Pondering on the thought of Productivity - please see Drucker Institution page
Shall we go back to the most basics.
1. Shall we just continuously push for higher productivity? In the three dimensions of management, the second one is “to make work productive and worker achieving.” A super-high productivity with super-tools may not render worker achieving.
2. In different periods of time, does “productivity” mean differently?
3. For the same type of work, would there be a limit to “productivity?”
4. Does higher productivity produce higher value?
5. How do you define high productivity in education, in health industry?
6. What is the global implication of imbalance in high productivity regions and low productivity regions?
2011年12月27日 星期二
Drucker Differences
I will post a number of management thoughts that I called Drucker Differences. You may respond on individual items. Ducker, of course refers to Peter F, Drucker, the Management Guru of Gurus.
Drucker Differences No. 1
Drucker concerns with why, what, who and when more than how. That is why he says that there is no one single solution is the right solution or one single management organization is the right organization. Management is a liberal art discipline where one has to understand what he is doing and why he is doing so in every decision making situation.
Drucker Differences No. 2
Drucker goes back to the basic. When one deals with basic, the basic can be stated simply and concisely. A manager is a knowledge worker and he/she has to apply his/her own knowledge for the situation and his/her own values to make decisions accordingly. For example, one must understand the business he/she is in by considering the three basic assumptions: the environment, the mission of the enterprise and the core competence of the enterprise. Simple and basic.
Drucker Differences No. 3
Drucker’s teaching is value based. Every decision and every thought of a manager is driven by the values he holds (knowingly or unknowingly). The value system should include integrity, human dignity, responsibility and pursue of Excellency. Thus there is no need of a separate subject on Business Ethics. His/her very act should be guided by the value system. For a corporation, in the same logical argument, should integrate social wellness and social concern into its business strategies.
That is why Drucker formulated the Corporate Social Integration in the early 60s. Michael Porter wrote his famous SCI in 2006. and award winning article on CSI in 2006.
Drucker Differences No. 4
Drucker perceives a dynamic world that changes. Time must be factored into every aspect of decision and action. Therefore one has to learn and improve in order not to be wasted (victim of law of thermal dynamics.) One cannot predict the future but what is happening is not agnostically random. Therefore one must make the future today diligently.
Drucker Differences No. 5 - methodology
One may say this is Drucker's weakness in terms of research. Peter Senge, Jim Collins, students (directly or indirectly) research by studying thousands of companies and interviewed even more business leaders to come up with some conclusions. By the time they get the books out (3 years data gathering and analysis, 2 years writing and publish) the facts changed and the foundation of the conclusions shaken. We all laugh at this. Schools and universities are now trapped y this sad cycle.
Drucker, on the other hand looked forward. He asked questions while he observed (not at a small spot-lighted area but relating to the society). With his deep understanding of law, economics, social theories, he was able to say something that are basic and hence lasting. Most of the influential, significant liberal arts theories (economics, political, religion, social behavior works) which have become the fundamentals of modern theories were done like this.
Drucker Differences No. 1
Drucker concerns with why, what, who and when more than how. That is why he says that there is no one single solution is the right solution or one single management organization is the right organization. Management is a liberal art discipline where one has to understand what he is doing and why he is doing so in every decision making situation.
Drucker Differences No. 2
Drucker goes back to the basic. When one deals with basic, the basic can be stated simply and concisely. A manager is a knowledge worker and he/she has to apply his/her own knowledge for the situation and his/her own values to make decisions accordingly. For example, one must understand the business he/she is in by considering the three basic assumptions: the environment, the mission of the enterprise and the core competence of the enterprise. Simple and basic.
Drucker Differences No. 3
Drucker’s teaching is value based. Every decision and every thought of a manager is driven by the values he holds (knowingly or unknowingly). The value system should include integrity, human dignity, responsibility and pursue of Excellency. Thus there is no need of a separate subject on Business Ethics. His/her very act should be guided by the value system. For a corporation, in the same logical argument, should integrate social wellness and social concern into its business strategies.
That is why Drucker formulated the Corporate Social Integration in the early 60s. Michael Porter wrote his famous SCI in 2006. and award winning article on CSI in 2006.
Drucker Differences No. 4
Drucker perceives a dynamic world that changes. Time must be factored into every aspect of decision and action. Therefore one has to learn and improve in order not to be wasted (victim of law of thermal dynamics.) One cannot predict the future but what is happening is not agnostically random. Therefore one must make the future today diligently.
Drucker Differences No. 5 - methodology
One may say this is Drucker's weakness in terms of research. Peter Senge, Jim Collins, students (directly or indirectly) research by studying thousands of companies and interviewed even more business leaders to come up with some conclusions. By the time they get the books out (3 years data gathering and analysis, 2 years writing and publish) the facts changed and the foundation of the conclusions shaken. We all laugh at this. Schools and universities are now trapped y this sad cycle.
