Lateral thinking Lateral thinking is solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic. The term was coined in 1967 by Edward de Bono. [1] According to de Bono, lateral thinking deliberately distances itself from standard perceptions of creativity as either "vertical" logic (the classic method for problem solving: working out the solution step-by-step from the given data) or "horizontal" imagination (having many ideas but being unconcerned with the detailed implementation of them). Methods[edit] Critical thinking is primarily concerned with judging the true value of statements and seeking errors. Random Entry Idea Generating Tool: The thinker chooses an object at random, or a noun from a dictionary, and associates it with the area they are thinking about. Challenge Idea Generating Tool: A tool which is designed to ask the question "Why?" See also[edit]
happiness in the workplace At our company-wide get together last December we decided that 2008 was going to be a year of workplace experiments. Among other things, we discussed how we could make 37signals one of the best places in the world to work, learn, and generally be happy. Here’s are a few of the things we’ve implemented so far: Shorter work weeks Last summer we experimented with 4-day work weeks. So if that’s the case we could either push everyone to work harder during those five days or we could just skip one of those days. So recently we’ve instituted a four-day work week as standard. Three-day weekends mean people come back extra refreshed on Monday. Funding people’s passions We decided that 37signals would help people pay for their passions, interests, or other curiosities. For example, Mark has recently taken up flight lessons. 37signals is helping him pay for those. Part of the deal is that if 37signals helps you pay, you have to share what you’ve learned with everyone. Discretionary spending accounts
The Manager FAQ If you find this information useful, please consider sending a token donation to the author; email for details. You might also consider buying a couple of books through my "affiliate program" link; you get cool books, I get pocket change. :) Recommended books: I have a Powell's "bookshelf", which is sort of a list of recommended books; some are fairly relevant to this page. This article was funded by IBM DeveloperWorks. The Manager FAQ The following list is an attempt to cover some of the issues that will invariably come up when hackers without previous experience of the business community first start working in it. DISCLAIMER: The author is a hacker. This document is copyright 2000, 2001 Peter Seebach. Revision 0.01 - Last modified February 7, 2001 Section 1: Basic understanding. 1.1: Why doesn't my manager just do some actual work? Management is a kind of work. 1.2: Is it useful for me to have a manager? It depends on the kind of job you're doing. Jobs where managers may interfere are: Yes!
MA module: Social Media Campaigning I'm teaching this new MA module on Social Media Campaigning this term (Spring 2013). I'll update the list of lecture links each week as we go through the course. The hashtag is #smcampn. introduction "This course will immerse participants in the latest developments around social media campaigning. syllabus 1. social media as a platform. 2. agile campaigns and social movements. 3. crowds and participatory tools. 4. mapping as campaigning. 5. social business and openness. 6. making as campaigning. 7. hacktivism & internet freedom. 8. prototyping and prefigurative politics. 9. breaks & flows: the post-structural philosophers of social media campaigning lecture 9 links
What do you suggest? Management Methods | Management Models | Management Theories Oblique Strategies Origin and history[edit] The entire story of Oblique Strategies, with the content of all the cards, exhaustive history and commentary, is documented in a website widely acknowledged as the authoritative source, put together by musician and educator Gregory Alan Taylor.[4] The text of Schmidt's "The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts" was published by Mindmade Books in 2012. Design and use[edit] Each card contains a phrase or cryptic remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation. Use an old idea.State the problem in words as clearly as possible.Only one element of each kind.What would your closest friend do? From the introduction to the 2001 edition: These cards evolved from separate observations of the principles underlying what we were doing. Cultural impact[edit] Editions and variations[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]
Six tricks for creating remarkable web campaigns This is a guest post by our colleague Darren Barefoot. It’s adapted from The Noble Arsonist, a free e-book about NGO communications. To stand out online, you’ve got to be remarkable. In 2013, that seems like a truism, but too few campaigners take it to heart. It’s an exceptionally noisy marketplace. If you’re an NGO with a story to tell, where do you start? Web marketing is, at best, 12 or 15 years old. With those caveats in mind, here are seven tricks we rely on when developing exceptional campaigns. Make more of what the web loves At the moment, the web loves animated GIFs, supercuts and Macklemore. As long as you acknowledge your influences and antecedents, don’t be afraid to copy old ideas. And you can always explore what the web used to love, like this terrific retro site by Norwegian Church Aid. Adopt a new technology really early Stop reading and think about how your organization could be using Vine—Twitter’s new six-second video app—to spread your message or anchor a campaign.
