Tough economic times are precisely the time to really think outside the box to keep your business running smoothly. No manager wants to layoff their team members to reduce their expenses during economy downturns. Hopefully that is a last resort.
During tough economic times, it should be all hands on deck to either increase the sales or reduce expenses. Any solution you can possibly think of before eliminating your staff.
Of course there are the standard methods that everybody uses. In the sales department, you can put the products on sale or add incentives. In the production department, you can streamline processes perhaps. At one company I worked for, they authorized the developers to use the time when they had no billable work to research and develop their skills.
What you'll notice about those solutions is that they are all contained within the silos of the individual departments or divisions.
What if you could bring the teams together at those times to really innovate an alternative way to increase revenue?
These tough times are when you need to leverage the skills of your experts to their maximum potential. Integrative thinking techniques can help to draw out truly revolutionary ideas in crisis times. By bringing together experts from all your operational units, what type of innovations could be discovered to improve your economic outlook?
In some ways, I have a Pollyanna attitude when it comes to seemingly unresolvable issues. I usually keep digging and rotating until an acceptable solution crystalizes and often the solution components are drawn out of diverse experts and synthesized into something completely unexpected. My belief in solutions is based on many years of successful experiences. When I find a scenario that can't be improved by innovation, then perhaps I'll consider being more cynical.
For now, during these tough economic times, I will continue to believe that there are solutions. Perhaps there is a way of adapting the definition of the target market for the product which opens up a whole new revenue stream. Perhaps there are process or system solutions that can be rapidly implemented to streamline work and distribute it across experts and junior staff to offload or share the effort.
This is where a Solution Facilitator can help to make a difference within your organization and help you weather the downturn profitably.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Why Knowledge Fusion?
When I was trying to think of a company name that would reflect who I am and what I do, I experimented a lot with words and what they represent. I was also thinking of what type of logo would represent what I do.
The reason I chose the name "Knowledge Fusion" is because it creates a visual image of what could happen when you bring together knowledge from diverse disciplines and expertise to synthesis new thoughts and ideas.
In the world of Physics, "Fusion" is defined as "a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy".
In music, "Jazz Fusion" is a blend of the heavy rhythms of rock with jazz elements to create a totally new experience that brings the best of both the rock rhythm and the melodic jazz to a whole new level for the listener who experiences it and the musicians that play it.
And I'm sure most of us have experienced the surprise of the sensory delight derived from "fusion cooking" where the chef combines elements and techniques from diverse cultures to CREATE something completely new unique.
What I have done over my 20 years of experience in business can't really be described in words. A resume couldn't possibly begin to describe in words what the people involved in the project experienced.
In order to accomplish the success that I've experienced in my career, I leveraged my ability to rapidly draw knowledge out of the various experts and mix the knowledge together until they created the fusion reaction that was needed to manifest the vision of the solution. From that point on, it's all about orchestrating the team of experts implement the projects in harmony.
Hence we have the wonderful experience of "Knowledge Fusion".
Is it management consulting? Is it systems analysis and design? Is it about the Project Management skills and techniques? Am I able to do this because I have a BMath in Computer Science with a minor in Fine Arts?
For my logo, I thought about trying to create an image that captured the idea of taking chaos and structuring it into something neat and organized but that didn't really convey it all.
Then, I came up with my business card idea where I have blocks of solid primary colours around the card and then a bright white space for my name etc. The idea behind this is abstract - the idea of taking red/green(or yellow)/blue beams of light, each of them marvelous in their own unique qualities, but when you focus the beams of light together, you get a brilliant WHITE beam of illumination that is so much more radiant than a regular white light (there's that fusion of physics and art again). THIS is what I am really good at. Focusing and channelling the various beams of light into something even more spectacular.
Of course, all this is an abstract metaphor of how I "work". This is not my marketing message - Someday my website will have the "right" marketing message on it (www.knowledgefusion.ca). But this is the sensory experience of how people felt when we successfully launched our projects. It really is exhilerating to feel all the parallel components of a solution come together and launch harmoniously.
If anybody has any marketing advice on how to communicate this type of service, I would love to hear your feedback!
What I would like to do is find a way to communicate the value of harmonious cross-functional solution facilitation to business managers. Everybody knows the value of the Project Management discipline by now. They know what happens when projects don't follow a disciplined methodology. However, the catch is that Project Management only kicks in once the SOLUTION selection has been made.