Drucker, on the other hand looked forward. He asked questions while he observed (not at a small spot-lighted area but relating to the society). With his deep understanding of law, economics, social theories, he was able to say something that are basic and hence lasting. Most of the influential, significant liberal arts theories (economics, political, religion, social behavior works) which have become the fundamentals of modern theories were done like this.
2011年8月31日 星期三
2011年8月23日 星期二
The social side of the triple bottom line
The social side of the triple bottom line
Social refers to those matters related to society. This is the most difficult part of the trilogy. A society is a group of people with a persistent relationship with each other. This could be simply geographical, political, or some cultural things. A community is a society in a narrower sense in the number of members or in the purity of relationships.
Social concerns in HK started in the 60s or early 70s when there was a large influx of immigrants and the government was not able to do too much to care of these people. Some people took on to themselves to start roof-top schools and other programs. They got organized to become the NGOs.
The social issues are becoming more acute all over the world and the polarization of the rich and poor are getting stronger. This uneven distribution of wealth, resources and power leads to social unrest as we have seen, the most recently, the London Riot. A citizen, or a member of the society sees himself through his "function" and his "role" in order to relate to the society. If these two basic elements are missing. He becomes a non-citizen. When the number of dis-satisfied members reach to a threshold, the "tipping point" triggers a riot or a revolution.
Therefore the society, an organism by itself, will find a way to stablize itself. Today with the complexity of the society, none can handle it alone. Thus for sustainability, all have to work together with the three bottom lines considered at the same time.
2011年8月22日 星期一
The environment side of the triple bottom line
The environment side of the triple bottom line
Two closely related factors drastically put a heavy burden on self-renewal of ecology.
1. The sheer growth of world population. It stands at 6.9 billion, was only 300 million in 1350, 2 billion in 1920 and 8 billion by2025. One billion people will be added in 15 years.
2. The exponential growth of technology and productivity. The advancement provided the much enjoyed prosperity and yet through the power of marketing produces blind-sighted consumption and waste.
A few mega-scale disasters shook up then a small percent of people to the unbalanced environment issues. The green movement soon spreads to many responsible corporations that put environmental concern in their business strategies. (what M Porter and Drucker called Corporate Social Integration)
The evolution and the development of this bottom line is the effort of many but we know that by themselves, it is not enough.
Two closely related factors drastically put a heavy burden on self-renewal of ecology.
1. The sheer growth of world population. It stands at 6.9 billion, was only 300 million in 1350, 2 billion in 1920 and 8 billion by2025. One billion people will be added in 15 years.
2. The exponential growth of technology and productivity. The advancement provided the much enjoyed prosperity and yet through the power of marketing produces blind-sighted consumption and waste.
A few mega-scale disasters shook up then a small percent of people to the unbalanced environment issues. The green movement soon spreads to many responsible corporations that put environmental concern in their business strategies. (what M Porter and Drucker called Corporate Social Integration)
The evolution and the development of this bottom line is the effort of many but we know that by themselves, it is not enough.
2011年8月18日 星期四
The economic side of the triple bottom line
Centuries ago, missionaries learned that "save a soul" is not sufficient. A human being has multiple dimensions. After a native got "saved", he continued to "live" in the world. They started to teach the natives a sustainable better living environment. This root of "doing good" emerges itself in a form of social enterprise, irrespective of religious or not.
In social enterprise, the mission of the business is to address a specific need of the society of the time, with the aim to be "profitable" for self-sustain. This is the concept of "doing good well." Well refers to excellency in business performance in terms of economics.
永續的底線包含了「經濟」因素。我們生活在一個以財富為指標的社
從一個歷史和理論層次,我們可以這樣理解永續三底線的經濟因素:
早時宣教士被差派到一些落後地方傳福音,他們很快便明白到「救恩
Sustainability and the Triple Bottom-line
When the commercial side of the society was making great strikes towards prosperity, the need for environment concern was felt. Yet little was done in a systematic way. Until recently, corporations are changing their mission statements to reflect the world's awakening to involve the business side for a sustainable environment. Hence, we have the triple bottom-lines sustainability conditions: economical, environmental and social.
永續性的三底線
過去幾十年，憑藉努力和科技的進步，超倍數的生產力帶來社會的繁
2011年7月26日 星期二
Scotland Trip
I was away for more than two weeks, visiting Scotland and country sides of England. Just return yesterday and I will be off to an Asian country to teach for two weeks.
What did I learn in Scotland?
