Biz-commPulse

Have you received an invitation, especially on LinkedIn to evaluate one of your peers via the 360 evaluation process?  I recently accepted a colleague's invitation to be peer reviewed in this manner and in this post I want to give my honest impression of this evaluation process. But first how does it work?  It is a web-based peer evaluation system where the reviewer has to drag the 18 most positive attributes of the colleague to another box, then those most likely to be associated with the colleague, and then lastly those least likely to be associated with the colleague.  In addition you have to single out attributes needing attention.  You have to drag 18 attributes for each category and are then left with all attributes not dragged over and thus being forced to associate them with the least likely to be associated with the colleague.  The process seems quite fine until you reach the least likely category.  Even if you do not necessarily agree with...

Source: Freedigitalphotos.net Team work has become increasingly important in a business, especially since numerous studies confirm that not only are employees more productive when working in a group, but many excellent and innovative ideas had their origin in a group setting to the long-term benefit of the business. Why is team work good  for a business? In a group setting employees have different skills, talents and working styles which can complement each other while striving towards achieving the same business goals.   Employees have to collaborate while different ideas are shared and tested with peers.  It often happens that employees are encouraged to do their best in a group setting because they trust and respect each other.  However, the opposite is also true if the team consists of different personalities who do not agree which could  result in conflict. To really succeed with a team approach in a business, the culture of the business nee...

Many businesses that used to deny employees access to social media are now increasingly making access available.  It is as if there is a renewed awareness that use of social at the office is not necessarily always a bad thing.   The main reason why businesses did not in the beginning want to give employees access to social media is because of fear of loss of productivity and even misuse of social media.  Why is use of social media at the office a good thing?  I can think of at least the following reasons: Source: Twitter. A more favourable perception of the business by employees is created which in turn could result in even higher productivity. Networking opportunities for employees outside the business are possible which could benefit the business in the long term. Employees are granted the opportunity to build a personal professional brand through various social media. Employees can even assist in building the company brand thr...

Source: Freedigitalphotos.net Many business owners want to motivate employees for better productivity but lack the knowledge how to do it effectively.  This, however, might become easier for managers in future as some businesses now contemplate using gamification to motivate employees while others already successfully implemented this.  What is gamification?  Gamification uses game elements such as rewards or badges to reward online users for using a specific service or purchasing a particular product.  In this way users feel appreciated while some might even aspire to gain more rewards.  Game elements also engage users and add a human element to an otherwise impersonal environment. How can gamification be used in a business environment?  First of all the right software should be obtained and installed on all employees' computers.  Once all employees are registered on the system,  the games can begin.  A good point of departure is...

Managers should not only motivate, but also engage employees for better outputs.  A manager has to deal with people who have different personalities, prejudices, feelings, tensions, emotions and attitudes based on their own frame of reference which they bring to the workplace every day.  To motivate employees, their needs should firstly be understood as well as that many employees are not only motivated by a salary. Good managers show an interest in their employees and their personal lives. There are also many other factors which might play a role in motivation, for example being given more responsibilities in the business. Employees want to be recognized, empowered and even challenged. A manager should also create a working environment which will contribute to employees’ work satisfaction.  Part of this is to create an interest in the business and its activities. Employees on all levels should have a good understanding of the business and their own roles in ac...