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December 2008

From Jim and Charlie

Happy Holidays! We're not sure how "happy" any of us can be in the current economy, but this time of year is nevertheless a time for remembering family, friends, and our general good fortune. In spite of the obvious challenges ahead we remain optimistic. We are extremely confident the new year will bring a renewed sense of hope and an aggressive attack on our longstanding challenges (e.g, economic growth, health care, education, the environment, and peace on earth).

This month we've got a bunch of semi-connected ideas for you to chew on. First, we actually find some good news buried deep within the global economy's "near death" experience this fall. Then we announce a new project focused on measuring workplace performance and invite you to join with us in creating a new level of transparency and accountability in the workplace. And finally we report on the social networking survey we conducted last month.

All three topics are about enhancing organizational effectiveness – through much greater openness to change, through developing better measurement of performance, and through more meaningful communication across organizational boundaries. That's a solid agenda for the future, and we look forward to making it all happen in 2009.

As usual, your comments and reactions are more than welcome. And as always, please send your thoughts to us at any time.

Charlie and Jim

Click on any Headline below to access the full article online. To download a pdf version of any article use the menu bar on the right.

Feature article: The Virtues of Near Death

As we go to press General Motors seems to be on life support. We honestly don't know if it will survive into the New Year, or if it will go the way of Enron, WorldCom, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, Tyco, and all those other recently-departed ghosts of corporate America. Right now, when many organizations seem on the verge of extinction, it feels like a good time to look at the potential benefits of these near-death experiences.

Compass: Building A Workplace Performance Dashboard

Would you want to travel in a plane where the pilot didn't know how high up he was, which direction he was headed, how much fuel he had, or how long the flight would last? We doubt it. Then why do you make major strategic asset decisions without knowing where you are headed, what impact your decisions will have on the bottom line, or what you are doing to the environment?

Notes From The Field: Social Networking Is for Real

Last month we wrote about the explosion of interest in social networking – clearly the most popular manifestation of the so-called "Web 2.0." In that article we asked you to complete a very brief survey about your awareness of and participation in a wide range of specific online communities and network sites. This month we're pleased to report on the results of that survey.

What's Happened/Happening?

A short note about where Jim and Charlie are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.



		December 2008 From Jim and Charlie Setting the theme for this month: we've got a bunch of semi-connected ideas for you to chew on. HTML Feature article: The Virtues of Near Death A look at the potential benefits of organizational near-death experiences. HTML \| PDF Compass: Building A Workplace Performance Dashboard Make major strategic asset decisions knowing what impact your decisions will have. HTML \| PDF Notes From The Field: Social Networking Is for Real We’ve become convinced that social networking is real. HTML \| PDF What's Happened/Happening? Where we are and will be in December and January. HTML What Do You Think? Share your thoughts with us. Email \| Blog