Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle
New Thinking from Framework Consulting
On a recent project, I found some research on waiting psychology that I believe that I can trace back to some work done by David Meister.
He recently reproduced the content of the original paper in his blog: http://davidmaister.com/trackback.php?id=201
The thinking is original, and brilliant and speaks volumes on how easy it can be to satisfy customers, even when they are waiting, by being in their world.
Recently, our firm had the opportunity to strengthen its approach to performing business research. Given the fact that we are committed to documenting the way we do business (a la “The eMyth”) and in sharing as much of it as possible for others to use, I thought that I should start to do it in this blog.
The end result of doing this revamp was that we created a method that gave us a surprising set of insights and understanding.
At the outset, I should say that I have found business research to be boring as hell. And I say this from experience – I teach the damned subject in the University of Phoenix business school.
To be honest, my students usually don’t find it boring. Instead, they are usually found complaining about how difficult the material is! Fear of not doing well overcomes ennui any day.
With that in mind, I took the lead in designing an approach that seemed to make sense for the kind of research that our firm is called on to do here in the region. Given that we focus exclusively on solving difficult people problems that impact the bottom line, it seems fitting that research studies that involve people would be a natural part of what we do.
Furthermore, our firm’s tagline is “High Stake Interventions” which means that we should be doing the kind of research that makes an unforgettable impact, whether it is actually implemented as we recommend or not. It definitely should not produce a run-of-the mill set of outputs.
Furthermore, given our focus on people, our approach should account for the relatively low levels of education found in parts of the region, and some of the cultural nuances we have come across. In some companies, employees are not functionally literate, let alone computer literate. Also, many are wary of completing surveys, no matter what the guarantee is of anonymity.
The Opening Bias
It might be fair to say that most business research takes place in the form of employee surveys.
The research firm tackles the assignment with no biases or predispositions, with no pre-set agenda.
Our research is quite different.
It starts with a focused question, concern or issue. It ends with a clear answer, new mental models and a framework designed for action.
In this respect, it is an important part of what we deliver – High Stake Interventions – and quite different from opinion surveys (although survey instruments might be included.) The difference begins with the need to decisively answer a Single Question that is of concern. Diving into the Single Question may lead to the raising of others, but they are incidental to the main point.
Coming up with Single Question sometimes involves several clarifying as the client management itself is often not clear on what it wants.
Example questions might include:
These questions are not easy ones to answer, and when they must still be answered the wise executive can sometimes see the need to bring in outside help to give an objective point of view.
Yet, at the same time this is not about discovering some scientific truth. Instead, in our research we bring along our prior understanding and experience, and fully understand that that the very process of asking probing questions by itself changes the answers that are given. Ultimately, the kind of research we do is about attitudes and perceptions, and they are not amenable to perfect scientific measurement.
Mind Mapping
Once the Single Question is defined, a Mind Map is constructed to bring together all of the related issues into a single place. This act of “emptying the mind” is a powerful, nonlinear way to brainstorm. The result is a diagram showing how issues and sub-issues are woven together and linked to each other. Click here for a link to mind mapping.
Early Answer
From the gestalt of connected pieces of information on the Mind Map, the team can develop an initial hypothesis, or early answer. This is given in the form of a complete solution or answer to the Single Question, as if the data that is known at this point were all the information that could be known.
This initial hypothesis is held in the background as a possible solution, and is only discarded when there is clear evidence that it is incorrect. At that point, a new early answer is developed to replace the old, and that one is treated in the same manner until the project comes to a close, and the final hypothesis is the one that the final recommendations are built around.
Issue Tree
The completion of the map makes it possible to begin the linear process of analyzing the issues and sub-issues.
The initial question is broken down into a possible set of answers, and sub-answers.
For example, the question: Is the machine functioning? Can be answered with the following answers and sub-answers:
Is the machine functioning?
