Category: Ordinary

This is my “miscellaneous” category

The organisation and not the individual

I usually recommend books face to face. But here I’d like to do it here in public. Perhaps the everlasting focus on the individuum is also bothering you at the moment. The following book offers a mirror and hence a centre of thought. Warning, this book is currently available in German language only. Maybe you auto-translate a eBook-Version.

The individual as the father of successful projects, as the rotten egg in the basket, as the upcoming hero or as the personified failure are nothing but stories. Why certain people have been able to achieve success has many roots. Current market events, a bit of luck, and certainly the people involved themselves, no doubt about it. What is discussed far too seldom for me is the organisation. Organisation can make the greatest things possible, or it can also be the guarantor that the simplest transformations always end in nothing.

“Die Humanisierung der Organisation” translated “The Humanisation of the Organisation” by Kai Matthiesen, Judith Muster and Peter Laudenbach looks at organisations as observers in the spirit of and with reference to Niklas Luhmann. In some sections, this creates a very harsh picture of organisations. But that is fine, because it creates a touchstone for one’s own preconceptions of organisations.

The book is born out of consultant practice and is full of wonderful quotes. “There is a belief amongst people that working well together as a team means that everyone in the team must always agree with each other and have identical opinions. This is a misconception. Working well together means rendering the different opinions and interests productive.” p. 161f (translated by me for the Original quote switch to German).

“Visiting this parallel universe, one understands that the possibility of insolvency is one of the greatest assets of the market economy. It enforces a certain rationality in the interest of survival.” p. 239 (translated).

After 240 pages of showing organisations the mirror down to the last bone, the book ends with a wonderful call to action: humanisation as the effect of good organisation that is enlightened about itself. S. 248.

Well written, I can only recommend this fresh look in a book form.

Book "Die Humanisierung der Organisation"
Book “Die Humanisierung der Organisation”

The “Everybody has such a thing at home” game

Yesterday we arranged a virtual Christmas party via teams in the team. In the end it was 4 hours of games, gifts and entertainment, it was really nice – within the actual range of possibilities. In the process, we invented a game that I’m happy to share with you. And it goes like this:

The host names items that you have to get in your house. Run, search, find, then:

  1. Hold the object briefly in front of the camera
  2. Write the requested name in the chat
  3. Now as evidence hold up the object again

The 3 quickest will be ranked, it is important that the written word in the chat window matters. Remember to clear the chat window before the first round. If necessary, turn off the background effect, because it hides objects. And please also take barriers out of the running path, please take off cable handsets carefully and remember, it’s just a game. Run through the house with care and caution.

The game starts with very simple objects. For example, a tea bag, the moderator now says “I need the flavor of a tea bag in the chat” now you run out, get a tea bag, hold it briefly in the camera and type in “chamomile”, “winter apple dream” or similar.

Now in the progress of the game there are items that not everyone has in the household. Then get some substitute, be as creative as possible. If you don’t have a tea bag, then coffee beans or a bottle of iced tea or, or,…. Whether your substitute items are valid or whether there is even a place 4 for particularly creative substitute, that decides only the host. The players are of course allowed to tell the moderator off or to influence the decision. I can already tell you that drawings of the objects or even pictures searched by cell phone on the Internet hardly have a chance with me.

T-Bag

But be careful, it can also be 2 items that belong together, e.g. shoe and socks. The host will always announce it so that you can run after the second item. “I need 2 items, in the chat please type the color of a shoe and don’t forget to bring a sock”.

Also with what you need to type in, it can be brand names, properties, colors, weights or memories. The moderator always holds examples of the items in the camera and, while you are still looking for them, types them in as examples for his objects. If you have forgotten whether to type in the brand name of your shoe or the color, look in the chat, it will say “black” if the moderator has held up a black shoe plus sock.

And by the way, don’t rush off, sometimes it is faster to reflect. With socks and shoes, most people will just have to hold their leg up to the camera. Don’t forget to type in “brown” very quickly. The order in the chat counts. And please everyone, do not cheat, some people are tempted to write the word in the chat and get the objects afterwards. The game is for fun and the host can not keep his eyes everywhere.

I hope you like this idea, if you need anything else, examples or a rating matrix, contact me. I’ll be happy to share it.

Time management: Realise change

Do you know statements like this from coworkers “Well, I have also tried time management method X, but in my work context it doesn’t fit because … even author Y confirms this”? Although such a statement may even be true, it has nothing to do with the introduction of a personal time management system. And definitely not with the chances of mastering or failing to succeed.

In my opinion, time management, like self-management, is a highly individual approach. You have to find methods from various time management practices that may suit you, experiment, change, try again, adapt after a while and sometimes discard stuff that was well thought out at first. The right amount of endurance is vital in this case, because establishing time management is change management. Continue reading “Time management: Realise change”

Lean: The Service Champion principle

Nowadays, so much new technology and knowledge is arising that one cannot even keep up with the latest developments in all aspects of a specialist field. This is quite a shock, to be honest. Instead of burying our heads in the sand and watching others overtaking you, instead we start running. To ensure that this doesn’t become uncoordinated, knowledge acquisition and knowledge management must be arranged in your team. This works most effectively with a Service Champion concept, which I am happy to introduce to you. Continue reading “Lean: The Service Champion principle”