The country is old but not ancient. They keep many old buildings and traditions. They are quite happy with the inheritance and traditions. Asia is ancient but young. We are getting rid of the old stuffs quickly and embracing the new. However, in establishing the new, we have ignored and neglected the fundamentals that are true no matter it is old or new. May these fundamentals be values, such as dignity, true, beautiful, or heritage.
edited from a group post published June 29 2011
What did I learn in Scotland?
The country is old but not ancient. They keep many old buildings and traditions. They are quite happy with the inheritance and traditions. Asia is ancient but young. We are getting rid of the old stuffs quickly and embracing the new. However, in establishing the new, we have ignored and neglected the fundamentals that are true no matter it is old or new. May these fundamentals be values, such as dignity, true, beautiful, or heritage.
edited from a group post published June 29 2011
About learning
How do you learn? Very often we learn with a definitive target, such as a musical instrument, or a discipline subject such as accounting. This is great. They are more to-do, or knowledge based learning. Another way of learning is though imitation such as a child learns from his father. Other methods include experimentation, try and error, internalizing observations.
Learning in management, I think, the most effective and sure learning is by doing. In doing, one is able to include the variations of external factors and the influence of implicit power and dynamics in his learning process.
If you have a desire to learn, be active and take up responsibilities. Let the fear of failure and desire to succeed be your teachers.
edited from a group post published May 30, 2011
Responses:
LP
I could relate well with your insightful analysis. Well said.
To add on to what you have started this conversation on external factors, I would like to add that not all learning are well paved nor maped-out by our forerunners with role models for us to mimic.
Necessity could put us in the forefront of learning - so a society/corporation/entrep
The Robinsons learnt to live in tree house on an island (fictional) and Alice learnt to find friends in another world after having fell into the rabbit hole (fictional).
In real life, at each stage of our life, we may involuntarily find ourselves facing new external factors and have little time to "do our learning" in time - being a new parent, being a new hire, accepting a promotion to a
senior position or on a less positive note, battling with cancer, facing a financial crisis, losing market shares, or morning over a natural disaster.
How Einstein came up with the speed of light and how Newton coined the word gravity after a falling apple are just some of the examples where the talented revolutionaized our social world with unprecedented breakthroughs without following the conventional route of learning.
Chinese restaurants in North America is another example. The railroad workers met their survival needs by delicious North American Chinese food at a time when discrimination marginalized their opportunity to participate in the labour market.
Then in the music world, the Blues, Jazz, Gospel, and Rap artists started out as protest counter-culture. Gradually each of them found their way to enter pop culture.
Could learning by through subjective experience? Intuition? Spiritual guidance? or simply the self-expression?
Some knowledge of ancient civilizations have been lost. Could archaeological digs recover some of these mysterious wealth of knowledge from out past?
What does it take to learn to be empathetic? What does it take for humankind
LP
In simpler terms, learning is a way of life in modern society, an animated way of looking forward into the near fuiture while keeping ourselves modest and humble. The more we learn, the more we realize there is more to learn. It keeps us from boredom while engages us in problem-solving activities like solving a riddle. It keeps us companionship and put us on a meaningful journey.
Happiness often contains an element of learning - a sense of accomplishment of having learnt when we look back in retrospect and be able therefore to carry out tasks.
Happiness often contains an element of learning - a sense of accomplishment of having learnt when we look back in retrospect and be able therefore to carry out tasks.
PL
In learning - higher level learning if there is such a thing, should include a backward looking perspective and a forward looking perspective. These perspectives should not be limited to historical development and future trends, but time perspectives of the learning experiences of the learner. He/she has to relate the learning into his/her own experiences in this area which could be experiential or conceptual.
Behavior -habit - culture
It is difficult to change culture but much easier to change habit. Habit change is on individual level assisted by systematic arrangements. (read book "Switch".)
Example: to encourage oneself in doing exercise, prepare your exercise shoes and clothing. Put them in a bag and put the exercise bag at a convenient place. This helps to overcome obstacles and lower the threshold of internal resistance.
edited from a group post publish Jun 10, 2011
Execution
People are not perfect, and they are not robots that can be programmed. When we design management systems, we expect people respond and carry out the tasks and subtasks like robots.
If the system looks and feels new, people have to buy-in and learn the details. If the company is already running lean and tight, these people have no incentive to learn.
I am a consultant to several companies, two are mid-size-to-large type. The rest are mosquito - one man band type. They have entirely different mindsets and face problems very differently. One of the large corp was my former company which retains me as their consultant.
When I was with them a few years back, I hired the best in the field. I hired many PhDs because I thought there was a notion that we could not allow ourselves to fail.唔衰得 which was a good motivation.
Time changes people and we have now a new generation of employees. The executives of this company told me that they hired people with good attitude rather than expertise in the field. A very different approach from my previous philosophy.