– Yes
– No
– It needs lubrication
– It must be overhauled
– The power source is corrupt
Furthermore, each answer can be broken down into several sub-answers. For example, “It needs lubrication” can be further broken down into other options such as “Use grease on joints” and “Use a light oil on pressure points.”
The questions and answers are brought together into a single diagram to create an Issue Tree that shows the important lines of inquiry to be explored. If a team is to be involved in the project, then the issue tree is divided up among the team members who each are accountable for ensuring that the correct data is gathered to answer their assigned issue. In this way, they are the “experts” on the project with respect to that issue. See a link here to a description to Issue Trees.
Questionnaires and Surveys
The next step in our methodology is to convert the branches of the tree into questions that can be asked in interviews, surveys and focus groups. At this point, it is important that the questions be worded in a way that the responses precisely match the data requirements of the issue tree. At this step, regional differences need to be brought into play, as standard English plus local dialect are used to convey the exact meaning and sentiment.
If a team is involved in gathering the data, then each member must be “trained” in seeking out the right kind of data required to meet the needs of the research team.
We use a multi-faceted approach to gather the information required. There are cultural and logistical limits to using any single approach to the exclusion of others, and a combination of approaches helps to balance out the quality of information gathered.
Sharing Data
Given the fact that the interviews are usually not conducted by the full research team, then the data must somehow be shared among team-members. Our firm’s practice is to electronically scan and share notes through a wiki web-site. In this way, each team member can have at their finger-tips all the written notes taken from each interview. In the future, we hope to expand the data sharing options to include voice-based files.
Secondary Data
Once the primary data is gathered using the methods described above, we perform secondary data searches using sources in libraries and the internet. Knowledge of how to conduct searches on Google, in the blogosphere and through human networks of regional contacts are all critical to finding information that is timely and relevant, but also credible.
Analysis
Each team member uses the data gathered to help answer the questions in the branch of the issue tree for which they are responsible. They also use pertinent data from secondary research if possible to “prove” the final answer to the team.
This ”proving” conversation marks the start of the portion of the project that is probably the most creative.
The basic evidence that is gathered is presented, and the team starts to assemble a framework that can hold both new data being gathered on the project, and data from past experience. This creative process is a unique one that pushes the team in a search for more and more effective ways to answer the single question, and address the contents of the issue tree.
The method ensures that the framework developed is one that the company can use if the situation is ever repeated under similar circumstances.
Report Writing
The final report is, at its heart, a teaching document meant to persuade the reader that the recommended course of action is the one that will yield the greatest results. In this sense, it does not follow the academic method of report writing that I teach in my classes. Our reports would not get an A in a research methods class, and that is because we are not trying to meet academic requirements.
In our approach, however, the real value lies in the frameworks that we create. They are designed along the following guidelines:
n they must be memorable, and easy to pass on
n they must be simple
n they must be based on the data that has been collected
n they must pass the test of common-sense
The frameworks we build also have a heavy intuitive component, and rely on a blend of experience and insight for their creation. New phrases, distinctions and terms are freely created to avoid the concepts being presented to fall into old mental models that prevent our clients from seeing the problem and solutions in a new way.
For example, we created the term “emotional workplace maturity” to explain why the behaviour of a foreign owned company was so different from the behaviour found in the home country. This new definition helped to drive home the need for new and different ways of preparing managers from the home country to cope, and also helped the owners to see why programs they had used with great effect back home were not working.
Summary
Our method is designed to be a form of intervention, rather than an example of business research. Given the fact that we are looking at opinions, culture and attitudes in order to help solve business problems, our focus is on what will make a difference when the recommendations are implemented, and the new frameworks have begun to be used.
Notes: our approach is built in part on the method described in “The McKinsey Way” by Ethan Rasiel.
A great summary of the book is found here.
It is an idea whose time has come.
Beyond the differences in food, accent, holidays, ethnicities and culture there is much for the business communities of Trinidad and Jamaica to work together to accomplish. A Trinidadian Jamaican Chamber of Commerce seems like the perfect kind of forum in which it should take place.
