Winning in today’s connected society With Apple facing wide criticism for failing to address a fault with the antennae on the newly released iPhone 4, their brand reputation is at risk. In today’s connected world, failing to respond quickly to controversy or criticism can have disastrous implications. Tomorrow’s winners will be those organisations that are getting to grips with the implications of a connected society today. Read more about Winning in today’s connected society...

How lean leadership can help you survive the fiscal squeeze National income data just published shows that the economy has been worse off that we thought. Growth, now returned, is slow and the fiscal squeeze is expected to limit it further. Many organisations have already played out major cost cutting initiatives, often turning to lean toolkits. What should they do next to ensure survival growth during the tough years ahead? Read more about How lean leadership can help you to survive the fiscal squeeze...

What the World Cup teaches us about Business Intelligence Getting the right information to the right people at the right time sounds like a good idea to add value.  The processes and tools to make it happen are now maturing, so what’s stopping us? The World Cup gives us some great examples, and suggests three key rules to successful Business Intelligence. Read more about What the World Cup teaches us about Business Intelligence...

How the coalition government has changed the NHS Described as the biggest shake up of the NHS for a decade, Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley’s intention to switch the commissioning of all of England’s health services from the 152 Primary Care Trusts in England to 35,000 GPs will present some significant new challenges. No matter how you look at this, it is a massive ask and one requiring fundamental organisational change. Read more about How the coalition government has changed the NHS...

Realising the full benefit of shared services and outsourcing To realise the full benefits of shared services and outsourcing, government departments need to fully grasp the concept of the best practice vision for support function organisations. The real value from shared services is realized when it is an integral and fundamental part of a complete functional transformation. Read more about Realising the full benefit of shared services and outsourcing...

The World Cup - turning business continuity risk into opportunity With the football World Cup finals upon us employers are worried about the disruption one of the ‘greatest shows on earth’ will bring. Many organisations consider staff to be their greatest asset, and absenteeism could lead to a loss of income and customer trust, impacting both top and bottom line. Organisations should use this as an opportunity to motivate staff rather than risk lower productivity. Read more about Turning business continuity risk into opportunity...

Driving growth and market share by balancing costs with effective innovation Dyson has just reported a doubling of operating profits to £190m and a 23% growth in turnover to £770m in 2009. Chief Executive, Martin McCourt, attributes these results to sustained investment in research and development (R&D).  Like most manufacturing companies exposed to the recent downturn, Dyson took decisive action to cut operating costs but, unlike many, remained committed to its R&D programme. Read more about Driving growth and market share...

Changing the nature of supply services is vital for deficit reduction Last Monday’s announcements create a conundrum. On the one hand, a need to fundamentally change the way the public sector operates to deliver improved services at reduced cost. On the other, a £1.7bn cut in contract and project spending, a civil service recruitment freeze and a £1.15bn reduction in discretionary spend, including consulting. How do Departments fund future investment to open up new areas of savings? Read more about The changing nature of supply services...

Being a winning through embracing Solvency II and Basel III Recent press coverage paints a picture of a second credit crunch resulting from excessive regulation. The CEA, the European insurance and reinsurance federation, warned that ‘… excessive capital requirements would have unnecessary and harmful consequences for the insurance industry, for the economy and for society’. Solvency II and Basel III will fundamentally shift the focus of the industry for years to come. Read more about Winning through embracing Solvency II and Basel III...

A bold, innovative, realistic approach to savings for the new era This week marks a new era for Public Sector – one demanding urgent change. The short term agenda will be about reducing the cost of delivering effective services, whilst recognising incoming ministers have expectations around their new agendas. Success will require new, more complex and dynamic models of operation and collaboration that will be rewarded by significant new savings. Read more about Budget 2010 – new challenges – new solutions...