My hypothesis is that the solution definition process needs more attention and expert resources need to be engaged earlier in the process.
In 2002, the Rotman School of Business in Toronto created the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking and Roger Martin (Dean and Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management) has written extensively about Integrative Thinking Skills (Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking - ISBN#978-1422118924). I could blog much more on this topic, but I'll save that for another day.
For today, that is the end of the story of why I named my company "Knowledge Fusion".
The reason I chose the name "Knowledge Fusion" is because it creates a visual image of what could happen when you bring together knowledge from diverse disciplines and expertise to synthesis new thoughts and ideas.
In the world of Physics, "Fusion" is defined as "a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy".
In music, "Jazz Fusion" is a blend of the heavy rhythms of rock with jazz elements to create a totally new experience that brings the best of both the rock rhythm and the melodic jazz to a whole new level for the listener who experiences it and the musicians that play it.
And I'm sure most of us have experienced the surprise of the sensory delight derived from "fusion cooking" where the chef combines elements and techniques from diverse cultures to CREATE something completely new unique.
What I have done over my 20 years of experience in business can't really be described in words. A resume couldn't possibly begin to describe in words what the people involved in the project experienced.
In order to accomplish the success that I've experienced in my career, I leveraged my ability to rapidly draw knowledge out of the various experts and mix the knowledge together until they created the fusion reaction that was needed to manifest the vision of the solution. From that point on, it's all about orchestrating the team of experts implement the projects in harmony.
Hence we have the wonderful experience of "Knowledge Fusion".
Is it management consulting? Is it systems analysis and design? Is it about the Project Management skills and techniques? Am I able to do this because I have a BMath in Computer Science with a minor in Fine Arts?
For my logo, I thought about trying to create an image that captured the idea of taking chaos and structuring it into something neat and organized but that didn't really convey it all.
Then, I came up with my business card idea where I have blocks of solid primary colours around the card and then a bright white space for my name etc. The idea behind this is abstract - the idea of taking red/green(or yellow)/blue beams of light, each of them marvelous in their own unique qualities, but when you focus the beams of light together, you get a brilliant WHITE beam of illumination that is so much more radiant than a regular white light (there's that fusion of physics and art again). THIS is what I am really good at. Focusing and channelling the various beams of light into something even more spectacular.
Of course, all this is an abstract metaphor of how I "work". This is not my marketing message - Someday my website will have the "right" marketing message on it (www.knowledgefusion.ca). But this is the sensory experience of how people felt when we successfully launched our projects. It really is exhilerating to feel all the parallel components of a solution come together and launch harmoniously.
If anybody has any marketing advice on how to communicate this type of service, I would love to hear your feedback!
What I would like to do is find a way to communicate the value of harmonious cross-functional solution facilitation to business managers. Everybody knows the value of the Project Management discipline by now. They know what happens when projects don't follow a disciplined methodology. However, the catch is that Project Management only kicks in once the SOLUTION selection has been made.
My hypothesis is that the solution definition process needs more attention and expert resources need to be engaged earlier in the process.
In 2002, the Rotman School of Business in Toronto created the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking and Roger Martin (Dean and Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management) has written extensively about Integrative Thinking Skills (Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking - ISBN#978-1422118924). I could blog much more on this topic, but I'll save that for another day.
For today, that is the end of the story of why I named my company "Knowledge Fusion".
Business Problem Solving Challenge
I need a good challenging business problem to sink my teeth into. I’d like to hear from the business world about the type of cross-team issues currently keep them awake at night. What are you baffled by? Is it mostly interpersonal issues? Do you think it is caused by team communication Issues?
If you don’t want to post the challenge publicly on the blog, then please feel free to email the challenge to me. I would need enough relevant clues to be able to get an idea of all the factors that you think are part of the problem.
Also, please let me know if you want a public or private response to your challenge.
Thanks!
Jennifer Janik
If you don’t want to post the challenge publicly on the blog, then please feel free to email the challenge to me. I would need enough relevant clues to be able to get an idea of all the factors that you think are part of the problem.
Also, please let me know if you want a public or private response to your challenge.
Thanks!
Jennifer Janik
Friday, November 7, 2008
How to facilitate solutions?
I love facilitating problem solving. I love forging into the great unknown and orchestrating solutions by drawing knowledge, ideas and talent out of the experts.
I find it fascinating that large organizations often struggle when significant business issues when they can't be solved within one operational department. Individual teams operate well within their own domain, but many complex issues need to be resolved through cross-functional collaboration.