Now, to find others who agree!
In the current study we are conducting on Trinidadian executives working in Jamaica, there is much that we are discovering that so many have in common.
The same thought struck me when our firm conducted the Caribbean Acquisition Project, and we discovered that there were all these similar stories of “coming to Jamaica” among the manager-emigrees. I wished at that time that I could gather everyone together in one room, put on the drinks and just lime away until each issue was addressed.
That was not too realistic, but it occurred to us as if conducting a study would be the next best step.
Now, 5 years later, it seems as if we are ready for more. How about a Trini-Jam Chamber of Commerce?
Apart from the obvious social benefits that such a lime would produce (my wife is Trini) I think it could be good for business. I imagine 2 sister organizations, one in Kingston and the other in Port of Spain.
Here is a possible list of topics to be tabled from the very beginning:
Now… as I said before… to find others who agree.
Francis
Yet another quick update on the books that have recently attracted my attention:
Reading List (paper)
Listening List (audible.com mp3’s on Creative MuVo Slim)
— Lctures by Marianne Williamson
— The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
— I Need Your Love, Is That True? — Byron Katie
— Fast Company Magazine Monthly Summary
— The Right Use of Power — Peter Block
eBook list (Palm Tungsten eReader or PC)
— InfoGuru marketing by Robert Middleton
— Create Your Own Information Products by Alice Seba
I have my usual list of magazines: Time, Runners World, Bicycling, Tritahlete, plus the occasional others. And of course, there is my daily reading list of : Jamaica Observer, Jamaica Gleaner, Trinidad Guardian, Trinidad Express, New York Times, Sun-Sentinel — and now and then I read the Barbados Advocate.
I am also using Google and Yahoo Alerts to tell me when there is any mention of Human Resources and various Caribbean countries. I also look to see where my firm’s name has been mentioned, of late using a Google alert.
I think I must be crazy to try to read this much…! But, it is fun.
See the 2 prior blog entries for the prelude to this blog.
Also, from the Trinidad Express:
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Narace slams Kamla for ‘untrue statements’
Sunday, March 19th 2006
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AMBASSADOR Jerry Narace yesterday slammed statements made by Opposition MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar which she attributed to him, as untrue, describing them as most unfortunate. Narace who heads Trinidad and Tobago’s Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted Persad-Bissessar’s claims in a release issued by the Unit. “Mrs Persad-Bissessar claimed that the head of the Unit had disclosed that there were 2,000 applications for jobs by Caricom nationals to work in Trinidad and Tobago. “This is completely false as the head of the Unit alluded to the fact that as a region as a whole, there were a total of approximately 2,000 applications for certificates of recognition of Caricom skills qualification. “The correct number of skills certificates issued by Trinidad and Tobago to all the various member states at last count was 719 – Antigua and Barbuda 13; Barbados 71; Belize 2; Dominica 33; Grenada 26; Guyana 114; Jamaica 191; St Kitts and Nevis 7; St Lucia 46; St Vincent and the Grenadines 29; Suriname 19 and Trinidad and Tobago 168.” |
OK, well enough. But I thought that those numbers looked small. 2000 people in the entire region have applied for Skills Certificates? And 719 of them were awarded in Trinidad alone?
From a Jamaica Observer report, it is clear that Jamaicans have little interest in getting this legal permission. Only 78 Jamaicans had applied through November of 2005.
On the other hand, in Jamaica itself, a whopping 400 Caribbean nationals had applied, presumably while living here and probably already working. Of that number, 147 Trinis had applied.
While this is not what Louise Bennet called “colonisation in reverse” it is something like “colonisation through the back door.” Trinis are clearly more interested in working in Jamaica than the reverse. Given the current labour shortage in Trinidad, this strikes me as lopsided.
