How to win over power players
PoseA new study suggests powerful people have so much confidence in their abilities that they are often psychologically incapable of changing their minds on an issue, management-issues reports.
However, the study claims you have a better chance of changing a powerful person's mind if you try to address an issue in circumstances in which they feel less powerful.
This situation might include the workplace lunchroom, a place where the power player in question is not surrounded by the trappings of their senior position.
Another way to help you get the message through is to involve your boss in role playing exercises in which he or she is required to play a character other than themselves.
Nature's design manual takes off
Nature is the mother of invention for a growing number of companies that are looking to the environment as a source of inspiration, BusinessWeek observes.
A range of product innovations is used to back the point; these include trains that mimic the shape of a bird's nose and glue formulas developed by analyzing how mussels cling to rocks.
Commentators say the biomimicry movement is making an impact due to its ability to accommodate environmentally sound product innovation.
However, not all biomimicry is successful. Shoes recently developed by Nike that copied the feet of mountain goats failed after receiving the thumbs down from consumers.
SME owners prefer balance to profits
WorkerAustralian small business owners are more interested in achieving a work/life balance than bolstering profits, research by accounting software firm Reckon suggests.
According to the study of 1,300 SMEs, over 50 per cent of respondents said finding a balance between their work and personal lives was their priority.
However, achieving this balance isn't always so easy. Respondents said an inability to find good staff and completing bookwork were the main obstacles to spending more time with their family.
Is HR working?
BlindfoldA new survey indicates the majority of workers are unsure of just what the human resources department of their organisation is supposed to doing, The Sydney Morning Herald reported late last year. Sounds good? Do you want to buy calendars ? Order 2023 Calendars here.
The Australian Human Resources Institute study found nearly 60 per cent of HR managers either believed HR was not effective, or they were unsure about it.
Around three quarters of non-HR people also thought HR was ineffective or were unsure about it; 80 per cent said they had little understanding of the role of their HR department.
In another telling research outcome, it was found only 54 per cent of HR managers reported directly to their chief executive officer.
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