This is the time when organizations need leaders who have skills like a theatre director or an orchestra conductor. For complex issues, one person does not possess all the answers. These are the times when leaders need to be solution facilitators. They need to believe in their experts and encourage them to work together. Their role is to draw out expertise from the diverse talents on their team and coach the team through collaborative problem solving.
To do this, they play the role of translator, conductor, mediator and artist. They help the entire team understand the problem that they need to solve. They draw out all the various aspects of the issue. They challenge the team members to think outside the box, stimulate their creativity by asking "What If...?", and composing a masterpiece of collaborative ideas.
There are some fundamental skills that I use to lead a team towards solving cross-functional business issues.
1) Respect the experts from each of the teams
2) Translate concepts to ensure that people from other teams understand each other
3) Use simple visual sketches to illustrate the concepts described by the experts
4) Build a spatial illustration of the concepts from various teams until everyone can visualize the context of the problem they are trying to solve
5) Prompt "What If" discussions from the illustrations to probe for overlooked components or hidden issues
6) Assemble elements of the solution visually and interactively with the cross-functional team to stimulate deeper discussions and build a model of the solution components
Often it is possible to come away from a facilitated problem-solving session with almost a complete solution design. From there it is possible to sketch out the tasks for the project plan and get a clear picture of the resources required and their inter-dependencies.
It is critically important to initiate cross-functional problem solving sessions as early as possible to ensure that the diverse teams are aligned with a common understanding and goal. Often, this process is left until the "project" is officially approved and launched, but in my opinion, that is too late. To get accurate project plans and estimates, this initial solution facilitation process needs to be done as soon as the problem is identified. In the best case scenario, cross-functional solution facilitation can even identify simple quick fixes before the problems escalate into critical issues.
Large organizations need to be structured into functional groups in order to operate effectively, however, they should also integrate operational standards on how to bridge the gaps between the groups and have a more collaborative process for solving significant business issues.
I'd be very intersted in hearing from people in organizations that have found ways to build a culture of cross-departmental collaboration for resolving issues. I'm also interested in hearing from large companies that are struggling with this type of issue.
I find it fascinating that large organizations often struggle when significant business issues when they can't be solved within one operational department. Individual teams operate well within their own domain, but many complex issues need to be resolved through cross-functional collaboration.
This is the time when organizations need leaders who have skills like a theatre director or an orchestra conductor. For complex issues, one person does not possess all the answers. These are the times when leaders need to be solution facilitators. They need to believe in their experts and encourage them to work together. Their role is to draw out expertise from the diverse talents on their team and coach the team through collaborative problem solving.
To do this, they play the role of translator, conductor, mediator and artist. They help the entire team understand the problem that they need to solve. They draw out all the various aspects of the issue. They challenge the team members to think outside the box, stimulate their creativity by asking "What If...?", and composing a masterpiece of collaborative ideas.
There are some fundamental skills that I use to lead a team towards solving cross-functional business issues.
1) Respect the experts from each of the teams
2) Translate concepts to ensure that people from other teams understand each other
3) Use simple visual sketches to illustrate the concepts described by the experts
4) Build a spatial illustration of the concepts from various teams until everyone can visualize the context of the problem they are trying to solve
5) Prompt "What If" discussions from the illustrations to probe for overlooked components or hidden issues
6) Assemble elements of the solution visually and interactively with the cross-functional team to stimulate deeper discussions and build a model of the solution components
Often it is possible to come away from a facilitated problem-solving session with almost a complete solution design. From there it is possible to sketch out the tasks for the project plan and get a clear picture of the resources required and their inter-dependencies.
It is critically important to initiate cross-functional problem solving sessions as early as possible to ensure that the diverse teams are aligned with a common understanding and goal. Often, this process is left until the "project" is officially approved and launched, but in my opinion, that is too late. To get accurate project plans and estimates, this initial solution facilitation process needs to be done as soon as the problem is identified. In the best case scenario, cross-functional solution facilitation can even identify simple quick fixes before the problems escalate into critical issues.
Large organizations need to be structured into functional groups in order to operate effectively, however, they should also integrate operational standards on how to bridge the gaps between the groups and have a more collaborative process for solving significant business issues.
I'd be very intersted in hearing from people in organizations that have found ways to build a culture of cross-departmental collaboration for resolving issues. I'm also interested in hearing from large companies that are struggling with this type of issue.
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