My alarm bells really started to ring, however, when I checked the archives of the Express and found the following:
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Caricom Single Market a reality
Caricom passport by March 2006
Wednesday, January 18th 2006
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Head of the CSME Unit, in Trinidad, Ambassador Plenipotentiary Jerry Narace has also revealed that to-date some 2000 Caricom professionals have applied to the CSME Unit in Trinidad for certification to allow them to move freely for work and business purposes in the country. Narace said of this amount just over 700 have been approved thus far. “In Trinidad we have approved 13 from Antigua/Barbuda, Barbados 71, Belize 2, Dominica 33, Grenada 26, Guyana 114, Jamaica 191, St Kitts/Nevis 7, St. Lucia 6, St. Vincent 29, Suriname 19, while we have awarded T&T nationals 168 certificates,” Narace revealed. |
Wha???? Two months earlier the newspapers reported Narace as saying the exact opposite?
Now, the newspapers could have gotten it all wrong, as could the MP, Mrs Persad-Bissessar. He could have been misquoted in January.
In fact, the CSMETT website says the following:
So far, some 2,000 applications have been made for Skills Certificates, and Narace said to date just over 700 certificates have been awarded to allow Caricom nationals to enter the labour market in the region. Current statistics show that more Jamaicans have applied and have been approved to work in Trinidad and Tobago.
It might be just me, I have no idea what this is saying, and I could see how the Opposition MP and the newspapers could have gotten confused.
That 2000 number looks small to me — it says that only 2000 of people have been interested in getting the certificate throughout the entire region of some 14 million. Not a great start.
If the numbers are to believed, then the 700 plus certificates awarded up to that point in Trinidad alone is a reflection of the great job that the Trinidadian government has been doing in getting the word out. Assuming that perhaps another 300 people were either rejected, or “in process,” then Trinidad accounts for maybe half of all the CARICOM Skills Certificate activity.
Here is another report from 2004 that sheds some light on the issue, from The Trinidad Express of May 30, 2004:
Trinidad and Tobago stands to be the greatest beneficiary from the free movement of skilled labour envisaged under the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), according to Ambassador Jerry Narace.
To support his claim, Narace noted that in 2003 about 126 Trinidad and Tobago citizens went to work in Jamaica, while only 40 Jamaicans came to this country.
He added that the same situation applied to Barbados.
It sounds to me as if Narace is trying to have it both ways in these statements, and maybe that might extend to the Trinidadian government. Clearly, he sees Trinidad being “the greatest beneficiary.” He cites the gap between the number of certificates being granted as evidence of that.
While Jamaicans are, by and large, more interested in working on Miami, Toronto or London than Port of Spain or San Fernando (where??) it seems that the Trinidadian government might be, perhaps unwittingly, making it easy for their own workers to work where they want, while making it more difficult for other workers across CARICOM to work in Trinidad. See the letters to the press listed here.
In my prior blog, I mentioned another altercation between Persad-Bissessar, in which she accused the PNM government of using CSME to upset the balance of political power in the country.
It seemed to me, an outsider, that Narace seemed to back-pedal under pressure from Persad-Bissessar, and appeared to try to minimize the numbers of workers trying to work in Trinidad.
The reality seems to be that it is harder to gain the certificate to work in Trinidad than anywhere else. This would fit neatly into the need to the PNM government’s need to a) demonstrate that they are not trying to gain an advantage and b) show that Trinidad is benefiting the most from CSME by widening the gap between its own emigrants and immigrants.
From a Jamaican point of view, whatever jaundiced view we have of Trinidad only gets reinforced. Many businessmen remember the difficulties in the 1970’s and 1980’s of trying to do business in the twin-island republic. What seemed like a friendly welcome turned into a mess of red tape and bureaucracy (which from all accounts, makes Jamaican bureaucracy look tame.)
More recently, Jamaicans have welcomed Trinidadian ownership of key financial institutions and industries, and it seems to us that we have welcomed Trinidadian workers to our country, giving out work permits and accepting certificates at face value.