I was able to manage this large group of PhDs and experts because I was able to lead them with mutual respect in those days. They subscribed to my philosophy of being the best in the field.
edited from a group post published June 9, 2011
Wise saying from Walter Henrichsen
Motives are like your conscience in that you can never know you have a pure one.
He seemed to imply that we are limited in knowing ourselves, for example, we couldn't even know our motives sources and conscience sources.
edited from article June 1, 2011
Responses:
CN
It dawns on me last night that without a reflecting surface like a mirror, we never see our faces. What we know about our face is only a reflection. Mirror reflects, and other people reflect.
NP
There could be more than one motive. That's the reality of life.
Certainly some motives could be tainted - not pure. What is nice to hear - flattering and embellished laudable motives are still what public relation experts suggest we use.
So should we try to know our motives in its purity or should we go by some commonly acceptable nicely worded motives to fit in? Or should we walk away from the sincere ritualistic utters of motives (justificatiosn and rationalizations) even if it brings good will to others by going at odd against the expected common motives?
Do not forget some motives may not be in a form that could easily be expressed in words. It could be a very private motive not appropriate to be communicated to others.
Let say in hiring. What are our motives to apply for a specific job? What are our motives wanting to be hired? It would be laudable to say it is "our passio". Our calling? Yes. Good answer. How would it sound if we say we are interested in the pay? Or some others such as "Out of necessity to work?" "Going after social status?" "To meet the expectation of parents?" I think one stand a better chance to get hired by staying around the idea of interested in the job or company and for self-fulfillment. Even if it is true that you want to avoid being a freeloader, need to pay rent, have many mouths to feed, it is not the norm to answer up this way in a job interview. Isn't it?
Let us take another type of social occasion for the sake of illustration: "an invitation" to a wedding. Who will be invited and what are our motives? Some flattering motives are "Love their company" " To celebrtae with family" How would the guests feel if we tell them it is "out of obligations"? Or that we prefer big groups with a Cathedral full of guests for photos and media reports? I am sure there are hosts who invite others "To show off" or include a few more because of the need for logistics such as needed drivers to pick up others. I am sure some motives could be mixed such as Keeping up with appearance of social ties"? and "Do not want to offended others by leaving them out"? or "returning reciprocity" to ensure one would be then invited later to other weddings?
Even if it is not all too pure, the motives, I personally would rather hear motives that are moving and appropriate than hearing motives that are unexpected and shocking. So better kept some motives to oneself or find ways to make it sound appropriate and becoming.
In our preparation to face the world, we learn to rationalize or explain to ourselves the "why" - finding the motives. That may be why motives could sound alike from different individuals - it has become ritualized. Rituals prevent disaccordance. When repeated, it become the expected.
Going back to our original quiry: is it better to have a pure motive? Is it more truthful to find the real motive and articulate it?
I don't have an answer. Being not so "die hard" to find the pure real motive. I may simply say - if one is not sure, better use the ritualized motives. Why make life difficult for oneself and for others? What is wrong with going by the normative rationals that we have learnt?
As an end note, could someone tell me "Could one simply do something because one feels like it, at that moment". Is this a good enough motive?
Peter Liu Thank you for many good examples. I started with management arguments. The quote from Walter is religious. He wants us to know that we are limited. We can never be sure of anything. So we cannot boast of ourselves. He wants us to acknowledge that there are in certainties even in our own salvation. So that we can only do is trust with faith.
He seemed to imply that we are limited in knowing ourselves, for example, we couldn't even know our motives sources and conscience sources.
edited from article June 1, 2011
Responses:
CN
It dawns on me last night that without a reflecting surface like a mirror, we never see our faces. What we know about our face is only a reflection. Mirror reflects, and other people reflect.
NP
There could be more than one motive. That's the reality of life.
Certainly some motives could be tainted - not pure. What is nice to hear - flattering and embellished laudable motives are still what public relation experts suggest we use.
So should we try to know our motives in its purity or should we go by some commonly acceptable nicely worded motives to fit in? Or should we walk away from the sincere ritualistic utters of motives (justificatiosn and rationalizations) even if it brings good will to others by going at odd against the expected common motives?
Do not forget some motives may not be in a form that could easily be expressed in words. It could be a very private motive not appropriate to be communicated to others.
Let say in hiring. What are our motives to apply for a specific job? What are our motives wanting to be hired? It would be laudable to say it is "our passio". Our calling? Yes. Good answer. How would it sound if we say we are interested in the pay? Or some others such as "Out of necessity to work?" "Going after social status?" "To meet the expectation of parents?" I think one stand a better chance to get hired by staying around the idea of interested in the job or company and for self-fulfillment. Even if it is true that you want to avoid being a freeloader, need to pay rent, have many mouths to feed, it is not the norm to answer up this way in a job interview. Isn't it?
