In a survey conducted in March 2012 by APQC and IEG, 65 percent of finance organizations have some strategy for talent development, either with a coherent, continuous strategy or intermittent attempts. However, an alarming 52 percent of those same respondents who are making an effort to develop…
Processes are more than activities, tasks, steps, and procedures. They involve people. Sure, we've mechanized large portions of many processes, but people are never far from the activities. People drive processes, and yet, so many organizations ignore the human element within processes, trying to…
Lots of organizations provide tools and approaches to support knowledge management, but only a few have figured out how to integrate KM into their cultures and get employees excited about sharing what they know. If you’re interested in best practices for increasing KM participation rates, check out…
Earlier this week, we released our latest human capital management (HCM) best practices report. It is full of strategies to help organizations beat the technical talent shortage. Technical Talent Management: Sourcing, Developing, and Retaining Technical Talent describes 19 best practices…
Procurement has been gaining visibility through innovative developments that provide value to the enterprise beyond lower-cost goods. This new role for procurement led APQC to conduct the study Supplier Category Management: Driving Value Through the Procurement Organization, which looked at how…
According to research conducted in March 2012 by APQC in partnership with IEG, 81 percent of large corporations are currently investing in at least one major program to improve financial management processes. This is a marked departure from previous efforts, which were relatively narrow in…
As a stereotypical Millennial, I am often approached by APQC's KM subject matter experts to provide “user opinions” on new social media tools. Within a span of four days I had two e-mails in my inbox from Cindy Hubert and Jim Lee inquiring as to how and why I use Pinterest. I was already an active…
Executing a single improvement initiative is one thing. Creating a culture of continuous improvement is another. The idea of one improvement project is usually fairly clear and straightforward. There is a beginning and an end, clear steps, resources dedicated for certain hours and durations, and a…
Good knowledge managers know that the real value of KM comes not when knowledge is shared, but when it is applied to a new situation—in other words, when the knowledge allows the organization to do something better, faster, cheaper, or more safely. One area where KM can generate a lot of value is…
Turnabout is fair play: Consultants spent decades helping companies squeeze out every bit of margin across supply chains and within their internal operations. Now, consultants are the vendors feeling the vice clamps. The last decade was bookended by two downturns, both of which led consultants to…