Do the recent reports of Jamaicans facing difficulties in getting legal permission to work in Trinidad represent a lack of reciprocity? Is it more of what our businessmen faced two decades ago? Is an apparently open welcome to come work in Trinidad turning into another mess of confusion when the offer is actually accepted?
A colleague of mine has a joke about Trinis — “they are all ready to invite you to come down to Carnival, and tell you how they will show you a good time and not to worry, because they will take care of everything — the lime will be great! Then, when you actually arrive at the airport the week before Carnival with your two suitcases, standing at the curb looking around for them….”
Jamaicans who have dealt with Trinis get the joke (although a Trini may not.) A Trini might well laugh it off, and make light of the various mishaps, but the truth is… we Jamaicans do take these things VERY seriously. In Jamaica, the term “Trickidadians” is still being used, and this situation is starting to look at lot like something quite familiar to us.
But as someone who is married to a Trinidadian, I can say that I cannot see malicious intent here.
But no matter — the Trinidadian government should either encourage free movement of labour, or not, and let the region and its bureaucrats know accordingly. At present, there appears to be some “mamaguy” (a form of Anansi-ism) at play.
Trinidad would actually have “the most to gain” if it were to look to relieve its current labour shortage by lowering the barriers to importing skilled immigrants, not raising them. Talented people bringing valuable skills are not a handicap, they are a potential benefit.
To do otherwise is to risk being seen as taking unfair advantage, and appearing “tricky.”
Earlier today, I was doing some research into the CARICOM Skills Certificate, and came across some disturbing news reports.
The first was from the Trinidad Express :
The release continued: “Mrs Persad Bissessar -also claimed that the CSME would be used for voter padding – according to the Representation of the People’s Act, any Commonwealth citizen living in any Commonwealth state is eligible to vote after a period of 12 months. […]
[…] The head of the Unit considers the statements made by the Hon Member of Parliament (MP) for Siparia as most unfortunate and views them as a deliberate attempt to politicise the CSME.
“The head of the Unit therefore calls upon the Hon MP for Siparia to withdraw these statements and to use the opportunity to bring correct information to her constituents.”
Those with a knowledge of Trinidadian racial politics would understand (or at least infer) what she was referring to — a possible influx of voters for the PNM (she is with the UNC)
An influx of voters for the PNM would, in the language of Trinidadian racial politics, mean an influx of Black people, who by and large tend to vote for the PNM (although not exclusively.) Was she referring to the possibility of the delicate balance of Black and Indian (in which Indians have a slight numerical advantage) being upset by CARICOM immigration?
Given that the UNC signed the original CSME agreement, is it possible that a UNC administration would bring in more Guyanese, and therefore more Indians? Also, is the PNM government likely to bring in more Jamaicans, Bajans and other islanders, and therefore more Blacks?
At the very least, she seems to have been speculating along these lines.
While Guyanese might be quite comfortable thinking about race and its connection to political parties, Bajans, Jamaicans and other islanders have every right to be concerned. With the advent of CSME and the CARICOM Skills Certificate, in Trinidad (and perhaps Guyana) will there be a renewed emphasis on race as a determinant of immigration? How about nationality?
Trinidad is fast earning a reputation as being the hardest country in the region to gain legal permission to work in, as the reports grow that they do not accept CARICOM Skill Certificates issued in other territories. One has to re-apply for a certificate while in Trinidad, without which working in Trinidad is illegal.
However, how is a Caribbean professional to find this out? A Trinidadian HR manager who puts an advertisement in the newspaper might have no idea that the current practice deviates significantly from those being advertised. Here in the blogosphere, the issue is not being mentioned.
It might be a good idea to wait to get the facts straight before moving to Port of Spain with a certificate in hand.
Letter of the Day – CSME certificate – the full story
published: Sunday | August 6, 2006
The Editor, Sir:
After seeking to benefit from the much heralded free movement of labour under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), I am most disappointed that the full story has not been told. I did all that was necessary, notwithstanding the bureaucratic encounter at the Ministry of Labour (where only the minister can sign the approval for the CSME skill certificate) to get my skill certificate to travel to work in Trinidad. All this time I was told that this was all that was necessary to be employed in a country signed on to the programme.