Let us take another type of social occasion for the sake of illustration: "an invitation" to a wedding. Who will be invited and what are our motives? Some flattering motives are "Love their company" " To celebrtae with family" How would the guests feel if we tell them it is "out of obligations"? Or that we prefer big groups with a Cathedral full of guests for photos and media reports? I am sure there are hosts who invite others "To show off" or include a few more because of the need for logistics such as needed drivers to pick up others. I am sure some motives could be mixed such as Keeping up with appearance of social ties"? and "Do not want to offended others by leaving them out"? or "returning reciprocity" to ensure one would be then invited later to other weddings?
Even if it is not all too pure, the motives, I personally would rather hear motives that are moving and appropriate than hearing motives that are unexpected and shocking. So better kept some motives to oneself or find ways to make it sound appropriate and becoming.
In our preparation to face the world, we learn to rationalize or explain to ourselves the "why" - finding the motives. That may be why motives could sound alike from different individuals - it has become ritualized. Rituals prevent disaccordance. When repeated, it become the expected.
Going back to our original quiry: is it better to have a pure motive? Is it more truthful to find the real motive and articulate it?
I don't have an answer. Being not so "die hard" to find the pure real motive. I may simply say - if one is not sure, better use the ritualized motives. Why make life difficult for oneself and for others? What is wrong with going by the normative rationals that we have learnt?
As an end note, could someone tell me "Could one simply do something because one feels like it, at that moment". Is this a good enough motive?
Peter Liu Thank you for many good examples. I started with management arguments. The quote from Walter is religious. He wants us to know that we are limited. We can never be sure of anything. So we cannot boast of ourselves. He wants us to acknowledge that there are in certainties even in our own salvation. So that we can only do is trust with faith.
Post-90 Generation
We often said a lot of negative things about the post-90 generation. I ask people to accept them because in a short time, the society will be theirs to run. We have no control of the future society.
This made me ask, does the society create a man or does man create a society?
edited from Group article May 26, 2011
Response
Laura Pao
This made me ask, does the society create a man or does man create a society?
edited from Group article May 26, 2011
Response
Laura Pao
Culture survives through us, living out our culture in our daily life while changes, no matter how insignificant from our own view point or inspiring in its own rights, we introduce will be part of the movements that lead the society into its next phase.
Inevitably, it could be a textbook case, engineered by charistmatic leaders with a master mind or a symbiotic, interactive, momentary moment with significant consequences.
Sure, as we shake our head wondering what's next, we also need to learn to be an empathetic listener to the young.
The next generation inherits from us the legacy of technological advances as well as many problems created by the modern societies (disparity between the rich and the poor, ethnic and racial conflicts, a damaged environment, high expectation on material comfort, and many bureaucratic institutions) . It is not easy to be a member of the next generation.
Some of the young will face difficult when the labour market no longer could absorb the high volume of new graduates. With globalization, middle management could further donwsize. On-line courses and distance learning
may replace many classroom face to face teaching. Sitting in front of a screen many hours a day could reduce further the level of physical activities necessary to keep our body fit.
Will they feel more alienated? Or find new ways to stay connected (social networking)?
Each generation has its own "tolls".
They have priviledges that some of us envy. But some of them are confused when asked to make their own choice at each stage.
Inevitably, it could be a textbook case, engineered by charistmatic leaders with a master mind or a symbiotic, interactive, momentary moment with significant consequences.
Sure, as we shake our head wondering what's next, we also need to learn to be an empathetic listener to the young.
The next generation inherits from us the legacy of technological advances as well as many problems created by the modern societies (disparity between the rich and the poor, ethnic and racial conflicts, a damaged environment, high expectation on material comfort, and many bureaucratic institutions) . It is not easy to be a member of the next generation.
Some of the young will face difficult when the labour market no longer could absorb the high volume of new graduates. With globalization, middle management could further donwsize. On-line courses and distance learning
may replace many classroom face to face teaching. Sitting in front of a screen many hours a day could reduce further the level of physical activities necessary to keep our body fit.
Will they feel more alienated? Or find new ways to stay connected (social networking)?
Each generation has its own "tolls".
They have priviledges that some of us envy. But some of them are confused when asked to make their own choice at each stage.
2011年4月26日 星期二
Have and Have-not
In my recent trips to Tibet and Xinjiang within half a year, I was impressed and disturbed by the fast pace progress.
I have two observations:
(1) In general, these areas are "poor economically" but not "poor in resources" 貧而不瘠, especially in Xinjiang. There are plenty of untapped natural resources.
(2) They do not lack of imagination and brain-power 並不缺乏腦袋。They lack management know-hows and execution power. This statement is true for many HK SMEs.
One is simple and two is complex
To the Tibetans, one is simple and two is complex. To them, life is relationship to God and relationship with family and community. Two is complex indeed. Think of your relationship with spouse, and your business partner.
