Grid International, INC. - (News and Information)

Grid International, INC. - (News and Information) Copyright (c) 2010,2011 AO Design -. All rights reserved. http://gridinternational.com/ The Power to Change.® Welcome to Grid International, INC en-us Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:23:41 -0500 5 Grid International, INC. 156 90 http://gridinternational.com/ http://gridinternational.com/images/logo.jpg Grid International announces new social networking links: http://gridinternational.com/news/grid-international-announces-new-social-networking-links http://gridinternational.com/rss/grid-international-announces-new-social-networking-links The Power to Change.® Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:07:00 -0600 Did you know that Grid International now has social networking links?  The social networking icons are located on our website’s homepage.  You will find and receive all the latest news items from Grid International by signing up and following us on Linked-in, Twitter, Facebook and Google+.  This is an excellent way to make the Grid connection with us as well as other people that have experienced Grid.  Please click on the linked Microsoft Word document for step-by-step joining instruction and links for each social networking website. <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Social_Networking_Logos.png" alt="" width="459" height="442" /> Grid International also has a new QR Code.  This code, when scanned by any smart phone equipped with a scan app and camera, will direct a user to our Grid International website.  Please feel free to print and distribute this code. <img title="Grid International QR Code" src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Grid_International_QR_Code.png" alt="Grid International QR Code" width="300" height="300" /> Do you have questions or comments related to Grid International social networking?  If so, please contact Paul Nadeau pauln@gridinternational.com Direct links to our different social networking websites: Linked-in: <a title="Grid International Linked-In" href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/974446" target="_blank">http://www.linkedin.com/company/974446</a> Google+: <a title="Grid International Google+" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/112902572043921954919/" target="_blank">https://plus.google.com/u/0/112902572043921954919/</a> Twitter: <a title="Grid International Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/gridconsulting" target="_blank"> https://twitter.com/gridconsulting</a> Facebook:  <a title="Grid International Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/GridInternationalInc" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/GridInternationalInc</a> PDF of all Grid social networking and QR code: <a title="Grid Social Networking PDF" href="http://gridinternational.com/fm_files/Grid_Social_Networking.pdf" target="_blank">Step-by-step instructions for setting up personal social networking accounts and following Grid International</a> A Truly Breakthrough Innovation defines Argil... http://gridinternational.com/news/a-truly-breakthrough-innovation-defines-argil http://gridinternational.com/rss/a-truly-breakthrough-innovation-defines-argil The Power to Change.® Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:54:00 -0600 A Truly Breakthrough Innovation defines Argil, our South African Partner’s answer to a common dilemma in carrying through corporate-wide culture change: <img src="http://www.gridinternational.com/im_images/gridargillogo.png" alt="" width="200" height="135" /> Argil’s approach entitled “project 650” (for the 650 lower-level employees) set out with the following objectives: ❖ A Common Grid Language and Culture throughout the organisation ❖ Workers empowered to create the 9,9 culture in own departments ❖ Workers empowered to challenge up All at client levels understand the strategy and their role in achieving this.  Their answer to the challenges faced was to transform traditional learning documents into fresh, short, easy-to-understand (and entertaining) booklets. These were used in short, dynamic, modular learning sessions. Each session addressed one skill (Candour, Listening, Asking Questions, Speaking Up, Critique). The lessons were grouped into two broad modules and was carried out in factories using Industrial theatre, Ambush Theatre, Role-Plays, Graphics, and Pictures. To strengthen commitment and buy-in, the customer identified internal champions who had ownership of the project, and these champions led 270 sessions in three months. All workers participated with people at their level to reduce skepticism. Results to date include: ❖ Un-earthed LEADERS ❖ Committed Champions ❖ Committed to the 9,9 way! ❖ Living the values and creating constant awareness of the benefits of being 9,9. ❖ Leading by example – out-performing their own managers and foremen! ❖ Confident & Competent Facilitators ❖ Excellent examples of facilitating self-convincing learning – not “Teachers” ❖ An outsider couldn’t tell that they are machine operators or Union Officials! ❖ Developing a momentum of its own If you are interested in taking this process to your clients, please contact Lawson Leslie or Mike Montocchio at +27 31 262 0850 <a title="650 Project" href="http://www.gridinternational.com/fm_files/650_Project_News_Item.pdf">pdf document: 650 Project</a> How Great Companies Think Differently http://gridinternational.com/news/how-great-companies-think-differently http://gridinternational.com/rss/how-great-companies-think-differently The Power to Change.® Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:04:00 -0500 <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The attachment is a fantastic article I want to share about culture just released in the November issue of HBR (<a href="http://hbr.org/magazine">http://hbr.org/magazine</a>) by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. </div> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Kanter provides current and very convincing examples of the importance of building a culture of performance excellence through interdependence and deep personal motivation. The article outlines six facets to what she calls "institutional logic"–the strategy of culture development that "radically alters leadership and corporate behavior: a common purpose; a long-term view; emotional engagement; community building; innovation; and self-organization." </div> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </div> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Here are a few excerpts: </div> <div> </div> <div>  “Institutional grounding involves efforts to build and reinforce organizational culture, but it is more than that. Culture is often a by-product of past actions, a passively generated outgrowth of history. Institutional grounding is an investment in activities and relationships that may not immediately create a direct road to business results but that reflect the values the institution stands for and how it will endure.”   "Institutional logic holds that companies are more than instruments for generating money; they are also vehicles for accomplishing societal purposes and for providing meaningful livelihoods for those who work in them. According to this school of thought, the value that a company creates should be measured not just in terms of short-term profits or paychecks but also in terms of how it sustains the conditions that allow it to flourish over time. These corporate leaders deliver more than just financial returns; they also build enduring institutions."   "Utilitarian rationality is not the only force governing corporate performance and behavior inside organizations; emotions play a major role, too. Moods are contagious, and they can affect such issues as absenteeism, health, and levels of effort and energy. People influence one another, and in doing so they either increase or decrease others’ performance levels, as my study of teams and organizations on winning and losing streaks reveals (see my book Confidence, Crown, 2004)."   <a href="http://gridinternational.com/fm_files/How_Great_Companies_Think_Differently_-_Harvard_Business_Review1.pdf" target="_blank">pdf document:  "How Great Companies Think Differently" by Rosabeth Moss Kanter</a> </div> Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you? http://gridinternational.com/news/top-athletes-and-singers-have-coaches-should-you http://gridinternational.com/rss/top-athletes-and-singers-have-coaches-should-you The Power to Change.® Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:43:00 -0500 The New Yorker October/2011 article by Atul Gawande, “PERSONAL BEST: Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you?” explores the value of continuously challenging your culture towards performance excellence. Atul Gawande’s most recent article explores the value of coaching seasoned professionals to avoid falling into a culture of "performance plateau." This article is a great read for anyone in the consulting arena that has to manage learning ‘fadeout.’ As with Complications (2002), Better (2007), and Checklist Manifesto (2009), Gawande explores innovative ways to avoid drifting into a culture of complacency, especially in seasoned, highly professional fields like surgery. As always, he counts the value of strengthening the "human side" of complex professions (personal judgment, humility, and a willingness to have your skills exposed) as vital as any technical aspects. He writes with same humility as previous publications, using his profession as a surgeon as one of many examples explored. A small excerpt: “Élite performers, researchers say, must engage in “deliberate practice”—sustained, mindful efforts to develop the full range of abilities that success requires. You have to work at whatyou’re not good at. In theory, people can do this themselves. But most people do not know where to start or how to proceed. Expertise, as the formula goes, requires going from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence to conscious competence and finally to unconscious competence. The coach provides the outside eyes and ears, and makes you aware of where you’re falling short. This is tricky. Human beings resist exposure and critique; our brains are well defended. So coaches use a variety of approaches—showing what other, respected colleagues do, for instance, or reviewing videos of the subject’s performance. The most common, however, is just conversation.” LINK <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande#ixzz1Z5vo9Bm4">http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande#ixzz1Z5vo9Bm4</a> For more information about the author and his other publications: <a href="http://gawande.com/">http://gawande.com</a>/