for several years now will begin to find its way off shore. This makes for an interesting year ahead for the folks outside the States and outside the …

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A financial services client last month asked me if I had read anything about management and the relationship to “commander’s intent.” While I had to confess that I had not, I did some quick searching to find out what the concept was about and how it might relate to effective management practice. What I found was a compelling object lesson on how we should be drawing on the lessons learned from other practices. The concept of “commander’s intent” has been around for almost 200 years. It’s a compelling military concept, originated by the Germans. The idea is that rather than apply tight command and control, leaders provide a clear sense of the outcomes they seek …

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It's About Customer Service

Year of the App Redux It’s another “year of the app” for 2012 as more and more clients will expect any of the goods and services we offer to be available on their iPhones and Droids. A failure to include those elements in the tool set will invariably lead to charges that the provider lacks “true” customer service. More Face Time in 2012 While technology will play a greater role, it’s also evident that there will be a greater level of “touch” required for some clients who will see the advent of e-options as the surrender of personal contact. They will push back and demand true face time as well as on-site commitments. Coupled with …

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The biggest shifts in the year ahead will be the additional integration of productivity software with social networking software, further blurring the line between work and non-work time. Organizations will try to leverage social networks as a means to extract more connectivity from staff, creating scenarios where connected staff members will be seen as contributors, even if their only contribution is mere presence. I also believe some of the major productivity software packages will find ways to weave their informational web into these social networks, allowing for higher levels of information sharing among groups and subgroups. More and more organizations will create unique staff groups through LinkedIn and Facebook to generate “town hall” style communication, …

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I don’t care if it works. It’s not our way. I don’t care if it’s expedient, effective or simpler. It’s not right. Those sound like counter-productive and potentially hostile kinds of comments. NOW, put them in a different context. CMMI. SAP. PMBOK. ITIL. These are the cookbooks of organizational success. By following the recipes, we can ensure great success. My two analogies come from my kitchen. I’m the chief cook in our house, and I love it. I was a short-order cook in high school and college, and found the experiences at a small-town restaurant to be enlightening. First, I “roast” my turkey with an inch+ of water in the bottom of the roaster. Talk …

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