According to an article by Michael Odell in The Times, Basecamp is a US software/ tech company that supposedly runs without the scourge of 80 hour weeks, unrealistic deadlines, weekend emails and meetings Two American guys, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, run Basecamp – they’re also authors of a new book called It Doesn’t have …
Tag: happiness
Feb 24
Current measures have huge gaps
Most managers, whether at task, process or organisation level, lack the comprehensive set of performance measures they need to cover all their KRAs (Key Result Areas) In effect, they’re flying blind Current coverage is estimated to be as follows: 90% – Financial results – in particular, Revenue, Costs, Profits – at board level, they might …
Feb 17
National happiness beats GDP hands down
Economist Ed Conway claims in The Times that “GDP is actually pretty good at measuring the total amount of income generated in Britain” His main point is that: Every politician from right to left obsesses about income above all other measures of progress Yet income comes surprisingly far down the list of what really matters …
Feb 17
Much innovation not reflected in statistics
Susan Athey, ex Microsoft and now Expedia and winner of a prestigious medal for being the best US technology economist, was interviewed by journalist Ana Fuentes The following are extracts from her article: Q. Global growth, now running at 3.5%, might be a lot higher if we took into account the whole contribution from digitalisation …
Feb 12
AI pluses versus minuses
Some optimists, like technologist Nick Bostrom, believe AI is: “The last invention the human race will ever need” However, given these are early AI days, fundamental questions still being asked include: How can we make sure robots’ only purpose would be to serve humans and our environment and make human lives better? Should robots make …
Nov 20
Train in what employers need, not what employees like
According to a report by the OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – and the University of Warwick Institute for Employment Research: “Many employees say their skills are not used effectively at work” Encouraging employers to make the most of their employees’ skills can improve productivity, reduce inequality and contribute to economic growth …
Sep 03
Remote working
A Northern Ireland finance firm, AKFP Group, closed its HQ for a full month in July for a ‘remote working initiative’ They found it boosted both staff morale and productivity Staff were allowed to work from locations of their choice – the result was ‘they reaped the benefits of being able to change venues, eradicate …
Aug 08
Happiness at work
Undoubtedly, productivity growth has made a huge difference to the quality of lives of billions of people, first by reducing work negatives – tasks that are dull, dirty, dangerous or difficult – and then increasing work positives by adding many more jobs which are interesting and fulfilling whilst also enhancing social lives with greatly improved …