To my surprise, after being employed in Trinidad and travelling out of the country on business, I was informed on re-entry that the CSME certificate obtained in Jamaica is only good for six months and does not give the privilege of being employed in the country. The holder is expected in Trinidad to apply for a CSME certificate in Trinidad including, medical, police record etc. before being able to reside and work in the country. This I do think is absurd as the same procedure is required in each home country. Is this to say that if I need to work in five CARICOM countries, I need five skill certificates from each country?
Please, can someone explain to me what really is the usefulness of issuing skill certificates in one’s home country when it has no true value in the country that you are seeking employment? This is not free movement of labour, as I could have been debarred from entering Trinidad even if I had a CSME skill certificate from Jamaica.
CSME not working
published: Friday | August 11, 2006
The Editor, Sir:
I must agree with the letter from Mr. Carl Stewart, referencing the CSME.
It is one of the most bureaucratic pieces of legislation that I have ever run across.
I, like Mr. Stewart, moved to Trinidad and Tobago to make a better life for myself and family. This legislation was to aid in the free movement of labour within the Caribbean. I am here to tell you, that is not so.
I submitted an application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs three months ago and to date still have no certificate, even though I have a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Finance.
I have had to obtain police reports from everywhere I have lived, even places that I lived 18 years ago.
Mr. Stewart is absolutely right – the true story is not being told, the CSME does not work. It has been in existence for a few months and is in desperate need of an overhaul.
The above letters caught my attention, as it reminded me of a friend of mine who was facing almost the same treatment in Trinidad.
Then a few days later, someone shared virtually the same story in the Gleaner.
What is going on here? I posted the same question on CaribHRFoum, to see if anyone else had heard any stories about Trinidad not accepting the CSME Skills Certificate. Sure enough, both Jamaicans and Bajans reported that they had encountered difficulty in getting the CARICOM Skills Certificate recognized in Trinidad.
I placed a few emails to CSME offices in Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados to try to find out what the story is, and what HR executives across the region need to be aware of.
We shall see if there are any responses.
In the meantime, if you or anyone else you know has encountered difficulty in using the CARICOM Skills Certificate anywhere in the region, please post your story as a comment to this post (it can be done anonymously.)
It might very well help someone who is operating under some false understanding that could be damaging.
This second issue of FirstCuts has a “P.S.” sub-heading that I removed from the official version because it did not fit the eZine format, or the content of this edition. It includes the following:
in our executive training sessions on feedback skills, we found that:
* Trinidadians tried to become your friend * Jamaicans tried to become your headmaster/headmistress * Barbadians tried to become your preacher
Your comments are welcome, as this was a more difficult topic to tackle.
