Grid International, INC.0

Grid International, INC.0 Copyright (c) 2010,2011 AO Design -. All rights reserved. http://www.gridinternational.com/ The Power to Change.® Welcome to Grid International, INC en-us Fri, 18 May 2012 03:41:28 -0500 5 Grid International, INC. 156 90 http://www.gridinternational.com/ http://www.gridinternational.com/images/logo.jpg How Great Companies Think Differently http://www.gridinternational.com/news.php?id=31 http://www.gridinternational.com/rss.php?id=31 The Power to Change.® Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:04:00 -0500 <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The attachment is a fantastic article I want to share about culture just released in the November issue of HBR (<a href="http://hbr.org/magazine">http://hbr.org/magazine</a>) by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. </div> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Kanter provides current and very convincing examples of the importance of building a culture of performance excellence through interdependence and deep personal motivation. The article outlines six facets to what she calls "institutional logic"–the strategy of culture development that "radically alters leadership and corporate behavior: a common purpose; a long-term view; emotional engagement; community building; innovation; and self-organization." </div> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </div> <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Here are a few excerpts: </div> <div> </div> <div>  “Institutional grounding involves efforts to build and reinforce organizational culture, but it is more than that. Culture is often a by-product of past actions, a passively generated outgrowth of history. Institutional grounding is an investment in activities and relationships that may not immediately create a direct road to business results but that reflect the values the institution stands for and how it will endure.”   "Institutional logic holds that companies are more than instruments for generating money; they are also vehicles for accomplishing societal purposes and for providing meaningful livelihoods for those who work in them. According to this school of thought, the value that a company creates should be measured not just in terms of short-term profits or paychecks but also in terms of how it sustains the conditions that allow it to flourish over time. These corporate leaders deliver more than just financial returns; they also build enduring institutions."   "Utilitarian rationality is not the only force governing corporate performance and behavior inside organizations; emotions play a major role, too. Moods are contagious, and they can affect such issues as absenteeism, health, and levels of effort and energy. People influence one another, and in doing so they either increase or decrease others’ performance levels, as my study of teams and organizations on winning and losing streaks reveals (see my book Confidence, Crown, 2004)."   <a href="http://gridinternational.com/fm_files/How_Great_Companies_Think_Differently_-_Harvard_Business_Review1.pdf" target="_blank">pdf document:  "How Great Companies Think Differently" by Rosabeth Moss Kanter</a> </div> Interview: Robin Moore, CEO of Nampak Flexible http://www.gridinternational.com/news.php?id=27 http://www.gridinternational.com/rss.php?id=27 The Power to Change.® Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:47:00 -0500 n a recent interview, CEO Robin Moore of Nampak Flexible discussed his experience with Grid International, who he has been working with for the past 4-6 years. Since going through Grid training, the company has experienced an exponential profit increase. In 2009, the team began coming together from the initiatives implemented in the meetings. In 2010, they began to see significant results, leading to Nampak Flexible receiving the prestigious Chairman Award for the Best Business of the Year 2010, outscoring other businesses in control and risk management, and doubling the sales of regional and international competitors. Nampak Flexible, who produces packaging for corporations like Unilever, Mars, Cadbury’s, and Frito Lay, says that their success today is far from where they were seven years ago, when the business struggled to stay afloat after a series of acquisitions and mergers. Moore decided to first assess their working culture before they focused on increasing profit. As employees were introduced to company practices, each with their own schema regarding working culture, Moore realized they needed to “create their own culture in the business” if they were going to grow collectively as an international business.  At first there was no clear strategy, except communication barriers–made even stronger by the presence of racial, hierarchal, and cultural barriers–needed to be broken. Moore describes the former company environment as a “shoot the messenger” atmosphere, where bad news was hidden in order to maintain morale. Moore realized that aversion of issues and lack of communication was detrimental to business. “You want to get this whole candor idea into your business. If you know what the issue is, you can fix it. If you don’t know it exists, you can’t fix it.” After training 150 employees through the Grid Culture change process, Moore is working on what the company has deemed the “650 Project”, denoting the amount of employees they expect to go through the same process, which was set to begin August 2011. “What we’ve realized is, given the squeeze on middle management, we need to take the principles of Grid all the way down the line.” Moore plans to continue the process because he firmly believes that true profitability comes from continuous reevaluation and change. “We said in the beginning that we wanted to embark on a group progress because it would be the glue that held everything together. Grid has helped us to bring all the people on board. Grid has opened people’s minds to change and to operating differently. They understand that individuals are different but you have to create organization values that everyone subscribes to, and that will help pull you in the right direction.” See the interviews here: 2008 Interview <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jFy8vvEfc5g" height="300" width="350" frameborder="0"></iframe> 2011 Interview, Part I <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m6XOPO4oHtA" height="300" width="350" frameborder="0"></iframe> 2011 Interview, Part II <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3JPndFO5azY" height="300" width="350" frameborder="0"></iframe> Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you? http://www.gridinternational.com/news.php?id=26 http://www.gridinternational.com/rss.php?id=26 The Power to Change.® Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:43:00 -0500 The New Yorker October/2011 article by Atul Gawande, “PERSONAL BEST: Top athletes and singers have coaches. Should you?” explores the value of continuously challenging your culture towards performance excellence. Atul Gawande’s most recent article explores the value of coaching seasoned professionals to avoid falling into a culture of "performance plateau." This article is a great read for anyone in the consulting arena that has to manage learning ‘fadeout.’ As with Complications (2002), Better (2007), and Checklist Manifesto (2009), Gawande explores innovative ways to avoid drifting into a culture of complacency, especially in seasoned, highly professional fields like surgery. As always, he counts the value of strengthening the "human side" of complex professions (personal judgment, humility, and a willingness to have your skills exposed) as vital as any technical aspects. He writes with same humility as previous publications, using his profession as a surgeon as one of many examples explored. A small excerpt: “Élite performers, researchers say, must engage in “deliberate practice”—sustained, mindful efforts to develop the full range of abilities that success requires. You have to work at whatyou’re not good at. In theory, people can do this themselves. But most people do not know where to start or how to proceed. Expertise, as the formula goes, requires going from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence to conscious competence and finally to unconscious competence. The coach provides the outside eyes and ears, and makes you aware of where you’re falling short. This is tricky. Human beings resist exposure and critique; our brains are well defended. So coaches use a variety of approaches—showing what other, respected colleagues do, for instance, or reviewing videos of the subject’s performance. The most common, however, is just conversation.” LINK <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande#ixzz1Z5vo9Bm4">http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande#ixzz1Z5vo9Bm4</a> For more information about the author and his other publications: <a href="http://gawande.com/">http://gawande.com</a>/ International Grid Conference in Bangkok http://www.gridinternational.com/news.php?id=17 http://www.gridinternational.com/rss.php?id=17 The Power to Change.® Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:03:00 -0500 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div> <table width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td> Consultants worldwide attend </td> </tr> <tr> <td><input id="rptNews_ctl00_hdnNews" name="rptNews$ctl00$hdnNews" src="http://www.gridinternational.com/UploadImage/1/Bangkok 1small.jpg" type="hidden" value="Grid International recently conducted its 2010 Annual Conference, hosted by Grid International Thailand at The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok. The purpose of the conference was to communicate the new vision and direction of Grid International to its worldwide network of consultants. Participants came from all over the globe, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.  They listened to various aspects of the new vision and then participated in a variety of team activities to ensure understanding and commitment. Grid Thailand also provided some fun and relaxing activities to complement all of the hard work, including a welcome cocktail reception and dinner at the hotel, as well as a farewell dinner cruise along the famous Chao Praya River. The conference was an unqualified success – all of the Grid consultants felt energized by the new vision and refreshed by their visit to exotic Bangkok. Here are comments from some of the participants: Teerachai Chemnasiri, Thailand: We had a good staff meeting this afternoon to discuss the new strategy introduced by Bruce and John and we found it the right strategy and so timely. The conclusion is so positive that everyone in the office likes this new methodology very much. Thanks to the tireless effort of Bruce and John for this new Business Model. Patrícia S. Herrera Paes, Brazil: It is refreshing to get down to business with a new sense of direction and renovated belief. The synergistic leadership put forward by John and Bruce will definitely inspire our work here, as well as guide us to take Grid to Brazil—which is a huge country and market that we are willing to conquer. We know it won't be easy, and we know that we can make it—with the help and assistance of GII. Overcoming obstacles is a requirement to accomplishing great things! Rudy Attems, Austria: When it comes to choices, whether to offer tailor-made process consultation or offer GRID interventions, we should be more confident and decisive in bringing our GRID intervening-process to the client Oscar Morales, Mexico: And now we have a new strategy for implement in our countries, I wish the best for all us in this new journey. Thank you GII, Bruce, John and all the partner for his support. <img src=" />  <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Bangkok_2small.jpg" alt="" width="176" height="132" />  <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Bangkok_3small.jpg" alt="" width="176" height="132" />   <div id="rptNews_ctl00_pnlNews"> Grid International recently conducted its 2010 Annual Conference, hosted by Grid International Thailand at The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok. The purpose of the conference was to communicate the new vision and direction of Grid International to its worldwide network of consultants. Participants came from all over the globe, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States. They listened to various aspects of the new vision and then participated in a variety of team activities to ensure understanding and commitment. Grid Thailand also provided some fun and relaxing activities to complement all of the hard work, including a welcome cocktail reception and dinner at the hotel, as well as a farewell dinner cruise along the famous Chao Praya River. The conference was an unqualified success – all of the Grid consultants felt energized by the new vision and refreshed by their visit to exotic Bangkok. Here are comments from some of the participants: Teerachai Chemnasiri, Thailand: We had a good staff meeting this afternoon to discuss the new strategy introduced by Bruce and John and we found it the right strategy and so timely. The conclusion is so positive that everyone in the office likes this new methodology very much. Thanks to the tireless effort of Bruce and John for this new Business Model. Patrícia S. Herrera Paes, Brazil: It is refreshing to get down to business with a new sense of direction and renovated belief. The synergistic leadership put forward by John and Bruce will definitely inspire our work here, as well as guide us to take Grid to Brazil—which is a huge country and market that we are willing to conquer. We know it won't be easy, and we know that we can make it—with the help and assistance of GII. Overcoming obstacles is a requirement to accomplishing great things! Rudy Attems, Austria: When it comes to choices, whether to offer tailor-made process consultation or offer GRID interventions, we should be more confident and decisive in bringing our GRID intervening-process to the client Oscar Morales, Mexico: And now we have a new strategy for implement in our countries, I wish the best for all us in this new journey. Thank you GII, Bruce, John and all the partner for his support.   <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Bangkok_1small.jpg" alt="" width="176" height="132" /> <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Bangkok_2small.jpg" alt="" width="176" height="132" /> <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Bangkok_3small.jpg" alt="" width="176" height="132" /> </div> </td> </tr> <tr height="10"> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3JPndFO5azY" height="300" width="350" frameborder="0"></iframe> Best selling authors cite value of Blake and Mouton's work in highlighting the importance of a culture of candor http://www.gridinternational.com/news.php?id=14 http://www.gridinternational.com/rss.php?id=14 The Power to Change.® Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:47:00 -0500 <h3>Candor</h3> Transparency: Creating a Culture of Candor (J-B Warren Bennis Series) (Hardcover) By Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, and James O'Toole 2008: Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint <img src="http://www.gridinternational.com/im_images/candorbook.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="270" /> Synopsis In Transparency, the author powerhouse trio in the field of leadership look at what conspires against "a culture of candor" in organizations to create disastrous results, and suggest ways that leaders can achieve healthy and honest openness. They explore the lightning-rod concept of "transparency" which has fast become the buzzword not only in business and corporate settings but in government and the social sector as well. Together Bennis, Goleman, and O'Toole explore why the containment of truth is the dearest held value of far too many organizations and suggest practical ways that organizations, their leaders, their members, and their boards can achieve openness. After years of dedicating themselves to research and theory, at first separately, and now jointly, these three leadership giants reveal the multifaceted importance of candor and show what promotes transparency and what hinders it. They describe how leaders often stymie the flow of information and the structural impediments that keep information from getting where it needs to go. This vital resource is written for any organization, business, government, and nonprofit that must achieve a culture of candor, truth, and transparency.   Click on the following link to purchase the book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470278765/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1DEDS0Z8GFHABMN8FG0Q&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank">Purchase the Book</a>   Blake and Mouton reference:  In his essay "Speaking Truth to Power," (pages 45-91) James O'Toole illustrates how ethical transparency is predicated on the existence of two parties -a candid speaker of facts and a receptive listener- and how both followers and leaders can benefit from the many historical, literary, and philosophical examples of those who dared to speak the truth. He cites Blake and Mouton in reference to "followers": "When social psychologists Robert Blake and Jane Mouton examined data from a 1970s NASA study designed to uncover the human factors involved in airline accidents, they discovered that the habitual ways in which pilots interacted with their crews determined whether or not crewmembers would provide essential information to the pilots in the midst of an air crisis. Intact cockpit crews -pilot, co-pilot, navigator- were placed in flight simulators and tested to see how they would respond within the crucial 30 to 45 seconds between the first sign of a potential accident and the fatal moment when it could no longer be averted. The