Three is the simplest of multiples. So, when they give illustrations, for example about polygamy and polyandry, they like to use a number of 3. One husband with three wives or a wive with three husbands. They like odd numbers
Formless Form and Timeless Time
In India, Hinduism uses forms to represent the formless God. God is without any attributes (name, physical appearance) that we can describe. However, man gives it a form which represents the formless being. The physical appearance of the representation is signification to the individual. For example, when one is depressed,God appears to be strong and faithful. So he is a fighting shiva.
The above statements for the part of India that I visited are well recognized and documented.
When I return from Tibet, I wanted to write something that sticks. (A technique of blogging) I wrote the statement of "Timeless Time." The Formless Form statement identifies the structural aspects of religion in the part of India I traveled. I talked about attributes. The timeless time emphasize on the practicality of living. To a modern man and to an author in HK, one of the most precious elements in living (living level, not life level) is time.
Tibetans (the more traditional, without post-modernism pollution yet) live their whole life for one single moment. This moment is what I called the timeless time. It is for this moment (Time), that his live becomes Timeless. What is Timeless? When time is not a resource, and not having any attached value, time become timeless. Can you imagine and appreciate the moment that time is of no value? Let me give an example to illustrate : you want one year? I give you one whole year, just like that, without any string attached. You want ten years, I give you ten years, just like that. Then time is of no value to me.
To the Tibetans, time is of no value when the one year can be exchanged for a moment that he can come to Lhasa, kneeling and falling on their stomachs every three steps along the highway for 4000Km and over a whole year is timeless.
In summary, to the Hindus, form is formless and to the Tibetans,time is timeless.
The above statements for the part of India that I visited are well recognized and documented.
When I return from Tibet, I wanted to write something that sticks. (A technique of blogging) I wrote the statement of "Timeless Time." The Formless Form statement identifies the structural aspects of religion in the part of India I traveled. I talked about attributes. The timeless time emphasize on the practicality of living. To a modern man and to an author in HK, one of the most precious elements in living (living level, not life level) is time.
Tibetans (the more traditional, without post-modernism pollution yet) live their whole life for one single moment. This moment is what I called the timeless time. It is for this moment (Time), that his live becomes Timeless. What is Timeless? When time is not a resource, and not having any attached value, time become timeless. Can you imagine and appreciate the moment that time is of no value? Let me give an example to illustrate : you want one year? I give you one whole year, just like that, without any string attached. You want ten years, I give you ten years, just like that. Then time is of no value to me.
To the Tibetans, time is of no value when the one year can be exchanged for a moment that he can come to Lhasa, kneeling and falling on their stomachs every three steps along the highway for 4000Km and over a whole year is timeless.
In summary, to the Hindus, form is formless and to the Tibetans,time is timeless.
2011年3月28日 星期一
Frances Hesselbein
A signed new book
I was given a signed new book by Frances Hesselbein, "My Life in Leadership, - the Journey and Lessons Learned Along the Way." Immediately I knew it would be a treasure.
Frances, not too well known in HK but is a highly regarded and well known leader in the USA. She is the Chairperson of the United States Military Academy at West Point among the many leadership positions. She is something like 94 or 95 of age already. What a lady! Please look her up and read one of her 27 books.
I wrote her a thank you email which I copy here.
Dear Frances,
When Stephen handed us the books with both of his hands and with a broad smile on his face, we knew that something of great treasure was handed to us. And indeed, it was your new book with your own signature! We were all moved and said, we want to, like Frances, one day to publish our book.
Of course, we know, down and deep inside our heart, the book we gratefully received is indeed a journey, a journey of wisdom, a journey of humility, a journey of passion to contribute that we admire and that we are aspired to have.
Many many thanks, Frances. We promise to read every page of it and learn from it.
Best regards and God bless
I was given a signed new book by Frances Hesselbein, "My Life in Leadership, - the Journey and Lessons Learned Along the Way." Immediately I knew it would be a treasure.
Frances, not too well known in HK but is a highly regarded and well known leader in the USA. She is the Chairperson of the United States Military Academy at West Point among the many leadership positions. She is something like 94 or 95 of age already. What a lady! Please look her up and read one of her 27 books.
I wrote her a thank you email which I copy here.
Dear Frances,
When Stephen handed us the books with both of his hands and with a broad smile on his face, we knew that something of great treasure was handed to us. And indeed, it was your new book with your own signature! We were all moved and said, we want to, like Frances, one day to publish our book.
Of course, we know, down and deep inside our heart, the book we gratefully received is indeed a journey, a journey of wisdom, a journey of humility, a journey of passion to contribute that we admire and that we are aspired to have.
Many many thanks, Frances. We promise to read every page of it and learn from it.
