2008 Archives

- The Power of Collaborative Innovation: From the World Economic Forum

- When Information is Not Communication

from the editors of the Journal of Innovative Management

The Power of Collaborative Innovation: From the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 closed in Davos, Switzerland, on January 27 with a call by business, government and civil society leaders for a new brand of collaborative and innovative leadership, rather than greater competition, to address the challenges of globalization.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a board member of the World Economic Forum and a co-chair of the annual meeting said: “Globalization is forcing changes in how people collaborate in a fundamental way. If we are interconnected and the world is interconnected, the only way for the world to work is to have a set of common values. We have no option but to work together.”

Another co-chair, Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, said that companies today have to be engaged in society, particularly on environmental issues. It is critical to running a business: “You cannot hold on to your employees emotionally unless you have good environmental programmes.”

Other panellists asserted that the biggest challenge for the world is to determine the values that underpin globalization. “Globalization is not going to go away. The question is what kind of globalization do we have,” said Daniel Yergin, Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA).

Fellow annual meeting co-chair Wang Jianzhou, Chairman and CEO of China Mobile Communications Corporation, called on participants to embrace the ideals expressed by the motto of the 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Beijing: “One world, one dream.” Said Wang: “All countries, industries and companies should contribute to a peaceful and harmonious world.”

Among the key announcements and achievements that emerged from the Annual Meeting 2008 are the following:

• British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, Irish musician Bono, H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Cisco Systems Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John T. Chambers issued a joint statement vowing to make 2008 a turning point in the fight against poverty. The world is facing a "development emergency”, they said, pledging to “work together to help the world get back on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals."

• Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda unveiled a five-year, US$ 10 billion fund to support efforts in developing countries to combat global warming – a move to ensure that top priority is given to climate change at this year’s G8 Summit in Hokkaido. In addition, Japan aims to create a new multilateral fund with the US and the UK to mitigate changes in the earth’s climate as a result of global warming.

• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a US$ 306 million package of agricultural development grants “designed to boost the yields and incomes of millions of small farmers in Africa and other parts of the developing world so they can lift themselves and their families out of hunger and poverty.”

• The World Economic Forum launched a landmark report on the interfaith dialogue between Muslim and Western societies. Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue was the result of in-depth research and polling in more than 40 countries. The report is intended to be an annual global reference on the state of dialogue among faiths that will elevate the visibility of dialogue around the world and strengthen efforts to advance greater understanding.

• The World Economic Forum released the first part of the most comprehensive investigations into private equity: The Globalization of Alternative Investments Working Papers Volume 1: The Global Economic Impact of Private Equity Report 2008. The study focuses on the demography of global private equity deals, the willingness of private equity-backed firms to make long-term investments globally, and the impact of private equity investments on the employment levels of firms in the US and corporate governance in the UK.

• Mayors, regional governors and the private sector launched the World Economic Forum’s SlimCity Initiative, an exchange programme between cities and the private sector to support action on resource efficiency in urban areas, focusing on energy, water, waste, mobility, planning, health and climate change.

• Fourteen global CEOs and company chairmen, representing a range of industries and regions, issued a call to their peers to join collaborative efforts to strengthen public governance frameworks and institutions as a core element of their approach to corporate citizenship.

http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm

When Information is Not Communication

Why is the lament sometimes heard, “There’s just no communication around here,” whether it’s a start-up business or a multinational corporation? The leaders may believe they are communicating well with their customers. Bosses may insist they are giving explicit instructions to their employees. Coworkers think they are sharing all the information they have with their colleagues.

“Not so,” says author Dianna Booher, a pioneer in increasing productivity through effective communication. The lack of straightforward, clear conversation is to blame. In her 2007 book, The Voice of Authority: 10 Communications Strategies Every Leader Needs to Know, Booher tackles the issues of when to communicate, how to do it, and what to say to coworkers, employees, managers, and the public. She argues that leaders delude themselves by thinking that the dissemination of information – whether on the Internet, through teleconferences, or in meetings – is the same as substantive communication.

Booher emphasizes, “Information is not communication.”

Based on her own work with, and observations of, hundreds of businesses, Dianna Booher analyzes what is effective – stressing that honesty, clarity, consistency, and transparency are the keys to effective communication. Strategies she reveals in The Voice of Authority include:

• Is it correct? Tell it like it is. No clichés. No lies. No exaggerations. From the C-suite to the mailroom, truth-telling is key to productivity.
• Is it complete? People often give incomplete information because they’re too busy to take the time to do it right and don’t anticipate the ramifications. Whether addressing employees in the midst of a takeover or consumers during a product recall, provide complete details in crisis and everyday situations. And the worse the news, the quicker it needs to be shared.
• Is it clear? Be specific. Speak and write in simple, plain English. Muddling information creates a sense of phoniness and insincerity, and in some cases foreboding or intimidation.
• Is it consistent? Checking details, enforcing company rules and policies, and following through with rewards or disciplinary action are essential for communication in the workplace. Consistent, clearly stated guidelines create a level playing field for all employees.
• Are you credible? Five things that contribute or detract from a person’s credibility: the look, the language, the likeability factor, character, and competence.
• Are you concerned and connected? Leaders who show they care about people make a connection. Whether dealing with employees, suppliers, or customers. Never underestimate the power of engagement.
• Is it current? Speed is the new measure of quality. With one-hour dry-cleaning, thirty-minute pizza delivery, two-minute Lasik surgery, and bloggers protesting air strikes before the planes land, no one wants to wait until tomorrow to find out who the new boss is. Speed of communication is essential in bringing scattered work groups up-to-date on new projects, diffusing rumors, and helping to maintain morale company-wide.
• Does your communication make you look competent? Leaders need to know what impression the people who represent them – receptionists, salespeople, and the company spokesperson – are creating.
• Is it circular? Circular communication – going up and down the management chain, across departmental lines, from the day shift to the night shift – should happen routinely, but doesn’t.

“Communication is the most vital skill in job-interviewing success. The most frequent complaint employees cite as their reason for leaving an organization. The biggest challenge leaders experience in times of change and upheaval. The most critical component of great customer service,” says Booher. “It’s all about communication. And success in business is all about how well you communicate – to your coworkers and customers.”

About the author
Dianna Booher is the founder of Booher Consultants (http://www.booher.com), a communication training firm. Her clients include IBM, Lyondell Chemical, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Lockheed Martin, and JP Morgan Chase. The author of more than forty books and a frequent guest on television and radio programs around the country, she is an award-winning professional speaker and has been inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Booher Consultants is based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.