| FirstCuts A Framework Consulting eZine High-Stake Interventions Issue 2 August 15, 2006 Developing Accountable Caribbean |
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Editorial
If I had had any idea what it takes to launch a simple eZine, I probably wouldn’t have! The writing has turned out to be the easiest part by far. The formatting, archiving, subscriber management, software learning and other administrative duties that were required were formidable. It was a steep learning curve but I believe that I am now over the hump. And, yes, it has been worth it and thanks for the feedback that has been sent my way so far. In a few weeks, I will be asking you for your ideas, via an online survey, and I look forward to hearing from you then. In the meantime, I hope that the content continues to be provocative. In this issue, I have tried to deal with some heavier matters in a newsletter format — breaking a rule that an eZine should be fairly “light.” Depending on your reaction, I may alter this approach — let me know. |
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Developing Accountable Caribbean Executives
“My dog is probably outside playing with your dog, right now” There is not a company we have worked with in the region that has not complained about its lack of bench strength i.e. the lack of qualified managers waiting in the wings to be promoted. Leaders Indeed, our research in the Caribbean Acquisition Project showed that companies took advantage of available acquisition opportunities, knowing full well that they would have a problem finding leadership for the new company from within their ranks. In many cases, the barrier to undertaking further acquisitions is not a lack of capital, or a lack of raw talent, but a critical capacity or skill that is missing. While there are many managers with the necessary technical Instead, they have managers who are more interested in staying out of trouble, doing the minimum, not being taken advantage of, and caring only that their personal results are good enough for the next raise. They give excuses, manufacture explanations and create reasons for poor performance, when what is really needed is solid leadership that is willing to own negative and positive results alike. They are not bad employees, but a key ingredient is missing that gives others the confidence that they can lift their concerns above a personal level, and to a corporate level. In short, there is a level above which they cannot be trusted to be accountable. A Lack of Accountability And executives do not know what to do about this. While they are vehement that they want the culture to change, they are unable to see the part they play in keeping the Caribbean work-place the way it has always been. To intervene effectively, executives and managers need to A great deal could be said about the effects of slavery, Under duress, our ancestors were brought to the region to be put to work, in most cases, enslaved. Work killed off the Perhaps as a result, today’s Caribbean workplace shows less of the ownership and accountability required of modern corporations, and more of the resentment, anger and just plain “bad mind” that one would associate with hostilities. It is against this background that the modern Caribbean manager must operate. b) The Basic Unit — Where Change Starts The modern Caribbean manager has inherited a work-culture that is marked by behaviours drawn from historical extremes on the one hand, and known everyday relationships on the other. c) Missing Skills From a wife managing a domestic helper, to a vice-president Our research and experience tell us that the critical executive In our context, it is critical to maintain relationships while These inter-related relationships are not a fault, but a strength. They are to be built on and acknowledged, rather than ignored (as many US/European programmes would encourage.) Doing this effectively, however, does not come naturally. It takes focused training and practice for most executives-in-training, and their development can only be accelerated when they are able to foster accountable reporting relationships around them. In recent feedback training we delivered, when we observed However, executives that are unskilled at holding employees to account fail to practice effective feedback conversations, and are unable to create workplaces of accountability. In so doing, they help to perpetuate the historical dysfunction that, without their intervention, is merely be passed on to future generations. They need to understand the history they are inheriting and the role that they can plan in reversing it. Their skills are critical to the Caribbean region’s success. * Useful Stuff
Tips, Ads and Links For other related entries in our blog (Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle) that you can read and comment on, see: Current Research Update: Study of Trinidadian Executives Working in Jamaica. We are in the process of conducting interviews and are looking forward to sharing the findings in the next 4-8 weeks. To manage this newsletter, we use an excellent programme called AWeber that you can explore here:- http://www.aweber.com/?213577 General and Newsletter Subscription Info To subscribe, please email firstcuts@aweber.com from the email address that you which to be subscribed from Please feel free to use excerpts from this newsletter as long as you give credit with a link to our page: www.fwconsulting.com FirstCuts © Copyright 2006, Framework Consulting, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. No express or implied income claims made herein. Your business success is dependent on many factors, including your own abilities. Advertisers are solely responsible for ad content. |
| FirstCuts: An Online Newsletter From Framework Consulting Inc. 954-323-2552 876-880-8653 3389 Sheridan Street #434 Hollywood FL 33021, USA |
P.S. Here is the paragraph taken out:
A Cross-Comparison
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Recently, Framework partnered with Confida (a Trinidad-based firm)
to deliver training in effective feedback to a group of over 80
executives in three countries for a regional conglomerate. The
training followed a method of video-based coaching, that had been
delivered with different materials to hundreds of participants in
the US and Latin America.
The cultural differences were remarkable.
We found a real reluctance in the region to deliver hard-to-hear
feedback in a straightforward manner, and observed a variety of
techniques that were used to reduce risk, albeit
ineffectively. We found that the methods to do so varied by island.
