June
2004
Caterpillar Inc. is undertaking a major new construction project: building an even better organization -- one that excels at finding and developing its next generation of global leaders. And, using proven leadership assessment tools, the Fortune 100 giant has already unearthed top talent.
Negative relationships at work may be a big reason why so many American employees are not engaged with their jobs, according to the Gallup Management Journal's semi-annual Employee Engagement Index.
Organizations around the globe are investing millions in their attempts to retain customers. But the fact that companies continue to lose customers in droves suggests that they may be taking the wrong approach. There is a better way.
Optimists beware: It's easy to draw sunny conclusions from a series of consistently high, company-wide employee engagement scores. Your company's overall score may indeed be stable and high but that doesn't mean the work environment is uniformly productive. A close look at one company's rosy performance results reveals many hidden costs -- and untapped opportunities.
Animals, Inc. is a humorous parable that offers serious lessons for business leaders: Support your best workers, honor even the least prestigious roles, and don't "reward" great employees by promoting them into the wrong positions. In this interview, authors Kenneth A. Tucker and Vandana Allman explain how imaginary animals symbolize executives and managers, the decisions they make, and the problems they face.