researchers found that the stereotypical take charge flyboy pilots who acted immediately on their gut instincts were far more likely to make the wrong decisions in trying to avoid disaster than were the more open and inclusive pilots who said to their crews, 'We've got a problem. How do you read it?' before they made up their minds on a course of corrective action. "This finding probably shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, there is the old saw that 'none of us is as smart as all of us,' and at another level the lesson of the study is simple: leaders are far more likely to make mistakes when they act on too little information than when they wait to learn more. "But Blake and Mouton went deeper in their analysis, demonstrating that the pilots who made the right choices had habitually engaged in open exchanges with their crews, while crewmembers who had worked regularly with the 'decisive' pilots were unwilling to intervene with their take-charge bosses even when they had information that might well have saved the plane. In effect, the latter crewmembers thought to themselves, 'Who am I to challenge his authority?' Blake and Mouton go on to make the obvious analogy: 'Such attitudes create real problems for management, from top to bottom, whether the manager is the captain of a 747 with 400 passengers on board, the manager of a crew of forest fires, the executive in the boardroom, or the supervisor on the shop floor.'"   Major university study underway that focuses on the impact of Grid on Culture Change http://www.gridinternational.com/news.php?id=12 http://www.gridinternational.com/rss.php?id=12 The Power to Change.® Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:40:00 -0500 <img src="http://www.gridinternational.com/im_images/UT_Grid.JPG" alt="" width="246" height="111" /> Grid International, Inc. is partnering with professors at the University of Texas-Austin to measure culture change in Kuwait Oil Company. The purpose of the project is to understand and improve people’s lives at work. We're especially interested in how work environment and culture can help or hinder commitment, productivity, and communication.   Overarching Research Goal: To measure the impact of GRID Culture Change on manager and employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance.  Specific objectives to be addressed in the research:  <ol> <li>Assess the overall effects of GRID roundtables on managers and their subordinates in terms of attitudes, behaviors and performance. </li> <li>Connect GRID concepts with scientific research using academic measures, methodologies, and statistical analysis. </li> <li>If possible, publish significant results showcasing that GRID is a modern and leading-edge theory in applied academic outlets (e.g., Harvard Business Review)</li> </ol>   International Conference in Prague http://www.gridinternational.com/news.php?id=5 http://www.gridinternational.com/rss.php?id=5 The Power to Change.® Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:18:00 -0500 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div> <table width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td> Exciting New Projects Discussed </td> </tr> <tr> <td><input id="rptNews_ctl00_hdnNews" name="rptNews$ctl00$hdnNews" src="http://www.gridinternational.com/UploadImage/1/Prague1.jpg" type="hidden" value="Second Annual Conference in 2010 Grid International Partners gathered in Prague, CZ for a two-day conference June 12-13. The second of three international conferences in 2010, the Prague conference worked to further develop the new strategic direction. Participants included consultants from Beirut, UK, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, and Portugal. The first 2010 conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand April 9-11 with Grid Partners from throughout Asia and North America attending. In addition to the new strategic direction, Partners discussed research projects underway with the University of Texas and Grid clients in Ireland and the Middle East. The research seeks to validate the impact of Grid’s methodology. The results will be published in late 2010 or early 2011. John Bakhos will host the third 2010 conference October 1-3 in Beirut, Lebanon. This conference will focus on the best ways to build the new strategic direction into each Partner’s business. <img src=" />  <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Prague2.jpg" alt="" width="123" height="167" />  <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Prague3.jpg" alt="" width="232" height="166" />   <div id="rptNews_ctl00_pnlNews"> Second Annual Conference in 2010 Grid International Partners gathered in Prague, CZ for a two-day conference June 12-13. The second of three international conferences in 2010, the Prague conference worked to further develop the new strategic direction. Participants included consultants from Beirut, UK, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, and Portugal. The first 2010 conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand April 9-11 with Grid Partners from throughout Asia and North America attending. In addition to the new strategic direction, Partners discussed research projects underway with the University of Texas and Grid clients in Ireland and the Middle East. The research seeks to validate the impact of Grid’s methodology. The results will be published in late 2010 or early 2011. John Bakhos will host the third 2010 conference October 1-3 in Beirut, Lebanon. This conference will focus on the best ways to build the new strategic direction into each Partner’s business. <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Prague1.jpg" alt="" width="209" height="167" /> <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Prague2.jpg" alt="" width="123" height="167" /> <img src="http://gridinternational.com/im_images/Prague3.jpg" alt="" width="232" height="166" /> </div> </td> </tr> <tr height="10"> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>