Best regards and God bless
2011年3月26日 星期六
Management and Life Stories: Necessary but not sufficient
Management and Life Stories: Necessary but not sufficient: "Life is multi-dimensional. Management is a complex process concerning the behavior of multi-dimensional human being. Management is therefore..."
Management and Life Stories: 管理者的「法理性」 從時事看管理
Management and Life Stories: 管理者的「法理性」 從時事看管理: "新聞背後 近期多則新聞引起了社會廣泛的關注：「富士康十三跳的管理危機」，「樓價屢創新高而引起的仇富情緒」，「馬尼拉旅遊巴的浴血事件，突顯菲律賓政府的無能」及「市井市民對香港政府施政報告之扶貧措施的質疑」。 這些「怨恨仇視」的社會新聞中，有沒有共通之處呢? 筆者希望在事例分..."
Management and Life Stories: Complexity and choice Choices and decision Market...
Management and Life Stories: Complexity and choice
Choices and decision
Market...: "Complexity and choice Choices and decision Marketing people knows too well that when customers are given too many choices, they become inde..."
Choices and decision
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Management and Life Stories: Complexity in designing an impeccable service I l...
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I l...: "Complexity in designing an impeccable service I learned some management and life lessons in my recent trip to Halong Bay, Vietnam. I ..."
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Management and Life Stories: Power of Knowledge
Management and Life Stories: Power of Knowledge: "Inside-out vs Outside-in I am reading a book by Alan Fine. In the first chapter of the book, he talks about whether performance is P=..."
Management and Life Stories: 容與不容
Management and Life Stories: 容與不容: "容 to tolerate I started this blog with the Chinese word 容. The Google translation of it: 1. to contain..."
Management and Life Stories: 苦與甜 空和滿
Management and Life Stories: 苦與甜 空和滿: "苦與甜 空和滿「不要叫我拿俄米（就是甜的意思），要叫我瑪拉（就是苦的意思），因為全能者使我受了大苦。我滿滿的出去，耶和華使我空空的回來。」這句說話記載在聖經路得記第一章。一位老人家住在伯利恆，卻因本地饑荒而移民，轉眼十年，在外地失去了丈夫和兩個兒子，現在回流返國時說出心底的話。這..."
2011年1月26日 星期三
苦與甜 空和滿
苦與甜 空和滿
「不要叫我拿俄米（就是甜的意思），要叫我瑪拉（就是苦的意思），因為全能者使我受了大苦。我滿滿的出去，耶和華使我空空的回來。」
這句說話記載在聖經路得記第一章。一位老人家住在伯利恆，卻因本地饑荒而移民，轉眼十年，在外地失去了丈夫和兩個兒子，現在回流返國時說出心底的話。
這句說話充滿矛盾，生命也是如此，從甜到苦、 從滿滿到空空，是耶非耶?
社會心理學鼻祖 Kurt Lewin 指出每個人有的「生活空間 life space」是由個人和環境互動而產生的行為動力。這種動力叫「場 Force Field」，Lewin 所指的環境是人的需求而在人的意念中(腦+心)而產生的影晌，不同的人會看同樣的環境不一樣，也會因時間而有所改變。需求會產生引力或斥力，這就是「場」的動力了。這個場可以令我們覺得同一件事甘甜或是苦楚，因為我們沒有一個「參照標準 reference point。」
有了參照標準，引力和斥力有新的平衡，原本看為苦的會變得甘甜或是混和了苦中有甜、甜中有苦，生活(生命)
這個參照標準必須是 a) 不會改變; b) 遠距離的; c) 可見的; 及d) 唯一的。
2011年1月25日 星期二
容與不容
容 to tolerate
I started this blog with the Chinese word 容.
The Google translation of it: 1. to contain; to hold; 2. to tolerate; 3. to allow. Chinese dictionary describes it by taking the character parts separately : “宀”是房屋, “谷”是空虚的山洼, 都有盛
So the word associated with :
容庶(宽容饶恕);
容物(度量宽大,
容谅(宽容原谅);
容借(宽容
容宽(宽容,宽恕);
容覆(宽容涵纳)
容纵(宽容放纵)
The word ranges from passive tolerate (宽容放纵) of indulging someone or something. A more noble meaning of it is allowing and forgiving (宽容饶恕).
乐意采纳 To Embrace
On the same train of thought, I like the word to embrace. To embrace something is not passively tolerating something. Tolerating is viewing something undesirable but accepting it anyhow. To embrace something especially ideas and thoughts, is to buy-in, to pay interest in and to integrate something into the system. One has to see the value of doing so. Value is a perception. So to embrace something one has to change one's perception of value.
When something that I do not feel right. Sometimes I tolerate it when I can do nothing absolutely. But if I can do something about it. I change it and myself (sometimes more of myself) to embrace it.