What Makes Social Media So Influential? [INFOGRAPHIC] If your impression of social media is limited to your friends posting cat videos and teenagers glued to their iPhones – think again. Social media possesses incredible influential power, and since the advent of the Internet it's evolved from a simple way for people to keep in touch into a massive global network connecting organizations, communities and people. Social media is the easiest, fastest and most explosive way to transmit and receive information! And best of all – absolutely anyone can take advantage of it. "It has never been easier to be as influential as you can be today. This certainly explains a number of phenomena – that, for example, 64% of Twitter users are more likely to buy products from brands they follow online, or that the average Facebook user spends 405 minutes per month interacting with friends and following their favorite pages. Original Article Connect: Authored by: Daniel Zeevi See complete profile
Online Munchausen syndrome and how community managers can spot the fakers Munchausen syndrome is probably something you’ve heard of without knowing a great deal about it. Arguably its most famous incarnation in popular culture was in the movie Fight Club, where Tyler Durden would pretend to be sick in order to attend help groups for people with that illness. It should be noted that Munchausen syndrome is different to malingering, where you might fake an illness to gain money or to avoid being sent to the front line. With Munchausen, the faker enjoys the indirect benefits that come from being ‘ill’, such as being cared for. It should probably come as no surprise that there is an online version of this. There has been some interesting research into this curious disease. I’m not sure it’s something I’ve ever come across in any of the communities I’ve been involved with, but I’d be fascinated to hear any stories if you’ve come across this in your own communities.
Best Practices for a Solid Social Media Strategy Social media has grown from a curiosity to an integral piece of corporate strategy in the space of only a few years. Nearly overnight, business owners have brought on whole teams of specialists to craft effective social media strategies and manage multiplying numbers of social media accounts. The truth is that you can build an efficient and valuable social media strategy by following a few Best Practices. Successful businesses start by identifying the social networks they need to be active on and the tactics they need to use on each network. Here are some Best Practices as you put your plan into action: PURPOSE Nobody has time to waste. SCHEDULING Social media is global now; it doesn’t sleep. If you want to take scheduling to the next level, look for a tool like HootSuite that integrates with a Contact Relationship Manager like Nimble and offers the ability to schedule large batches of messages at once. REPORTING Gone are the days of social media purely being about “building buzz.”
What Makes a Good Content Curator? Part of being a Social Media Manager is culling the infinite sources of the web for the latest news, information, and resources relevant to your industry or target market. As a Social Media Manager, the content you share reflects your competence and expertise, and reflects how in-touch you are with the industry, thought leaders, influencers, and everyone in between. Sharing good content shows you understand what’s interesting and valuable to your target markets. It will help you increase your followers and establish your credibility. So what does a good content curator look like? 1. A good content curator has reached into almost every orifice of the Internet for content. 2. It would take far too long to cull through the legions of content if one slowly perused each article. 3. If you’re a good content curator you’re not sharing sloppy articles, inaccurate articles, or unprofessional looking content. 4.
Is Social Media different than Social Business? Enterprise 2.0, Social Media, Social Business, Social Innovation, Social Era – are they all the same, or are they quite different? Do you know? If you don’t know, you might be using the wrong term in the wrong context. Which doesn’t sound so bad, but the cost of this is to risk misunderstanding, or quite possibly sounding stupid. The term ‘Social Media’ was popularized by Chris Shipley in 2004, as she described the impact of influencers and bloggers in shaping product adoption, more so than traditional media outlets. Andrew McAfee, the Harvard professor, coined the term Enterprise 2.0 about six years ago, and the emphasis was on the on software tools and platforms that increase information flow. And Open Innovation or Crowdsoucing are often linked to any of these three terms – enterprise 2.0, social media and social business. With all of these definitions around, you might wonder why I even added to the terminology when I wrote a book, and coined the term #socialera. Organizational.