August
2003
It matters a lot to taxpayers whether the 14,000 employees of the General Services Administration are engaged at work. Marcella Banks, a visionary manager at the federal agency, knows this. Her success at inspiring employees offers a model not just for the rest of government but for managers across industries and sectors who want to improve performance.
Toyota is one of the best-run companies in the world. Much of its success is due to "lean thinking," a concept that aims to create additional value for the end customer, according to Mike Morrison, Dean of Toyota University. Morrison recently spoke with Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina, Ph.D., Gallup's Global Practice Leader of Path Management Practices and co-author of the book, Follow This Path, about his management discoveries.
Many companies try to implement effective performance management systems, but few succeed. What makes performance management so difficult in practice?
The competency model is often used to evaluate employee performance and help management develop people's potential. But when competencies are applied to sales professionals, this approach is more likely to erode performance than improve it.
Marketers take note: Advertising can't transform a brand, because ads can only register the brand promise -- they cannot deliver on it.
Thailand's Prime Minister has urged his country's industrialists to improve productivity and quality amid increasingly tough global competition. This is a tough challenge for any company. The first solution that comes to mind -- investing in new technology and machinery -- is only open to financially strong firms. A better solution is to harness a company's human potential.