不容 - Tiger mother
A small piece of news recently attracted much attention. It rides on the news of President Hu Jintao's visit of Obama. A Chinese mother was called the tiger mother because the way she treated her daughter.
Do we have a course in family management? If mother is the manager (supervisor, CEO, executive), what kind of manager would you prefer? Why?
Why would a mother want a super-daughter? For what purpose?
If a nation is full of tiger mothers and super-kids, would you live there?
A company or an organization needs to perform well, why? For what purpose?
If a city or nation is full of super-competitive firms and organizations, what would happen to this city?
I started this blog with the Chinese word 容.
The Google translation of it: 1. to contain; to hold; 2. to tolerate; 3. to allow. Chinese dictionary describes it by taking the character parts separately : “宀”是房屋, “谷”是空虚的山洼, 都有盛
So the word associated with :
容庶(宽容饶恕);
容物(度量宽大,
容谅(宽容原谅);
容借(宽容
容宽(宽容,宽恕);
容覆(宽容涵纳)
容纵(宽容放纵)
The word ranges from passive tolerate (宽容放纵) of indulging someone or something. A more noble meaning of it is allowing and forgiving (宽容饶恕).
乐意采纳 To Embrace
On the same train of thought, I like the word to embrace. To embrace something is not passively tolerating something. Tolerating is viewing something undesirable but accepting it anyhow. To embrace something especially ideas and thoughts, is to buy-in, to pay interest in and to integrate something into the system. One has to see the value of doing so. Value is a perception. So to embrace something one has to change one's perception of value.
When something that I do not feel right. Sometimes I tolerate it when I can do nothing absolutely. But if I can do something about it. I change it and myself (sometimes more of myself) to embrace it.
不容 - Tiger mother
A small piece of news recently attracted much attention. It rides on the news of President Hu Jintao's visit of Obama. A Chinese mother was called the tiger mother because the way she treated her daughter.
Do we have a course in family management? If mother is the manager (supervisor, CEO, executive), what kind of manager would you prefer? Why?
Why would a mother want a super-daughter? For what purpose?
If a nation is full of tiger mothers and super-kids, would you live there?
A company or an organization needs to perform well, why? For what purpose?
If a city or nation is full of super-competitive firms and organizations, what would happen to this city?
2011年1月12日 星期三
Power of Knowledge
Inside-out vs Outside-in
I am reading a book by Alan Fine. In the first chapter of the book, he talks about whether performance is P=C+K where P stands for performance, C for Capacity and K for knowledge or performance is P=C-I where P stands for performance, C for Capacity and I for interference.
(C+K) is out-side in and (C-I) is inside-out. We would say, if we were asked which is right, both are right and it depends on situations. What are the situations? Are they mutually exclusive when applied to a situation? Are they to be balanced? Are the Cs in both formula the same C? May be they are of different dimensions, like in the former refers to our intellectual dimension and the later to our gaming and sports dimension? Do they refer to different stages, like the former refers to early developmental stage and the later refers to executions?
Power of knowledge
One of the biggest issue is that both formula are static in nature. That is, they assume that C is a constant. When we do P=C+K, C increases along with the addition of K.
Certainly, the argument is true for concerns in sports or in situations when knowledge is not an important factor. I am in management training, and I agree that mere head-knowledge K (undigested, without internalization, with no contextual insight) will not help. However, we hope, by making K a living-knowledge, it will increase his capacity. So, let me redo the formula by writing P=(C-I)**K where the symbol ** denoted "to the power of K" and K is usually larger than 1.
I am reading a book by Alan Fine. In the first chapter of the book, he talks about whether performance is P=C+K where P stands for performance, C for Capacity and K for knowledge or performance is P=C-I where P stands for performance, C for Capacity and I for interference.
(C+K) is out-side in and (C-I) is inside-out. We would say, if we were asked which is right, both are right and it depends on situations. What are the situations? Are they mutually exclusive when applied to a situation? Are they to be balanced? Are the Cs in both formula the same C? May be they are of different dimensions, like in the former refers to our intellectual dimension and the later to our gaming and sports dimension? Do they refer to different stages, like the former refers to early developmental stage and the later refers to executions?
Power of knowledge
One of the biggest issue is that both formula are static in nature. That is, they assume that C is a constant. When we do P=C+K, C increases along with the addition of K.
Certainly, the argument is true for concerns in sports or in situations when knowledge is not an important factor. I am in management training, and I agree that mere head-knowledge K (undigested, without internalization, with no contextual insight) will not help. However, we hope, by making K a living-knowledge, it will increase his capacity. So, let me redo the formula by writing P=(C-I)**K where the symbol ** denoted "to the power of K" and K is usually larger than 1.
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