When executives were faced with the need to deliver difficult
feedback,
* Trinidadians tried to become your friend
* Jamaicans tried to become your headmaster/headmistress
* Barbadians tried to become your preacher
Although these are generalizations, they tell an important story
that is worthy of further investigation.
Each of these methods of avoidance has built-in pitfalls, and
demonstrates habits that do not work when the news to be delivered
is unpleasant. They have little to do with the best of modern
management techniques.
Yet, these methods made sense when compared to the grotesque
“feedback” methods that colonial slave managers used throughout
Caribbean history to enforce control — a pat on the head for
“The Boy” when he was good, and a whipping when he was bad.
Deeply buried in the psyche of Caribbean managers is the
experience of this set of historical extremes. Buried right
beside that experience is a determination to manage differently.
However, without focused training, this determination is rarely
translated into better technique. It shows up, instead, as too
much befriending, teaching and preaching, and too little managing
by holding direct reports to account.
Yesterday I experienced a jump in productivity. It had nothing to do with work, but instead it occurred in my swimming, which I found to be instantly improved.
In some recent posts on the topic of mastery, I shared how I have been working to improve my swimming technique, mostly through the use of Total Immersion. In this particular approach, drills that are designed to improve one’s form are the order of the day.
Yesterday, I was drilling away, doing a drill called “Skating” when all of a sudden I realised that I could kick my legs differently and get more propulsion. I tried it a few times and found that if I focused the kick from my hips as opposed to my knees I could produce a more fluid movement with less effort.
I decided to try out full swiming and thought that I was indeed going faster and not working as hard. I was taking less strokes on each length.
So, I decided to should check it out, by repeating an exercise I do to track my progress in swimming freestyle. In this exercise, the objective is to minimize not just one’s time, but also the number of strokes that are used. A formula is used to combine the two measurements into one by adding them together, and attempting to minimize the sum.
For example, over 50 yards:
45 strokes + 35 seconds = 80
40 strokes + 40 seconds = 80
55 strokes + 25 seconds = 80
In the exercise, these 3 efforts al lreflect the same performance because the sum is the same. Increasing speed is meaningless unless there is a decrease in the sum of the two, e.g.
40 strokes + 25 second = 65
Well, I had a breakthrough of sorts last night:
I went from
50 seconds + 86 strokes = 136 in April
to
35 seconds + 86 strokes= 121 last week
to
15 seconds + 65 strokes = 80 last night!
For my swimmers: my kick is now linked into the rotation of my body whereas before it was disconnected — I think!
Now, all I need to do is to keep practicing this new kick until it becomes a new habit, ingrained into the way I swim without having to think about it.
This is what happens when one is on the road to mastery… practicing over and over again until something happens and it all comes together to produce a jump in performance. Between May Jun and last night, I had seen no improvement — and by drilling I found some new way that my body could move that I had read about before, but enver experienced.
So there I was, cheering myself in the pool… happy as anything. I am still very, very slow compared to others but the pride and joy I felt came from making progress in something so small that only I could care about it (in the moment at least.)
This feeling is there for anyone who wants mastery, in any area of their life. From my plumber, to someone delivering front-line customer sevrice, to a CEO — it is fully available to all.
For the past month or so I have been trying to call Cable and Wireless here in Jamaica to cancel my DSL service.
It happens to come at a time when the competition is heating up, as a new service called Flow is about to offer cable, DSL and local phone service bundled in one. In anticipation, C&W has been ramping up its advertising, with full page ads in the press and online.
When I say, I have been “trying to call” I mean that I have been calling their lines to try and reach someone. Anyone.
I can reach no-one. Once I spent 120 minutes on the phone, with headset on … determined that I would get through. A pre-arranged phone appointment forced me off.
At other times I have called only to hear from a pre-recorded voice that “our circuits are busy.”
This last time, the phone just rang without an answer.
Is it any wonder that I am going to try a different company?
I wonder if the people doing the advertising have any idea that they are producing more and more upset customers with their slick ads convincing customers to call their 888 number?