THE PROBLEM Most organizations are still trying to wrap their heads around how they can use data and what kind of business results analytics can drive. Today is Opposite Day. In honor of this special day, I would like to provide you with a few tips on how organizations should approach data and…
Feel overwhelmed? Can’t get anything done? Maybe this is why. Look at what happens in an “internet minute.” 150 million emails were sent. (Stop it, please.) YouTube views (2.78 million a minute) exceeded Google search queries. We collectively sent 20.8 MILLION messages just on…
What’s on the minds of other process and knowledge practioners? Ask Us Answered is an APQC blog series that shares a sample of the questions members submit to APQC’s Ask Us service along with the resources and expertise provided. If you’re an APQC member and have a question you’d like us to…
My husband is a college basketball coach. Over the holiday break, he gave each of his players a copy of the book, QBQ: The Question Behind the Question®. He had noticed that when his players made mistakes on the court, their first response was to blame a teammate. By…
Over the past 15 years, APQC has conducted four large-scale studies on communities of practice and identified dozens of best practices related to building and sustaining effective communities. However, as technology and work norms evolve, we must consider whether classic community structures still…
The growing sophistication of cyber-attacks has made it clear that even corporations with savvy prevention and protection systems are vulnerable. Cyber security is not just an IT issue but instead a cross-functional concern for the digital enterprise that requires attentive executive- and board-…
Perhaps largely due to the nature of their business, professional services firms have high expectations, and consequently some struggles, when it comes to the demarcation of work and home life. Work tends to be ubiquitous, and employees often struggle with guilt if they take advantage of benefits…
Finance professionals naturally understand the rationale of measuring managerial and operating progress, so wielding those measures’ corresponding benchmarks should be a straightforward exercise. But a word of caution is due. The impulse to act quickly with benchmarks can take a finance group in…